The spectator., 1920-12-07
Copyright. All Rights Reserved


 When supper was finished Allan went to the stables to give final atten- ton to the horses-a duty that had always fallen to Jim-and Harris, afi ter a few minutes quiet rest in his chair. began to remove his boots.
 "The COWS are not milked, John, said his wife. She tried to speak in matter-offact. way, but the tremor ill her voice betrayed the import of the simple statement.
 Harris paused with boot half un- laced While his recollection of Beu- lahs defiance was clear enough, 1t had not occurred to him that the girl actually would stand by her guns. He had told her that she would milk the cows tonight as usual, and he had as sumed, as n matter of course, that she would do SO He was not accustomed to being disobeyed.
 "Wheres Beulah?" he demanded.
 ''I guess she's in her room."
 Harris laced up his boot. Then he started upstairs.
 Don't be too hard on her. John" urged his wife with little catch in her voice.
 II won't be too hard on anybody" he replied curtly. Its a strange thing you wouldn't see that she did as she was told. l suppose l have to plug away in the field until dark and then come in and do another half-days work because my women folk are too lazy or stubborn to do 1t themselves"
 If this outburst was intended to crush Mary Harris it had a very diff ferent effect. She seemed to straighten up under the attack; the color came back to her cheeks, and her eyes were bright and defiant.
 John Harris she said. You know better than to say that your women folk are either lazy or stubborn, but there's point where imposition, even the imposition of husband, has to stop, and you've reached that point You didn't have to stay in the field until dark There's another day com ing and the plowing'll keep. It isn't like the harvest. IL was just your own contrariness that kept you there. You fired the best man you ever had today. in a fl of temper, and now you're try Ing to take 1t out on us"
 Harris looked at her for moment i; then, without speaking, he continued up the stairs. He felt that he was being very unfairly used. but he had no intention of shrinking from his duty as husband and father. even if it's discharge should bring pain to all of them.
 He found Beulah in her room, os- tenSihly reading.
 Why are the cows not milked?" he demanded.
 'I thought I made it clear to you at noon that they wouldn't be milked by me" she answered, and there didn't seem to be anybody else hankering for the job"
 "Beulah." he said, trying to speak calmly don't you think this nonsense has gone far enough?'
 Too far" she agreed. But you started it-lets see you stop it."
 "Beulah," he said, with rising anger, II won't allow you to talk to me like that. Remember I'm your father. and you've right to do as you're told Haven't I given you everything-given you a home. and all that. and are you goin' to defy me in my own houseT
 'I don't want to defy you" she an- swered. but if you're going to let your temper run away with you, you can put on the brakes yourself And as for all you've done for me-maybe I'm ungrateful, but 1t doesn't look half so big from my side of the fence
 Well. what more do you want?" he demanded
 For one thing, wouldn't mind hav- ing father
 What do you mean? Amt I your father?"
 "No" she cried. No! No! There's no father here. You're just the boss the foreman on the farm. You board with mother and me We see you at meal-times. We wouldn't see you then if you didn't have to make use of us in that way. If you have spare hour you go to town. You're always so busy,  have no time for big things. I'd like to see you think about living instead of working And we're not living-not really living, you know-we're just ex- isting. Don't you see what l mean2 We're living all in the flesh, like an animal. When you feed the horses and put them under shelter you can't do anything more for them. But when you feed and shelter your daughter you have only half provided for her, and it's the other half, the starving half, that refuses to starve any longer"
 Pm not kickin' on religion, if that's what you mean. Beulah," he said. You get goin' to church as often as you like. and"
 "Oh, it's not religion" she protest ed. At least, it's not just going to church, and things like that, although guess it is a more real religion, if we inst understood What are we