Mr. Spruce had started to drink more and more beer and was becoming more cantankerous with each passing day.

Jenny was alarmed at her father's ill nature and her mother was at a loss as to know what to do.

When Jason saw his father coming in from work he ran to hide in the closet under the stairway. Sometimes he tried to hide behind Mama.

Mama did a lot of praying. Jenny prayed much but Daddy still acted weirdly as if something was troubling him.

He really hadn't hurt anyone yet but he was like an explosive set to go off.

There was a gloomy atmosphere that clouded the house. The children did not talk at the supper table. Mama just filled their plates anyway. When Daddy banged on the table as he did sometimes, Jenny and Jason left food on their plates.

It was Friday night and Daddy bought three six-packs of beer home to drink over the weekend.

Mama was uneasy. She put Jason to bed early and Jenny went to spend the night at Kelli's house.

"Daddy sure acts strange," Jenny told the Mostly family. "I don't know what is wrong with him."

"Don't worry, dear," returned Mrs. Mostly. "He will get over it. We are going to pray for him."

"At the Spruce house Mama went about her work as quietly as possible trying not to arouse any anger in her husband.

"Where are the kids?" Daddy asked.

"Well, dear, Jason is asleep," answered Mama. "Jenny is with Kelli." She didn't tell Mr. Spruce about Jenny staying overnight and hoped he would be asleep before he knew the truth.

"Confound that girl!" Daddy growled. "Can't she ever stay home?"

"Honey," said Mama, "Kelli is like a sister to her. They enjoy each other. Anyway tomorrow is Saturday, she can be here most of the day."

Mrs. Spruce had baked a cherry pie and cut a piece for her husband. Mama drank coffee as she sat at the table with Daddy. She hoped he wouldn't notice that she was nervous.

There was a knock at the kitchen door. Daddy opened the door and there stood Buddy Packet, his next door neighbor.

"Come in, neighbor," Daddy said. "Have a beer!"

"I don't think so, Spruce," he returned. "But that pie sure looks good and I could enjoy some coffee."

"What's got into you, Buddy?" said Jenny's father. "Don't you drink beer anymore?"

"Hardly ever," answered the neighbor. "Doc says it isn't good for my health, so I stay off of that stuff. And I don't even miss it."

"Too bad, you won't drink with me," said Mr. Spruce. "You are not a nice neighbor - can't drink with your friends."

"Hey, man, why don't you quit?" suggested Buddy. "Aren't you soaking yourself."

Mama was tense, hoping this conversation didn't excite her husband's temper.

"Nope, I do fine," Daddy said in a surly tone of voice. "Now what did you come for?"

"Oh, I wanted to borrow your hammer," answered Buddy. "Let me have it and I'll get out of your way."

When the neighbor received the hammer, he went home.

On the way out he saw Jenny and Kelli peeping in the kitchen window.

"Sh' sh'," said Jenny quietly putting a finger over her lips. "Daddy must not find out we were watching him."

"Never mind, girls," answered the neighbor. "I wouldn't tell on you for the world."

Jenny and Kelli went back to the Mostly house and settled down to play games. Now and then Jenny would say, "I hope Mama is O.K."

"She is fine, honey," said Kelli's mother. "Your father loves her. I don't think he would hurt her."

The girl wanted to believe the woman. The words were some comfort, but Jenny wondered if Kelli's mother really believed everything would be all right.

"What can we do?" asked Kelli. "We're tired of games."

"Just a minute," said Mrs. Mostly, "I'll be right back." She went into her bedroom. She looked on a shelf in the closet and found a plastic bag filled with costume jewelry - necklaces, earrings, rings and pins.

"Let's go to my room and try on this stuff," suggested Kelli.

"Sure, it looks like fun," agreed Jenny.

The girls played and pretended in front of the mirror for a long while. Finally, they went to bed.

At the Spruce house, Daddy drank, and watched television and complained about the government. Mama read a magazine. She didn't say much, hoping her husband would fall asleep.

Soon he was sleeping. Mrs. Spruce turned out all lights downstairs except the night light by the stairway. She went to Jason's room to check on him and thanked God all was quiet. Then Mama went to bed.

Jenny lay awake for awhile in Kelli's bedroom. She wondered how everything was at her house. I wish I had stayed in Heaven, thought the girl. Our family is no fun anymore. Daddy acts so strange.

There was some light shining through the drapes from the street lamp. Jenny slipped out of her bed and knelt there in the dim light. She prayed: God bless Mama and Daddy and Jason. Please change my daddy into a good man so he won't quarrel and be mean. And Jesus, I thank you for letting me go to Heaven. I wish I were there with you but I know you want me to tell people you are coming. Help me to do that. Amen."

Jenny crawled under the covers again. The neighborhood was quiet so she fell asleep.

When she went home in the morning she found Mama in the kitchen making coffee and oatmeal.

"Mama, is it O.K. here now?" asked Jenny.

"So far, darling, your father isn't up yet." Mama said.

"I ate cereal at Kelli's house," said Jenny. "But I'll sit at the table, Mama, and talk to you. I sure do love you."

"I love you, honey," returned Mama. "I love all of my family."

Jason came into the kitchen and he was very hungry.

Mama stirred sugar and cinnamon in his oatmeal and set it before him. She gave him a glass of milk.

Just as they finished breakfast, Daddy walked in. He had a terrible headache.

"Here is your coffee, dear," offered Mama.

"Hi, Daddy," said Jenny and Jason and they hurried out the door.

In a little while Mr. Spruce went outside and put the wheel on Jason's tricycle.

Daddy went in the kitchen for a can of beer.

"I'm taking down the fence, Marge," he said.

"Please, dear," cried Mama. "Leave the fence! I like it! We need it for Jason."

"No," he snapped at her, "I'm taking that old fence down. I am not buying any more paint for that fence."

Mama cried softly. The little white fence had meant a lot to her.

The children heard Daddy's words outside where they were. They felt bad. It was their yard. They wanted the fence to stay. It would be awful to see the fence taken from the ground.

Jenny began to worry again because it was still morning and Daddy was already drinking.

Mama wasn't happy. Actually she was nervous.

Daddy went to the gate and knocked it off of the fence with a sledge hammer. With a shovel he dug up the posts that connected each section. When all the fence sections lay on the ground, he stacked them behind the house.

Mr. Spruce's shirt was soaked with perspiration. The loss of liquid made him thirsty again. "Nothing like a beer to quench a man's thirst," he said as he drank more beer.

Mr. Spruce decided to mow the lawn before he quit work for the day. He started mowing the lawn next to the house. He worked outward on the lawn. In the process he mowed down Mama's red dahlia plants.

Jenny's mother saw what happened but she was afraid to say anything. Tears fell from her eyes again. Much work had been given to the dahlias.

As the children watched their father, Jason grabbed his sister's hand. He knew something was wrong.

"Take Jason to Kelli's house for awhile," Mama whispered to Jenny. She didn't know what might happen next.

Daddy continued to mow the grass. He finished his yard but did not stop there. He mowed down the neighbor's flower border. All the bright marigolds and petunias lay flat on the ground.

"Spruce, you numbskull," shouted Buddy Packet, "what are you doing?" He looked very upset.

"Mowing my lawn, Buddy," Mr. Spruce said.

"You cut down all of Leona's flower border," accused Buddy.

"The blasted flowers were on my property," argued Daddy.

"You're drunk," said Buddy. "You've gone out of you head! You crossed the property line."

"You want to make somethin' out of it?" shouted Daddy. Then he lunged at Buddy, striking him with his fist.

"O.K., Spruce, you got it coming!" returned Buddy and he socked Jenny's father in the face giving him a black eye.

They continued to fight even if Mr. Spruce was staggering a bit. A neighbor living across the street saw the struggle between the men and called the Fernville Police Department.

Soon a squad car pulled up in front of the Spruce home.

"Now look what you caused," said Buddy. "You blasted confounded drunk."

Two officers came into the yard.

"What's going on here?" One of the policemem asked.

"Oh, he's drunk and gone crazy," informed Buddy. "He mowed down the flowers in our yard."

Mama came out of the house.

Jenny saw the patrol car and ran quickly to her house to see what had happened. She stood next to Mama and was embarrassed at her father's behavior.

Neighborhood children came to watch.

"Everyone knows your dad is a lush," a boy named Kevin told Jenny. "He ought to be in jail."

Jenny had never felt so low. Earth is a horrible place she thought.

"Madam, I'll have to take your husband to the station," said one of the officers.

Mama was very sad to see her husband go. Maybe he would stay overnight.

The afternoon and evening seemed so long to Jenny. Mama was unusually quiet. Daddy had never been taken away by policemen before.

"When is Daddy coming home?" Jason asked.

"I think he will be here tomorrow," replied Mama.

Kelli came in bringing cookies her mother had baked. The children ate the cookies without saying much at all.

Jenny's friend decided to go home where it was more cheerful. All were too sad at the Spruce home.

"Jenny," said Mama, "I think it best that we get busy. Go clean your bedroom and see what you can do to help Jason in his room. I will iron the clothes I washed. Later I'll do some baking so your father can have something good to eat when he comes home. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day."

Working did help Jenny to face the problem. She hoped Daddy would be sober from now on and not touch that smelly liquid again.

"Will the police hurt Daddy?" asked Jason.

"I don't think so, honey," his sister answered.

When the Spruce girl finished her work upstairs, she vacuumed the downstairs carpet. Then she polished her brother's shoes for Sunday.

The evening was long but Jenny did have peace - everything was quiet and that was nice. She missed her father but was glad the yelling was gone.

Sunday morning came with a quiet, clean house. Mama and the children went to church. They hoped that most of the church people were not aware of their trouble. No one mentioned Mr. Spruce and his fight. Jenny was thankful.

When the three arrived home, the telephone was ringing. It was the police department. Daddy had been released from jail and Mama could come to pick him up. They all climbed back in the car to go get Daddy.

"I'm sorry, Marge," said Daddy when he kissed his wife.

"Are you O.K. now?" asked Jason.

"Yes, son, I'm fine," replied Mr. Spruce.

Daddy continued to drink his beer but he tried hard to make a six-pack last two days. He hardly spoke to Buddy Packet on the days that followed because he felt ashamed.