Judsonia weekly advance., 1921-01-27

~ MI ~ ~ w ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NJ ~ ~ -
fault in the matter but he would take
his time about reopening the subject.
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, af-
ter Il few minutes quiet Fest in his
chair, began to remove his boots.
The cows are not MIXED, john
said his wife. She tried to speak in
matter-of-fact way, but the tremor in
her voice betrayed the import Of the
simple statement.
Harris paused with a boot half I'M
laced. While his recollection of Beu-
lah's defiance was clear enough 1t
had not occurred to him that the girl
actually would stand by her guns. lie
had told her that she would milk the
cows tonight as usual, and he had as
sumed. as "A matter of course, that she
would do so. He was not accustomed
to being disobeyed
where's Beulah?" he demanded.
81 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 a little catch in
her voice.
II won't be too hard on anybody"
he replied CURLY. ITS a strange thing
you wouldn't see that she did as she
was told. l suppose 1 have to plug
away in the field until dark and then
Il ho1 Il nxrfs-
work because my women folk are too
lazy or stubborn to do it 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 "a point where imposition, even
the imposition of a 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. 1t isn't
like the harvest. 1t was just your own
contrariness that kept you there. You
fired the best man you ever had today,
in fit of temper, and now you're try
Ing to take it out on us"
Harris looked at her for moment:
then, without speaking, he continued
up the stairs. He felt that he was
being very unfairly used, but ne had
no intention of shrinking from his
duty as husband and father, even if
its discharge should bring pain to all
of them.
He found Beulah in her room, os-
tensibly reading.
"Why are the cows not milked?" he
demanded.
81 thought l made it clear to you at
noon that they wouldn't be MIXED by
me-" she answered, land there didn't
seem to be anybody else laundering 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-let's see you stop it."
"Beulah," he said, with rising anger,
81 won't allow you to talk to me like
that Remember I'm your father, and
you've IA right to do as you're told.
Haven't l given you eyerything-giyen
you home, and all that, and are you
goin to defy me in my own house?'
II 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 it doesn't look half
so big from my side of the fence"
well, what more do you want?' he
demanded.
"For one thing, l wouldn't mind hav-
ing father"
what do you mean? Amt l your
father?'
No" she cried. mo, MOI 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 a spare hour
you go to town. You're always so busy,
busy, with your little things, that you
have no time for big things. III like to
see you think about living instead of
working. And were not liying-not
really living, you lnow-we're just eX-
listing. Don't you see what | mean?
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"
I'm 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