Judsonia weekly advance., 1921-02-03
CHAPTER VII-Continued.
10

Mother, this is too much I" the girl
exclaimed.
Her mother started and looked up
You're leaving us, Beulah?" she
asked. There was no reproach in her
voice. nor even surprise, but a kind of
quiet sorrow. 81 couldn't let the poor
brutes suffer" she explained.
Eyes. I'm leaving said Beulah. 81
can't stand it any longer"
The mother sighed. 1--WE seen it
coming for some time" she said, at
length. 81 suppose it can't be helped"
You're so passive" returned the
girl, with touch of Impotence. you
make me want to fight. OF course it
can be helped, but it can't be helped by
ssivays giving in"
s'Your father has met one of his own
mettIe at last" said the mother, and
the girl fancied she detected a note of
pride, but whether of father or daugh
ter, or both, she could only guess.
''Well, it's all very sad. Your father
y is a good man, Beulah. . l should
send you back to your bed, but some
how I can't. II don't blame you
Beulah."
She had finished the last COW. Beu-
lah helped with the pals of milk, and
the two women went back to the house
together. When Mary had washed her
hands she took her daughters face be-
tween her palms and kissed her on the
cheeks. Slowly Beulah's arms stole
about her neck, and it took all the
steel in her nature to prevent surren-
der
Stay till morning, Beulah. Your
father may be disposed to give and
take a little then, and you'll do the
same, won't you? Oh, my girl,
don't break up our home like this"
i you can't break up what you
haven't got. Aside from you, why
should / call this place home? / work
here, and get my board and clothes.
Well, I can work other places, and get
my board and clothes. If I've got to
be cog in a money-malling machine
/ will at least choose the machine"
"What plans have you made? Where
are you going?"
Haven't made any plans. and don't
know where I'm going. But I'm going
At present that's enough. The plans
will come along as they're needed"
"Have you any money! asked the
mother, with a brisk effort at cheer
fulness. She was already planning for
her daughter in the new world she was
about to enter.
Enough to start me. That's all I
need. can earn more. It's not work
I'm afraid Of, although I suppose ia
sher 1on't be able to see it that way.
put all this down to laziness and
macy. It's neither. It's just
human craving to live"
sometimes wonder whether I'll
able to stand 1t through to the
l." her mother whispered, somewhat
arfully, as though frightened by the
omission. "Ive-I've seen it coming
nth you, and I can't help feeling that
Derhaps this is only the beginning"
NJ "Oh. mother, if you should" cried
\ the girl. "That would do it-that
) would open his eyes. He'd see then
that there is something in the world
besides wheat and cows, after all. If
YOU would come-if you would only
come too. things would be different"
"But I couldn't do that" said the
mother. after silence, and as though
speaking with herself. Hes my hus-
band, Beulah. You don't understand"
They talked then, in secret, sorrow
ful confidence, of many things. things
for their ears only, and the gray was
returning in the northern sky when
the girl again left the house, and this
time swung resolutely down the road
that led to Plainville. Her heart was
now at rest, even at peace. In the
sacred communion of that last hour
she had come to see something of her
mothers problem and sacrifice; and
although she was going out into the
world alone, she felt that somewhere,
some time. was solution that would
reunite the broken family and tune
their varying chords in harmony.
From an unhappy sleep in his room