Evening star., 1923-02-04


new roof and the fresh paint and the
proofs that Stephen was prospering.
Next fall, II the crops brought decent
prices. there'd be enough to rebuild
the old barn and buy q decent buggy
maybe a fivver. with luck. That was
Retta's dream-to drive past the
speeding gray, some day, in a car.
Nathan hated gasoline.
'All right" She stood beside him.
roughly dressed, a wide-brimmed chip
hat shading her face. He glanced at
her curiously; the change was In the
girl herself. Even in old things. she
was different
She climbed lightly into the racked
wagon, before he could lend q hand.
In the field he vaulted to the ground
and pitched up the haycocks while
she built the load; 1t was fun, some-
how, to lift them with that old trick
Of leverage which bent the fork
back. He worked fast, observing that
she kept pace with him, that the load
mounted stright and secure above
the racks. He scrambled up beside
her when it was finished, painting and
wet
I'm sorry about Dad" she said. II
| hoped he'd help, this time
! 1T doesn't matter-we put this load
on twice as fast as he and I'd have
done it." He chewed a spike of tim
othy." Funny, how he hates to work.
He'll take no end Of trouble to catch
few suckers. or shoot a red squirrel.
but he wont even milk IL he can slide
out of it."
| He can't help 1t. "He,"-she hesi-
tated-"hasn't got anything inside
him that drives him. like U.s. guess
people have to have mainsprings. the
same as clocks. Dad hasn't got any"
The word caught his attention.
Funny that he'd never thought Of 1t
like that. Something in 1t. though. II
you didn't have something inside you
TO make You work. nothing outside of
you would do it. He remembered his
drifting days before he had come
| back to the Glen.
| Maybe you're right Not much
doubt what drives me, eh? II II wasn't
for Uncle Nathan, l. don't know IL I
would do any more than your father"
LIE guided the team cleysrly into
IL the gangway between the mows.
crouching to avoid the roof Using
the fork as a vaulting pole, Retta
sprang lightly to the hay and stood
ready as he dug his fork into the
layer which bound the load together
vt must be just poison to him-ses-
ing the way you're getting ahead" she
said between forkfuls. 'Ill never for
get the way he looked, that day we
DID in the team, right over his head
"Ch-huh" He lifted q great mat
toward her feet. ''This'd grade num-
Der one. 1 guess. IL we baled IT,
About as good hay as I ever made"
We won't need all OF IT," she sug-
gested. We could sell a few tom.
couldn't we?"
he shook his head. Selling hays
bad farming. Pay better to feed it
winter = few head OF beef, maybe.
Sell hay, sell soil. Uncle Nathan's right
about that"
He knows how to farm" she con
ceded. Til allow him that"
"Oh. he's got his good points" he
agreed, vaguely displeased at her
tone Funny thing Retta-I can
see his side OF things, now. Never
used to. But he wasn't 30 far wrons
as I figured. when we split up. He
said then I'd ought to stay on the
iand--said I'd never get ahead any.
where's else. kinda thought IL was
Just an excuse. to keep from givins
me wages for the time I'd worked fol
him. He's hard. all right, and a
mules easy led compared to him
but"
Lets hustle" she interrupted
briskly. "Clouding over, out there.
They raced with the gatherins
shower till tho last load was under
cover Old Duncan. grinning suiltily
displayed a pan OF cleaned fish
Go fine for supper" he urged.
Hobart laughed as he took the shin.
ing milk pals from the shelf by tn,
kitchen door. No use spelling the ole
boys fun with calldown. He milk,
; The rain came as they finished sup,
per. q savage. drenching downpour
roaring on the roof and the leaves
Stephen helped Retta lower the win.
dows. thinking OF the way the pota-
toes would spurt when the sun cam.
back.
Wheels sounded In the swimming
lane, and the barn floor doomed with
the Noise OF hoofs. Somebody takins
lighted a lantern and stood in the
doorway. A man crossed the oper
space at q run, crouched and hud
died. Stephen did not recognize Ma
than Hobart till tho older mar
Strengthened under the shelter Of tn.
porch.
THEY faced each other warily, FOL
q moment It struck Stepher
Hobart that Nathan was getting old
He tried to summon sullen memories
but some perverss trick Of thought
persisted In recalling the time the,
had driven over to the leighton fair
| o''o Heo oeoh AofSoo ~ OONcr py JUS
such a storm as this Nathan ha1
always taken him along on such ex-
cursions instead Of leaving him be.
hind. az some Of the neishbors woult
have done. Give him credit for that
anyway.
!. Glad you drove in" he heard him
self saying. mo kind of . night Il
be driving that road"
Nathan Hobart nodded. "rhs storm
has done mo . service. Stephan, in
bringing me here. against my wish