THE MORNING AFTER
The very best part of every Green Valley doing is talking it over the
morning after.
Nobody even pretended to work the morning after the minister's party.
Dell Parsons never even brushed out her lovely hair that morning; just
wound it round her head in two big braids and went through the little
gate in the hedge to talk it over with Nan Turner.
She found Nan standing over a steaming dishpan, stirring the dishes
about absent-mindedly with the pancake spoon. At the sight of Dell she
turned her back on the cluttered sink.
"Dell, I'm only just beginning to take in the meaning of what that
little neighbor girl of ours said last night. Why, Dell Parsons, we've
both been born in this here town; we're only twenty-two miles out from
the heart of one of the world's greatest cities and we've never sensed
the true meaning of this thing they call woman suffrage and
prohibition. Why, we've poked fun at it and jogged along our ignorant
hayseed way and watched and watched little sweet-hearted men like Jim
Tumley just stumble miserably into their graves, or a man like Sears
drive his children from their home and curse his wife, or perhaps we've
shuddered at the sight of Hank Lolly lying drunk in the road among the
wild flowers.
"When one of our drunkards dies we cut our choicest flowers and go to
the funeral and maybe cry with the wife and children and then go home
and wait for the next one to do it. Of course, we talk to the children
and try to scare the boys into letting it alone. But that doesn't do
much good because, Dell, we don't bury enough drunkards at one time to
make a strong impression and convince the boys that we are right. Our
boys see big, respectable men like George Hoskins and Seth Curtis and
even good Billy Evans taking their drinks regularly and living and
prospering. So they make up their minds that mothers are all a little
bit crazy on the drink question. And the first thing we know we find
that our boys have been washing down their cigarettes with a drink.
And in those first sick five minutes we know, Dell, that the thing has
beaten us to the boy."
"Yes," mused Dell aloud, "but we aren't the only ones who feel beaten.
The men aren't all against us, Nan. Lots of them right here in this
town are on our side. And I tell you it's no joke for a natural man
who loves to hang around and pal with his neighbors to put himself in
the position of a spoilsport or an odd goody-goody. There's Uncle
Tony's brother William. He's been against war and drink and smoking
all his life, and look at the dog's life he's led. Nan, I believe the
men are as helpless as we. The Thing has grown so huge that we can't
fight it. It's got us all. And we're so helpless because we're
ignorant and won't think this thing out. Look at Frank Burton, who'd
give his soul to save Jim Tumley's. Yet it's only last year that he
gave up having drink in the house. He never realized until so late
that just by having it around he was hurting the man he'd die to save.
And there's Billy Evans. Why, Nan, Billy has sat up nights pulling
Hank Lolly through a jag. Yet Billy lets Hank see him take a drink
every day. And, Nan, it must be plain hell for Hank to see that. Why,
Billy wouldn't tempt Hank or make him suffer torment knowingly for a
million dollars. And yet he does it every day of his life because he's
ignorant, doesn't know any bigger, finer, more unselfish way of helping
Hank. No, Nan, you can't make me believe our Green Valley men are a
mean lot, meaner than others. They just don't know and when once they
realize, why, they'll put an end to it themselves fast enough."
"That's all right, but, Dell Parsons, you know that the world over men
have to be nagged and coaxed into seeing the right by their women
folks. And I tell you I'm going to begin right now to do a little of
both. And as for that vote--I've laughed about that long enough. Now
I'm going after it. It's just struck me that we women need a vote
about as much as we need a pair of scissors, a bread board or a wash
boiler, cook stove and bank book. We need it along with the other
things to keep our children properly clothed, fed, housed and educated."
The blacksmith shop was closed. George Hoskins' wife was pretty sick.
So the crowd that was usually seated about the forge was crowded into
Billy Evans' office.
It was a big crowd but it wasn't feeling any jollier because of its
size. Each man there had had a word or two with his wife that morning.
Not a few wives had begun to discuss the Jim Tumley incident seriously
the minute they got home and got the children to bed the night before.
Every man in Billy's office felt more or less uncomfortable and talked
in nervous, disconnected snatches.
Said one:
"Well--I drove in to town this morning so's not to have words with
Rose--and just to escape the whole dumbed subject--but if--I'd known
that everybody I met and talked to and set down with--was a-going to
talk about the same dumbed thing I'd a-stayed to home."
"The whole trouble," argued another, "is just women's imagination,
that's all. I never saw a woman that had a living father, brother,
beau, husband, brother-in-law, father-in-law, cousin or boy baby in
arms that she wasn't worrying all the time night and day that drink'd
get him. It's just their way of being foolish, that's all. And as for
all this talk about the terrible danger and it being a menace to the
future generation, that's all slop and slush."
Billy was irritable this morning for the first time in months. It must
be remembered that Billy's wife was red-headed and a highly efficient
soul. She had very frankly and plainly told Billy what she thought of
a town that was run in so slack a fashion that it couldn't protect one
of its own lovable citizens. She had never spoken so sharply in all
their days together and Billy felt that he had lost his bride forever.
And he had.
"Well--boys, I'll tell you," sighed Billy. "The old woman gave me
hell, I tell you--as if--great gosh, it was all my fault. The women
are partly right and we all know it. That's why they talk up so and
why we have to take it. I've about come to the conclusion that as long
as the women are partly right and we are partly wrong I'm going to quit
it, as far as I myself am concerned. But don't think for one minute
that I fancy that I have a right to vote this town dry for any other
man. Live and let live's my way of thinking and doing."
"Well, Billy," spoke up Jake Tuttle who had come out strongly for a dry
town, a dry state and a dry country, "you're fair and square and
a-doing all you honestly can. Maybe the time will come when you'll
feel that voting it out is the only thing."
"Why," grumbled another member of this caucus, "anybody'd think that
this whole town had ought to turn in and just die of thirst on account
of a man that ain't much bigger than a pint of cider and never did have
no proper stomach. Why, who ever heard of sech a thing as a whole town
being run for one man?"
"A town that ain't run fair and square for one man isn't run fair and
square for any man," insisted Jake. "And as for hearing strange
things, I've heerd tell of a man once, a poor kind of low-style Jew he
was, lived over in a little two by four town called Nazareth, who not
only believed in going dry and hungry for other people but actually
died so's to show them a finer way of living and a braver way of dying.
I've heerd tell that they called that man the Greatest Fool that ever
lived and that they killed Him fur His foolishness. So, if this whole
town should turn in an' help Jim Tumley there'd be nothing new in that."
The pause that followed would have been uncomfortable if Seth Curtis
hadn't opened the door just then and squeezed in.
Seth was mad. For the first time since their marriage he had
quarrelled with his wife. Docile, sweet-tempered Ruth Curtis was
aflame with mother wrath. She, like a great many Green Valley women,
thought of Jim Tumley not as a man but as a voice, the voice of a lark
on a summer morning. That other men's selfish strength should still
that voice made her sweet eyes flame and her soft voice shake with
anger. That Seth, who so hated waste of any kind, could stand calmly
by while a lovable human soul was being thrown away puzzled her at
first. She tried to argue with him. If Jim Tumley were trying to save
his burning barn or mend his fence Seth would have helped him gladly.
But Jim was trying to save his body and soul and Green Valley men, even
though they knew he was not equal to the struggle, could not see that
it was their business to help.
Seth resented this passionate fight for little Jim that the women were
making. In his anger Seth could not see that beyond the figure of the
gentle singing man stood the children of Green Valley. In this
harmless little man who could not save himself every mother saw her
boy, her girl; one a drunkard-to-be perhaps, the other mayhap a
drunkard's wife and the mother of more drunkards.
Seth's eyes blazed around Billy's crowded office and he waited for the
question that he knew he would be asked:
"Well--Seth--you voting the town dry this morning?"
And then Seth let loose. He said fool things to ease his ugly temper
but he wound up his argument with the telling reminder that Green
Valley couldn't afford to lose the fifteen-hundred-dollar yearly
license tax.
"Not only would we men lose our freedom and be a thirsty lot of
wife-driven idiots but our taxes would rise."
And that argument told. It had been overlooked somehow. But at the
mention of it every man's face but Jake's brightened. Why, sure--Seth
was right. That fifteen hundred dollars kept the taxes down and was an
argument that ought to appeal to every Green Valley woman whose life
was an eternal struggle to save.
"Why, yes, that's so," agreed Jake. "It seems as if the women ought to
see that, but like as not they'll talk back and say that if there was
no hotel bar to attract us men there'd be less time wasted and more
than fifteen hundred dollars' worth of extra work turned out. And for
all they talk so everlastingly about saving, there's some kind of money
that no nice woman will touch with a ten-foot pole. And just put it up
to them as to which they want, Jim Tumley or fifteen hundred a year,
and see what they say."
Jake was the richest man of all the men packed in Billy Evans' office.
He could afford to talk bravely for he had no need to curry any man's
favor. And he could demand respectful attention for his opinions.
There were those present who resented this independence.
"These farmers nowadays are getting danged smart and officious,"
muttered Sears to Sam Bobbins.
But Sam wasn't listening. He too had an argument and he wanted to
voice it.
"Mightn't the closing of the bar lose us a lot of outside trade, ruin
our business life?"
At that Billy's eyes twinkled.
"By gosh--Sam--I hadn't thought of that. I sure would miss the poor
drunks that crawl in here to sleep it off. And like as not I'd not get
to drive old man Hathaway home every time he hits town and tries to
paint it red. Never have dared to leave that old fool in town when he
was drunk. Never can tell what that poor miserable mind of his
mightn't prompt him to do. Might set fire to something or hang himself
on somebody's front door."
As town marshal Billy had a pretty accurate idea of the kind of trade
that the hotel bar attracted. There was a levity in Billy's voice and
a dancing light in Billy's eye. He could never take anything seriously
for any great length of time. However, old man Sears didn't like this
attitude of Billy's.
"It isn't only losing that fifteen-hundred-dollar license and losing
outside trade but we'd be robbing an honest and respectable man of his
livelihood," said Sears with his most ponderous air.
An unwilling, sheepish grin ruffled every man's face and Seth said with
a rasp:
"Well, Sears, I wouldn't lose any sleep worrying about that honest,
respectable man's livelihood if I were you. He owns a fine
seven-passenger car, some fancy driving horses, and that diamond pin he
wears week days in his tie would keep my meat bill paid for many and
many a day. No, I can't say that I'd let that make my conscience ache."
"What say if we all go over and ask him what he thinks of it. It looks
like rain and I'll have to be starting for home," suggested the bright
and peace-loving soul who had left home that morning to avoid
unpleasantness.
This brilliant suggestion was promptly acted on and they filed out,
leaving Billy standing alone in the doorway. Billy watched them
shuffle into the hotel, then he looked up and down Main Street,
studying every old landmark and battered hitching post. He told
himself that he hoped the old town wouldn't change too much. Hank
Lolly came out of the barn just then and Billy turned to him.
"Hank, that innocent little girl in a pink dress last night has sure
raised one gosh darned lot of argument in this here town."
"Billy," Hank's voice shook a little, "Billy, I heerd some of those
arguments--in there. But, my God, Billy--look at me--look at me! I'm
the best argument in this here town for voting that bar out. For,
Billy, so long as that hotel sells liquor, so long as the doors swing
open so that the smells can get out, and so long as the winds blow in
Green Valley, bringing those smells to me--just so long I'll be
afraid--afraid. And Billy, if ever I let go again, it'll be the
madhouse for me. I know. I've had a grandfather and two uncles go
that way."
Over at the hotel the high, foaming glasses slid along the bar. The
hotel man with the diamond in his tie greeted the men who lined up at
the rail with an indifferent smile. The glasses were raised and
drained. And then some bold spirit asked the man with the diamond how
he'd feel if the town went dry.
"Why," drawled that individual, "I've been looking down men's throats
and watching their Adam's apple and listening to them guzzling their
liquor for something like twenty years now and I wouldn't mind a
change. I left the city because I was hankering for something I didn't
know the name of. Thought I'd find it here. Thought this was a mighty
restful town. It is--but not for me and my business. But I'm glad I
came, for that young parson of yours put me next to what I really want
to do. I've been wanting all my life to run a stock farm. But I
didn't know it till that kid preacher told me so. Seems he's been
knocking around the country with Hank Lolly and knows of two or three
that are up for sale. I'm going out with him next week to look at
them. So this town running dry won't upset me any. I've just about
made up my mind to quit this game and spend the rest of my life
with--cattle. I won't mind the dryness. I don't drink. Never have."
The rain that had been threatening for an hour came suddenly, came down
in big angry drops; and there was everywhere in town a scurrying for
home. Men buttoned their coats and bent their heads and hurried home,
hoping to find there cheerful wives and peace.
They found their wives cheerful enough, almost suspiciously so, and
exceedingly busy with the telephone. By listening to several one-sided
conversations Green Valley men learned that while they had been
discussing things in Billy's office, Mrs. Brownlee had called on Jim
Tumley's wife and on several other more prominent Green Valley matrons;
had telephoned to others and had in three morning hours organized a
Woman's Civic League.
"A Civic League? What's that? And what for?" Green Valley husbands
wanted to know.
"Why, I don't know. I said yes, of course I'd join. I couldn't be
mean to the woman after what her little girl did last night," said
Green Valley wives.