Show the old settler my dear san Tua turners ners marthella was one of those unusual children to tread right on the heels of their leaders and tread right overt over them heni if the leaders fail to 10 get out ot the way she bhe had unusual discernment and keen appetite lor that which on the very face of it is right she lacked little from early infancy of teaching and correcting 1 her parents yet up until the beginning of her tenth year she accepted what they told her even though she always agree with it she had accepted their dictum that they were the rn a aj j 0 r i t y and that the majority has a right to rule they told her that the principle of majority rule is the big base of peace an and d justice in our dear united states one day marthella began to wd wonder er whether it was the super superior bior size of her parents that made them the majority for she now had a brother and two sisters it was the most natural thing in the world for her to become the self appointed and enthusiastic teacher e r of these three junior members of the family and she put her precepts over with such convincing charm that the children saw th the world and its phenomena thru tier her keen eyes while she was still accepting things with which she could not agree she was looking and listening and perceiving when a note of ugly discord began in the home sl she le heard i ft 1 t at once she had been taught to love and respect hermar her parents but when discovered she their lack of respect one forthe for the other it became a dark and menacing spectre in ber little world it fired her into aggressive thought and resolution it stood her on jerown her own resources it made a woman of her in an amazingly short time when she overheard her father and mother in a fierce altercation it stung her as never before and w while hile she listened with clenched jaw something strong crystallized within he her she passed the secret on in sacred confidence to her brother and the younger girls shedding tears while sh told them of the many evils it might br bring ing i to them the breaking of the inevitable storm was no surprise to marthella nor did it find her entirely without preparation to meet it mrs airs james came with great emotion and in a bitter mood to break the he news as she supposed to her daughter that there was to be a separation your dd dad will take jimmy and nan with him she announced but you and mary wl will 11 stay with me we wont marthella affirmed firmly were going to stay together taken almost off her feet by this from her 13 year old girl mrs james caught her breath to ask what in the world do you mean 1 I mean declared marthella half biting her words off vs as she spoke that we children are the majority and we ve have decided to carry on together if and dad quit your quarrel and agree with us well all cai carry on when her mother tried to rise to the occasion and speak w with i t h final authority marthella mounted still higher in her opposition and ran for jimmy and nan and mary the wild panic with which they clung to marthella and swore they were going to stay with her left little wind in mrs airs james sails but she found strength to say feebly youre going to do just what I 1 say when they answered in a chorus we wont she ran in confusion from the room their slad dad came in with great indignation to read the riot act but marthella with the three others taking defiant refuge behind her hurled at him such an on page four THE 01 OLD 0 SETTLER continued from pare page 1 compromising ultimatum he staggered in confused surprise we have rights right st she hissed if you two could agree still be a majority but when you are divided and determined to divide us wo we wont take lake it so there if if you divide us have to do it by force and be corryl sorry bill janks retreated as his wife had done ile HP had never imagined his kids could put up such a belligerent li front the children their feelings wrought up tip to a great pitch waited right there till noon resolved to yield nothing james and his wife appeared together at the doorway this surprise jar had given them something thin about which to confer but they had bad not agreed and seeing the children still braced there in dogged determination they hesitated at a loss for what to say but Al arthella and her allies knew what to say and she was their spokesman when you say farewell to each other you say farewell to us she declai declared ed in hot defiance it was near evening when the father and mother came to the door again they had been shedding tears they came hand in hand you win announced bill james humbly were all going to carry on ot gether |