FATHER AND SON.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 104, 15 April 1911, Page 4 (Supplement)

FATHER AND SON.

“What is the matter? I knew all through dinner that something was bothering you.” Miller and his wife were in the li>jrory. :»nd from the adjoining room came the chatter of their two children.

“Probably it will prove to be nothing. Dortch came to the office to-day, and told me that when he drove by our place yesterday he noticed Hannah m the yard. He said she cooked tor then: last year, ami they found out that she was a regular nicotine fiend — that she stolo his cigar? and taught liis boy to smoke, and raised the mischief generally. “Oh I’m .sure she couldn’t influence David’” cried Mrs. Miller, with the quick mother-instinct of defence. “I don’t know. She has always sec.mad so fond of the- children that they have l»o.'n with h<-r a gnat deal. Whenever we are both out of the way. wo have l--ft them to Hannah to look aftei instead of to Polly. Dave will tell me the truth about it—ho doesn’t like, thank Heaven. But if I find that cieven vc;;r-old boy has picked up a forbidden habit ami has concealed it from me Miller broke off. Thon lie called hts son. in the voice at nnc<- so firm and kindiv which his children lovp.l. David came running at the summons, and li bbix! his head against his father’s arm like an affectionate Newfoundland pup. His sister, two years younger, Dotted in after him. “David. I want yon to tell mo whether or not yon have been smoking.” The finest ion was answered in the affirmative in an unexpected but conclusive manner for little Elinor burst into tears. Hfr mother gathered her into her ar ns. lint she sobbed as one who could not bo comforted. “So you have smoked?’’ s«:d .Miller slowlv. “Yes sir.” “For how long 5 ” David considered. “It was Thanksgiving, first time, Hanimh vaid it w.,-. a sin to waste all the good stumps the company threw awav. and asked me to bring thorn to her.”

Milb-r used a y.nmbr-r of e’garettes n dav. because he never relighted orit.. r-id rarely took more than a single draw.

“Yon have been gathering up stumps for two months, and dividing with the cook ?”

“Is ‘dividing’ takino half? Hannah bent most of them. When she makes a big cake, she always makes a teeny rne for me and Elinor : and she never fusses at us like the other cooks did. She likes me because 1 bring her the cigarettes.” "Why didn't you tell me?” “I warted so bad to tell?” Elinor sobbed out. T didn’t want secrets. Hannah saul it nns fun for little girl.to have secrets, but 1 like to tell mine to mother.”

“Tlvit Devil didn’t try to tnako von smoke 0 ”

Miller’s eves gleamed with sudden red as he rose from his chair and laid a. hand on the mass of curls with passionate protective tenderness. ‘‘Hannah wanted to learn me. but I never tried, raise David said I must not. He said mother didn’t smoko, so I mustn’t, and father did, so he wanted to learn ”

“ Take Flinor to bed and get hei cin’ct. Kate.” Miller directed his wife. “Mie's out of this: T ought to have known she would be.”

David ne-ded discipline as often as the other robust mid healthy speeimnns of Isoyhood. When the subject of pnnishment came up. there were times v.-lien his mother felt promoted to mak.suggest ions, and at lare intervals, to i.'terfere Now. as <he left the room. «he turiif-d to look nt her husband with •t wistful helplessness in her face. Jt > as a crisis in their bov’s relation tc Jits parents which she did not know bow to meet, nn-l <lm felt relieved th 't the na« not called upon to cope with a situation so wholly masculine. Miller was almost equally at sea. “If you had come to me ” David hung his head *’J liked it. and [ know vou’d make me stop, if you found out.” Mi’hr was sdei-t for a moment, whib the lines from Tho Mikado hummed through his brain:---

Air nbie.-f all sublime T shall achieve in time— To m-ifco the punishment fit the crime.

It did not seem to. him to be an < . casion for a thrashing. Sometimes there were oc'asions. and he rose to them reluctantly. administering the thrashing with dcci-ion and despatch: und hi> box' and hirnsplf xvero nox'or The wr-r-e friends aft-i wards That was why this hurt so. He and Dave wore such chums that it was hard to rtnderstand how his negro cook could have tempted th - youngster aw-av from his intimate, iomfidcnt al relation with his father.

Dio mam thing was to stop the smoking at once. Distinct among Mil.er s memories of his own bovhood was bi.md bore the flashing name of l our Aces.” though he had never scon a package sin. e. He had hidden » • the orc,.aril Jmt his mother might not smell his breath, until the a-*onv o. nans*.:, and th* . certainty of {mailing d -afl: had driren him to confcsMOT) ■

Hi. mind was made up now ff.* Stu** ’" d W4 “

“Have 0110 s” The words were cornu and rather than ’ iterrngafon. Puzzled. David took <>n- am Lt ;t . So di-1 his father, t •mirpt the single puff of the older man lacgoti its usu.-il sooiliin-' flavour . When David ha*l finished his, ho said in bis honest fashion :

, "V' c ; ” p ! >otter: I’ vo just Lan (iiicks’ ’* '*Ta?**> aii*>tb(‘r!"

Them wa- no mistaking the command tor- tir.i-. Daw l , again with stir pnsc bit with distinct pleasure, took the s-eoi-d cigarette and smoked it through Miller expected the boy to turn pale, to be unable to finish, hr to show some sic:, of physical distress, lint nwnrg conkl !’wn be:-i> clearer than flic line of David s eve or the apple colour OI his cheeks Miller gritted hr: t-'-t!:. and determined to see it through. “Ti-v a ci car.”

D n id< eves once more brightened wrtb anticipation. He blundered a little in nmna-ging it. but finally “got it going, as J,<. phrased it. ’ ” Somehow the movement of the boy’s hands a- he lit it. the tilt of his head i*.s he smoked, smote Miller’s heart, with pangs of fatherhood. How :>Lsmdly like himself David was! Dm jams hair. <,l*-se-clippel because Loth hated th*- tendency to curl ; the sem-straig'it-gi.zing blue eves: the «amo merrv mockery in the corners of the He thought of the pleasure nr .m<! found in robaren, the sen t* nt silent companionship with other men ’rhich it had given him. It was absurd to expect bis littl- chap not to smokothe onlv thing was to movent the ha’d* while it might stunt the d.'rehmm nt of that sturdy young frame. X**t. as Miller sat there, waiting for t.ie bov to grow sick, he began to fool i ti-an rolv ashamed

“It's fighting below the belt literal-

ly. not figuratively. I can't do it I I’ve always stood firm on any stand Ire taken with the children, but I shall have- to back down on tins," Miller thought. Then he said aloud : * David, throw a wav vour cigar now.” But in the midst of his defeat, victory came unexpectedly. David, even David—trained since boyhood not to cry for bumps and bruises—broke into a gust of tears.” “Oh, father, you’re so good and I m so clog-gone mean! When Air. Dortch round out .Alex smoked, he whipped him so hard that Alex had to bring a pillow to sit down on when he went to dinner. And you, you just treat me like a man and give me cigars.” The boy choked, unable to fine! the phrases for his tumultuous feelings. “And, father, I won’t do it any more. It was sneaking, and I won’t smoke any more until you say I can. I promise you I won't! I won't fool you about it!” “Nor I you.” Miller spoke as man to man “I was making .you smoke liecause I hoped it would make you so sick that you would never wish to do it again. After all. that’s a little boy remedy, like putting soap on your tongue when you say a bad word. I’ll lea’. — it to j-ou, David. I don't want -.oil to smoke before yon are eighteen. I don't ask you to promise me you u ill not. but I ask yon to promise that if voii do smoke, it will be with mo.”

David had stopped crying, and his voice was as controlled as his father’s as he answered :

“I promise. I like to.” As he looked into the candid depths of the boy’s eyes. Miller felt, with a sweeping sense of thankfulness, that he had always been able to depend on his son’s word. Instead of the usual good-night peck at Miller’s brow, father and son shook hands qnietlv on their compact. “Won’t it !:e bully, father, when I'n, old enough for us to smoke together?” “Fine, old man. Good-night!”

Presently Mrs. Miller came in. Two spots of colour were burning brightly in her cheeks. Her expression was so belligerent, as contrasted with the fragile* daintiness of her appearance, that Miller foftnd relief in a laugh as lie took her in his arms. "YVeil. it’s all right with Dave and me, dear But what have you been doing?” “Dismissing Hannah, of course.”

“I can never understand you women!” groaned her husband. “After all tho trouble she has given us, why add t’ir- inconvenience of having to get breakfast yourself?”

“I could not sleep with a viper in the basement. Now, tell me about David ” “I determined to make him sick of tobacco once for all. and what do you snppos’ ? That little rascal smoked two cigarettes and half a cigar, and it did not faze him’.” There w.-> ; no mistaking tho note of ] ride in Miller’s voice.

"You - ven are aetuallv bragging about it!” gasped his wif«. “I can never understand voii men!”—Bv Margaret Busbec Shipp, in “Munsey's.”

“You have been fighting again. Tommy.” “I couldn’t help it, mamma. That Taihape boy gave me some of his cheek.” _ “That was no reason for fighting. You should have remembered that ‘A soft answer tnrneth awav wrath,’ and given him a soft answer.” “I did. I hit him with a chunk o’ mud.”