Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-12-24
CHAPTER ".

felt impelled to refuse.
CHAPTER ".
He TAKES MAUD 10 THE CInCuA
Al they returned to the Asld in tho
afternoon the boys laughed and joked
with Alec ~ they did with each other.
and Milo seemed to wear 4 mildly in
dulgent expression. though hs said moth
ing. Alsc's hands were rather sore. and
bis back aohed without ceasing, but life
wore 4 more cheerful aspect The pros
pect Of immediate starvation was re-
moved, and be was actually earning bis
board.
During the afternoon he worked rather
lsss steadily than be had started out.
Hs was getting only bis board, he said
to himself. and Milo would respect him
less rather than more II be did too
much. though be had an impression that
New England farmers would screw out
Of man everything they could get and
be greedy for more, and when he mt in
the shade full half hour after he had
been working for two hours he could
not help watching to see II Milo did not
start in his direction to give him little
gentle warning. But Milo said nothing,
and when the boys came near him they
joked him about the tenderness Of bis
hands--fun which was meant good ma
turedly enough, but which pricked bis
pride and sst him to work quite as
effectively a. any authority Of the boss.
About quarter to 9, though no sup
per bell had runs, Milo remarked that
be guessed it was about time to quit and
started of across the fields toward the
barn alone. Az they stood leisurely
cleaning their hoes the boys laughed and
joked and called out to Alec that 1t was
time to stop and put sweet oil on his
hands. Nj. Condor bad promptly shoul-
dered his hoe and started of across the
del.s in the opposite direction toward
bis own home, while the two boys and
Alec leisurely walked around by the
road to the house and big barn on the
bill.
As they came up to the kitchen door
they found Maud standing there, and
she said supper was ready. Alec could
not help admiring her. She was go
straight and her cheeks were so rosy,
and her features seemed made for sweet
ness had not necessity put in the firm,
stiff lines She evidently got no tender
moss from any one. Her mother was
tall, angular woman and known as q
great worker. Alec smiled to himself a.
he guessed what q reputation in that
way she must have. She worked all the
time with a muscular steadiness that
was truly surprising In woman, and
she kept Maud at work quite as steadi-
". Evidently the girl had been used to
II all her life and expected nothing else.
Milo was evidently fond Of her, but his
wife did not think his indulgent man.
ner was good for Maud, SO he had to be
tender at a distance, as it were, and
Maud had been too rigidly brought up
to encourage his awkward kindness in
any way except by passive gratitude.
The next day hoeing went more east
", though Alec's hands were rather
sore, and his back was stiff. He felt un-
spsakably tired when he woke up in the
morning, but he noticed that Daily. the
younger Of the two boys, seemed tired,
too, and Jerry, who was usually full Of
dry jokes. seemed rather glum. When
he got into the field, he began to learn
the art Of taking his work more easily,
though he ke7t at 1t rather more steadi-
" than he had the previous afternoon.
He saw by OBSERVING the rows Of the
others that it wasn't necessary to DO 80
thorough and painstaking, quite as be
had been, and there were a number Of
ways In which the dirt could be shuf1ed
over the weeds without digging them
ont, a. DO had done before. Two months
later Milo observed that the few rows
Also had hoed that first day had very
few weeds In them, while the others
were badly grown up. But Alec never
knew that, for his labors for Mr.. Ben
nett were destined to end five days later
because Of an unforeseen contingency.
They finished the hoeing the follow
Ing Monday. The next day was the
Fourth Of July, and tho day after that
they were to begin haying. The boys
talked about 1t constantly, for they were
exceedingly happy to get out Of the dirt
Of the potato patch into the clean, sweet
work Of handling the dried grass. On
every farm change is looked forward
70 with expectancy, but haying 10 par
ticularly attractive, and the men proba-
bly, enjoy il better than anything else.
Daily had privately eonfdsd to Alec
that he had NO doubt Milo would en-
ploy him ana give him u day, the
full price being el.b0. Alec already re.
garded this as settled thing and put
all his personal worries out Of his mind.
When they finished supper on Monday
night, they all sat around the table list
lesslx and MANNED what thaY Mnnld do