Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-26
The New Barn,

| HC &NCW 00AAs
well, Hattie, is breakfast ready?
I've got to get a start to town to look
at that tractor and bring out paint for
the table where he could see from the
window the fine building just completed
and ready to be painted.
you'll bring enough extra paint for
the house, won't you?" said his wife as
she put the bacon and eggs and fried
potatoes before him. Since you've de-
cided on white for the barn, we could
have IL for the house, too"
IT can't afford tc buy 1t now. Hattie.
The white costs lot more than red
barn paint" her husband answered
shortly and applied himself to his
breakfast.
An impatient exclamation burst from
Mrs. Hale's lips and a flush spread
over her usually pleasant face as she
stopped in the kitchen doorway and
stared at her husband with exaspera-
ton.
Eyes, you can have everything the
best for your live stock and your crops,
while your family lives in this wretched
tumbledown old house." she exclaimed.
ITS disgrace"
well, I'd like to know where you'd
be If I didn't have those barns. Living
in q worse place than this" retorted
Mr.. Hale.
Eyes and what will everybody think
to see the finest stables in the country
and the poorest house? I've stood this
humiliation about long enough. Keep
ing this place decent and clean Is a
woman-killing job, and now you refuse
even to make 1t look respectable on the
kitchen and shut the door.
Sam Hale left for the city without
saying good-by to his wife. AS he drove
his new truck carefully through the
traffic his thoughts wavered between
the pleasure of seeing his barns beauti-
fully painted white and the uncomfort-
able sense of his wife's hurt feelings.
"Hatties as unreasonable as any other
woman once in a while" he muttered
Here am doing my best for her, and
what thanks do I get? Only married
10 years and plenty of time ahead for
new house. She's comfortable as she
| Is, as far as I can see. It's just q sort
of jealousy that's ailing her" He felt
unfairly injured this morning. His
wife's anger had almost spoiled the
long anticipated pleasure of this days
business.
shes bothered me about that house
till I'm tired of it," he thought stub
bornly as he watched the cans of paint
being loaded into the truck. Toward
noon he had finished q careful inSpec-
| ton Of the new tractor and placed his
order for immediate delivery. Then he
hunted up the the restaurant popular
with the farmers from his county and
ate a hearty meal in company with one
of his neighbors. The talk was of his
handsomely constructed barn. the up
to-date wing for the cattle. the capa-
cious silo attached. Mr.. Hale stated
that the paint was to be white, and
that Ed and Joe Barnard were helping
him put it on the next day.
Fine place you'll have, Sam. Co
ing to paint the house, too. while you
are at 1t, I suppose" remarked his
neighbor
Mr. Hale was on the point Of reply
ing. mo, can't afford it." when he
paused and said instead, I'm calculat-
ing on that" Then he wondered why
he had said what he had not intended
saying two minutes before.
i've got to do 1t now. I suppose" he
muttered to himself as he climbed into
the truck. I've said I'm going to and
can't very well get out Of it and save
my face"
But on the way home Mr.. Hale's
heart was singularly light and a warm
smile occasionally upturned his thin
lips as he remembered the extra paint
in the truck and looked forward to the
moment when he should surprise Hat
tie with it. How pleased she would be.
After his refusal this morning she
would not have the least hope Of. 1t.
All the mornings dissatisfaction was
turned to a warm glow Of pride. The
| paint had cost more than he had in