There's only one thing for me to do."
"What's that?" asked Jim, uneasily.
"I'm goin' ter call her, and call her hard."
"Look here, Barker," and Jim squared his shoulders as he looked
steadily at the other man; "you're boss here, and I takes orders
from you, but if I catches you abusin' Poll, your bein' boss
won't make no difference."
"You can't bluff me," shouted Barker.
"I ain't bluffin'; I'm only TELLIN' yer," said Jim, very quietly.
"Well, you TELL her to get onto her job. If she don't she quits,
that's all." He hurried into the ring.
Jim took one step to follow him, then stopped and gazed at the
ground with thoughtful eyes. He, too, had seen the change in
Polly. He had tried to rouse her; it was no use. She had looked
at him blankly. 'If she would only complain," he said to
himself. "If she would only get mad, anything, anything to wake
her." But she did not complain. She went through her daily
routine very humbly and quietly. She sometimes wondered how Jim
could talk so much about her work, but before she could answer
the question, her mind drifted back to other days, to a garden
and flowers, and Jim stole away unmissed, and left her with
folded hands and wide, staring eyes, gazing into the distance.
The memory of these times made Jim helpless to-night.
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