Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1922-11-03

.Jaybe no more than they'd orter-
rit no one as yet has been able to get
Any veal for his prodigal daughter.
From The Rhymed Reflections of Ell
der Twiggs"
FEW years ago the Beasiy girl
~ worked In the overall factory.
4 She was pretty girl then, and
naturally the neighbors talked about
Ter. for the people who live along
Jersey Creek are really no better than
they who live on Independence ave-
nue.. in spite of the theories that pow
erfy and charity go together. SO when
Size left the factory the women Of the
Jersey Creek neighborhood limited
that the foreman had been too polite
10 her. But If she had remained at
the factory they would have given the
same reason for her staying. After
that. she went to the theater with
ynnng men who turned up their coat
cellars and wore their hands in their
pockets in the fall and spring, In lieu
of overcoats. During the summer fol-
lowing her discharge from the over
I'll factory she became park fiend.
When she gave up her counter in
the cheap dry-goods store, she re-
Inaned at home, apparently keeping
house for her father. He worked in
"the shops somewhere over In the
bottoms" and came home tired and
gri;ny at night, and went to bed early.
He slept in the room off the kitchen,
ard his daughter slept in the front
room. He did not know when she
caine in at night, anG he did not think
OF caring to know Her father paid
no attention to the little brother and
ulster who leased the daughter at
table about the young men who fire.
quented the house. II the other MEM
bers of the family had been plaguing
the ten-year-old girl who led in the
raillery, the father would have been
equally needless of their chatter. The
eldest daughter made him very happy
hy simple tenderness, though, Of
course, he did not understand that
lis warmth for her and the longing
which he felt all day to get home for
supper. was happiness
But. unconsciously, his daughter
grew very necessary to him. He was
not of the world that analyses It's emo
lions. yet he could not fail to see her
beauty. nor to be proud of her for it;
and when she was dressed to go out
and she went out early and often
his pride blinded him to the gaudiness
of her clothes. her frowzy hair. and
the shocking makeup on her pretty
face. Probably his discernment was
not keen enough to see these faults,
even had he not been so fond OF her.
Pat other fathers who had daughters
saw these things. and mothers Of the
neighborhood who had sons did not
mention the Beasly girl in the family
circle. 1t was only after Miss Beasly
had Joined a comedy company, or
gani2ed to play the white Slave and
"OnIy Farmers Daughter through
the West. that her name was men
TONED at all freely by Jersey Creeks
nris!ocracy, and then it was as If
she were dead. And Mrs. Hinkley,
who took care of the children and
looked after the lonely old man. often
said to inquiring women OF the
neighborhood, at would break your
heart to see Mr.. Beasly a-grievin' an
a-crievin' for that hussy; an whiniver
he gets q letter from her he reads 1t
mt the supper table before them chill
dren wild that flourish you'd think
Itch. tch, tch. do wonder If he
knows" And after some discussion
she would sigh. well. its not for me
TO tell him."
What a wonderful thing is absence.
1t Is like the dark in its power to
transform people and situations anu
the relations of things. Though she
had grown up under his eyes the old
man and his daughter had scarcely
spoken a serious word to each other.
The father had never inquired what
his daughter was or was not she
was only her" in his thought. They
were strangers but when he began
TO forget her presence, he found nim-
self continually thinking of things ne
would like to say to her. Her as
appeared, and dreams altogether ar
ferent from his former conception OF
her. took her place. He longed lot
her. and yearned to tell her the great
love in his heart. Among the noisy
wheels. ne mumbled TO himsen'
speeches that he wanted 10 make 70
her, and in the scrawled letter ne
sent her occasionally. he wrote some
OF these tender things.
One day she wrote that she was
coming home for a vacation, ana MS
heart was very glad. He read ana re-
read the letter. and droned II OF al
the supper table 10 Mrs. Huxley arc
the children. AS he read IT, neltNe,
the hearers nor the reader feail1'v
how mucH feeling the writer haa pun
into the matter-of-fact words = "nnl
70 be home with you ail as.iN'
These words were meant 20 tell 2
story Of hearache and Loneliness ana
despair, buf they were epniin'.'p''.'
and foll short F0r poor people "i'