A Daughter of the Land

wings of

tly past the church; but the words went with her, iterating and reiterating themselves in her brain. Once she paused to glance back toward the church, wondering what the minister would say in expounding that text. She had a fleeting thought of slipping in, taking the back seat and

s, made beds, swept, dusted, milked, churned, following the usual routine of a big family in

said. "Suppose you call on our lady school-mist

to very close six feet of height,

u going to Adam's at this tim

members of this family who gives a cent what becomes of me!" answ

he would 'give a cent' to send you

y and Nancy Ellen, and the older girls wanted to

ional ability,"

u of it. None of the rest of u

is a good str

advise you to attempt it. What is the difference whether I was born in '62 or '42? Give me the chance you

out as an ox when Mary wanted to go to school. It is

is up to the others to pay back in service, after they are of age, if it is to me. I have done my share. If Father were not the richest farm

would I get to d

eaching, and stay here to slave at your option, for gingham dresses and cowhide shoes, of your selection. If I were a boy, I'd work three years more and then I

y, he runs the Government! It is a

n would have rather a difficult proposition on his hands to fo

n to Adam and se

ere many horses in the pasture and single and double buggies in the barn; but it never occurred to Kate that she might ride: it was Sunday and the horses were resting. So she followed the path beside the fences, rounded the corner of the chu

ork was finished she had spent nights and mornings ironing, when she longed to study, seldom finishing before Saturday. Summer brought an endless round of harvesting, canning, drying; winter brought butchering, heaps of sewing, and postponed summer work. School began late in the fall and closed early in spring, with teachers often inefficient; yet because she was a close student and kept her books

-gray, her teeth even and white. She missed beauty because her cheekbones were high, her mouth large, her nose barely escaping a pug; but she had a real "crown of glory" in her hair, which was silken fine, long and heavy, of sunshine-gold in colour, curling natural

economies, amounting to one grand aggregate that gave to each of seven sons house, stock, and land at twenty-one; and to each of nine daughters a bolt of muslin and a fairly decent dress when she married, as the seven older ones did speedily, for they were fine, large, upstanding girls, some having real beauty, all exceptionally well-trained economists and workers. Because her mother had the younger daughters to help

to be walking beside her. Kate bore that without protest; it would have wounded her pride to rebel openly; she did Nancy Ellen's share of the work to allow her to study and have her Normal course; she remained at home plainly clothed to loan Nancy Ellen her best dress when she attend

at least "thank you" would be vouchsafed her; when it failed for that length of time she did two things: she studied so diligently that her father called her into the barn and told her that if before the school, she asked Nancy Ellen another question she could not answer, he would use the buggy whip on her to within an inch

t she should have what the others had had, she said nothing about it until the time came; then she found her father determined that she should remain at home to do the housework, for

es handed to her husband to increase the amount necessary to purchase the two hundred acres of land for each son when he came of age. The youngest son had farmed his land with comfortable profit and started a bank account, while his parents and two sisters were still saving and working to finish the last payment. Kate

r me; I'd need the wings of an eagle to get me anywhere, and anyway it wasn't the wings of a bird I was to take, it was the wings of morning. I wonder what the wings of

to view and perched on a brush-heap preparatory to darting after the moth. While the bird measured the distance and waited for the moth to rise above the entangling g

r opportunity!" said

. Opportunity! I wonder now if that might not be another name for 'the wings of morning.' Morning is wingi

ile, then her thought fo

and wash her clothes, while she earns money to spend on herself? And she is doing everything in her power to keep me at it, because she likes what she is doing and what it brings her, and she doesn't give a tinker whether I like what I am doing or not; or whether I get anything I want out of it or not; or whether I miss getting off to Normal on time or no

or knowledge, in He

Roman will, to find

am 'taking the wings of morning,' observe my flight! See me cut curves and circles and sail and soar around all the other Bates

gate she saw Nancy Ellen, dressed her prettiest, sitting beneath a cherry tree reading a book, in very

answered Kate. "

where were you?"

ook a walk!"

Sunday? Well, I'll be swi

id Kate, passing up the walk and entering the door. Her

There was no use tagging to Adam with a sorry story

ers. If you put your foot down and say so, Mother, Father will let me go. Wh

There is an awful summer's wo

But now is just my chance while you

ll know that she has to attend the County Institute,

ubbornly. "You really wi

lace is here! Here you st

l cross you off the docket o

not! He has been nagged until his

eaning on the pig pen watching pigs grow into money, one of his most favo

lace is in the kitchen helping your mother. We have got the last installment to pay on Hi

around it to the cherry tree and with no preliminaries said to her sister: "Nancy Ellen, I want you to lend me enough money to fix my clothes a lit

be crazy!" sa

than you, when you wan

e to help Mother,

to help her now,

the County Institute," said Nancy Ell

ch right to go as

h say you shall not go

mind you that I did all in my po

n you should have do

ou should do for me, in the

her and Mother would turn me out

et me have the money if you like. Mother wouldn't do anything but talk;

t! I can't, and I won't, so

real answer, 'so

aying in a heap the pieces that needed mending. She took the clothes basket to the wash room, which was the front of the woodhouse, in summer; built a fire, heated water,

family who ever paid the slightest attention to me, maybe he cares a trifle what becomes of me, but Oh, how I dread Agatha! However, watch me take wing! If Adam fails me I have six remaining prospects among my lo