Judsonia weekly advance., 1921-01-20
By
ROBERT J. C.
STEAD
Aufher 81 The Gov
PuncIIsT. ETC.

him against Travers.
HE didn't, either. And II he did
it's none of your business, you big"
she looked her brother straight in the
face, her swollen eyes telling their
own story, and repeated deliberately,
you big coward"
Allan bit his lip.
"Jim's quite hero, all right. It's
too bad he's gone"
IT'S a good job he's gone" said
Harris. by the way Beulah talks
things have gone far enough. l don't
want my daughter marrying farmer"
Her grandmother's daughter did"
said Mrs Harris.
Yes, / know, but things are differ
ent now. l look for something better
for Beulah."
1t was characteristic of Harris, as
of thousands of others, that, although
farmer himself, he looked for "sone-
thing better" for his daughter. He
was resigned TO Allan being a farmer:
his intimate, daily relationship with
his son shrank from any possibility
of separation. But for his daughter
no. He had mapped out no career
for her; she might marry q doctor,
lawyer, merchant, tradesman, even a
minister, but not a farmer. 1t is a
popularity OF the agriculturist that,
among all professions, he holds his
own in the worst repute In later
years has come a gradually broaden
ing conception that farming, after all,
calls for brain as well as muscle, and
that the man who can wrestle sue
cessful living from nature has as much
right to hold up head in the world
as the experime"ter in medicine or
the lawyer playing hideand-seek with
justice through the cracks in the GRIM
inal code. Herein is a germ of the
cityward migration: the farmer him
self Is looking for something better"
for his children.
"Jim was a good man." persisted
his wife Don't you think you were
well, perhaps, a little hasty with
him."
Harris sat back. It was his wife's
business to agree For twenty years
discharge of that duty. That she
should suggest an opinion out Of har-
mony with his indicated lack of dis
cipline, not very serious, perhaps, but
seed which, if permitted to flourish.
might develop to dangerous proper
tions.
$50 you're goin' to take his part,
too? It's a strange thing If | can't
handle my hired help without advice
from the house"
Mary flushed at the remark Any
open quarrel with her husband, espe-
cially before the children-for she
still thought of the man and woman
to her left and right as "the children"
was more painful TO her than any
submission could have been. 1t would
be so much easier to change the sub
ject to follow the line of least resist
ance, and forgot the incident as quick
ly as possible. But of late the convic-
ton had been coming home to her
that some time, somewhere, she must
make a stand And, quite unbidden,
a strange surge Of defiance welled in
her when her husband so frankly told
her to mind her own business.
81 was uneer the impression we
were managing this farm together,
you and |, John" she said very calm
ly, but with strange ring in ker
voice. "When we cane West / under
stood it was to builI our home. I
didn't know it was ju t to be your
home"
The look of surprise With which
Harris greeted her words was abso-
lutely genuine. A hot, singing retort
sprang to his lips, but by a sydden
effort he suppressed it. 1--WE VII talk
about that some other time, Mary" he
said If Jim had answered my Qbes-
ton fairly as he had a right to, in
stead of beatin' around the bush, l
might we let him of But when ,
wanted to know what kept him he
simply PARTED me. maxim a fool of
me and rubin ii in with that infer
nal smile Of his"
$50 that's what started t." ex-
claimed Beuah. "WeI, I'll tell YOU
what kept him, if he wouldn't The
cattle got into the oats through a
break in the fence and I couldn't get !
them out and the dog went ki-yl-ing
over the prairie after a rabbit, and |
Just as l was beginning to-to--con-
dense over it Jim came up and saved |
the situation. What il he did keep |
your old engine waiting? There are
more important things than blowing
AHA" saiG Harris, knowingly. |
well, ] guess its just as well 1t hap
pened as it did. Jim WAS getSn' al
together TOO good at runnin' at your
heels"
That's all the thanks he gets for
working late and early, like no other
hired man in the district All right. |
You and Allan can milk the COWS to-
night, for I won't-see?"