gown her forehead was mild and benevolent between the smooth curves of gray hair there were meek downward lines about her nose and mouth but her eyes fixed upon the old man looked as if the had been the result of her own will never of the will of another they were in the bam standing before the wide open doors the spring air full of the smell of growing grass and unseen blossoms came in their faces the deep yard in front was with farm and piles of wood on the edges close to the fence and the house the grass was a vivid and there were some the old man glanced at his wife as he the last on the harness she looked as immovable to him as one of the rocks in his pasture land bound to the earth with generations of vines he the reins over the horse and started forth from the bam father i said she � by mary e the old man pulled up what is it i want to know what them men are over there in that field for � they re a cellar i s pose if you ve got to know a cellar for what a bam a bam you ain t goin to build a bam over there where we was goin to have a house father the old man said not another word he hurried the horse into the farm wagon and out of the yard as oil his seat as a boy the woman stood a moment looking after him then she went out of the bam across a corner of the yard to the house the house standing at right angles with the great bam and a long reach of sheds and out buildings was compared with them it was scarcely as for people as the little boxes under the bam were for a pretty girl s face pink and delicate as a flower was looking out of one of the house windows she was watching three men who were digging over in the field which the yard near the road line she turned quietly when the woman entered what are they digging for mother said she did he tell you they re for � a cellar for a new bam o mother he ain t goin to build another bam � that s what he says a boy stood before the kitchen glass his hair he slowly and arranging his brown hair in a smooth over his forehead he did not seem to pay any attention to the conversation did you know father was going to build a new bam asked the girl the boy � he turned and showed a face like his father s under his smooth crest of hair yes i s pose i did he said reluctantly how long have you known it asked his mother bout three months i guess � why didn t you tell of it � didn t think do no good by mary e i don t see what father wants another bam for said the girl in her sweet slow voice she turned again to the window and stared out at the digging men in the field her tender sweet face was full of a gentle distress her forehead was as bald and innocent as a baby s with the light hair strained bad from it in a row of curl papers she was quite large but her soft curves did not look as if they covered muscles her mother looked sternly at the boy is he goin to buy more cows said she the boy did not reply he was his shoes i want you to tell me if he s goin to buy more cows i s pose he is � how many � four i guess his mother said nothing more she went into the and there was a clatter of dishes the boy got his cap from a nail behind the door took an old from the shelf and started for school he was lightly built but clumsy he went out of the yard with a curious spring in the that made his loose home made jacket up in the rear the girl went to the sink and began to wash the dishes that were piled up there her mother came promptly out of the and her aside � you wipe em said she � i ll wash there s a good many this the mother plunged her hands vigorously into the water the girl wiped the plates slowly and � mother said she � don t you think it s too bad father s going to build that new bam much as we need a decent house to live in her mother a dish fiercely � you a n t found out yet we re women folks said she � you a n t seen enough of men folks yet to one of these days you find it out an then you ll know that we know only what men folks think we do so far as any use of it goes an how we d ought to reckon men folks in with providence an not complain of what they do any more than we do of the weather � i don t care i don t believe george is anything like that anyhow said her delicate face flushed pink her lips softly as if she were going to cry by mary e wait an see i guess george ain t no better than other men you hadn t ought to judge father though he can t help it cause he don t look at things jest the way we do an we ve been pretty comfortable here after all the roof don t � a n f never but once � that s one thing father s kept it right up i do wish we had a parlor 