Lower coast gazette., 1913-10-04

men coming in the morning."
"From where"
THE hotel. l went where all the
people were and asked for hired men,
and those men are coming"
elizabeth"
They laughed at me, but they are
coming"
'They will never come, child! They
were fooling you. Don't tell your
father, and go to bed. Why, Eliza
BETH"
Elizabeth climbed the stairs heav.
lily. She heard her father moan in his
sleep. No moan escaped his lips in
his waking hours. She heard her mo
Their close the house; she sat looking
out over the grain.ields, with Harful
eyes. She saw herself in her old
clothes speaking to all the strangers;
she wished now that the earth would
open and swallow her.
In the morning the Blakes slept late;
that is. they slept until five o'clock,
which is late for harvest.time. Mr..
Blake, in his misery of mind and body,
had been awake most Of the night,
and Mrs. Blake, on her cot beside his
bed, had kept vigil with him. They had
no bright hopes to wake them early:
this day would surely bring a storm
and the ruin of their crops. In the
night, Mrs. Blake thought u~neasily Of
Elizabeth, and was sorry that she had
been sharp with her; but what Eliza
beth had done was madness. Mrs.
Blake knew more than her daughter
about the ways of the rich.
At five O'Clock Mrs. Blake opened
her eyes, and saw that her husband
was sleeping. Bright daylight was at
hand, the birds were singing, and al.
ready the heat was almost intolerable.
Mrs. Blake's throat was dry, her lips
were parched. She rose, and moving
as quietly as she could, drew the shut
tiers close, and stole out of the room.
She dreaded the day unspeakably; she
almost wished that a storm would
come to end their anxiety.
She closed the door softly behind
her. She did not like to rouse Eliza.
beth, but she must do so, for the days
had not enough hours for all the tasks
to be accomplished.
But Elizabeth was already up. She
stood at the window and motioned
wildly to her mother, as if speech had
forsaken her. Mrs. Blake looked out.
The doors of the great barn were open,
the broad gates into the field swung
wide; directed by a tall man, several
young men were moving the first
swath, so that the great reaper might
be driven into the field. To the reap
er, MI. Blake's strong horses were. be.
ing hitched.
20 Elizabeth" cried Mrs. Blake.
Dear Elizabeth"
What is the matter" asked a voice
from the other ROOM.
Mrs. Blake did not pause to an.
swer her husband. "Tell him, Eliza.
beth. We shall have to get meals for
them. Come right away, Elizabeth!
1t seems as if it could not BET"
ALI day long Mrs. Blake cooked hap.
PLY in her sitting kitchen; all day
long Elizabeth moved about, now car.
rying water to the laborers in the
field; now setting the long table I'm.
der the grape arbor; now waiting upon
her father, whose bed had been moved
to a room that overlooked the wide
fields. Several times the tall gentle.
man came to Mr.. Blake's room for or.
ders; three times the fifteen laborers
focked to the table, and ate like the
%harvesters that they were.
In the evening there appeared a low
bank of clouds in the west, as Mr..
Blake had prophesied. AS the sun sank
lower they rose higher and darker.
The sun went down in a blaze of or.
ange glory, but almost at once the
dark clouds shut out the glow. For
the first time in many days there was
a rustic among the leaves, then a long,
signing breath. The laborers had
gone, each with his two dollars to add
to the thousands, or perhaps the mil
lions, that he already had. They had
laughed happily at their tired mus.
cles and their aching backs; evidently
even very rich men enjoyed a bit of
good hard work.
From the window Of the Blake farm.
house three persons had watched them
until they could see them no more.
The Blakes said little to one another;
they were never talkative. Elizabeth
had told about the beautiful room;
room; then they sat silent, waiting for
the storm.
ut will surely come" said Farmer
Blake. happily. Now that the harvest