Other Main-Travelled Roads

g warm and brown, and only here and there in a corner or on the north side of the fence did the sullen drif

ing symphony, wide-swelling, wonderful with its prophecy of the new birth of grass and grain and the springing life of all br

ing their weird, raucous, monotonous song, and saw them burrowing in the dry chip-dust near him. He saw the young colts and cattle frisking in the sunny space around the st

be seeding by

the Western farmer the very word "seeding" is a poem. And these few words, coming from Ly

irl's voice humming, "Come to the Saviour," while she bustled about the kitchen near by. The windows were open. Ah! what suggestion to these dwe

ear better, a plump face appeared at th

anythin

horn spoons!" he yelled, leaping up. "Bring

," laughed the f

tty. What's the rush? Bring me ou

on came out with a plate of cookies in

, he's all tired

lapsed in a heap, and sai

an' cookies

er to sit down beside him, but she he

ose somebody s

an' gimme a holt o' them cakes. I'm just about

re rolled to her elbows, displaying the strong, round arms. Wholesome and sweet she looked and smelled, the sc

sittin' side b' side? Ain't

se. She looked back as she reached the kitchen door, however, and smiled with a

reen in my eye, I guess." In an intense and pleasurable abst

rry-Merr

irl from the window, her fac

re and git t

ok her head,

, by jingo, I'll throw '

r hand outstretched for the plate which Lime, with a laugh in his sunny blue eyes, extended at the full length of his bare arm. The girl made a sn

ly, as she shrugged her shoulders. "If you'd use a little more o'

grew

e fence, Merry; what's

ut w

tt'n married

what I'm a-goin' t' say, Lime G

you're a-go

y' do

t I do,

think you're so smart. Jest a

tty Bacon, ain't you an' Lim

the house, where she struck up "Weevily Wheat," and went busily on about her coo

n with as much trepidation as he had ever known, thou

cious toil of the farm. It was reasonable to suppose, therefore, that he would surrender his claim on the girl rel

gan work for Bacon. He had a nice "little wad o' money" when he left the camp and started for La Crosse, but he had been robbed in his hotel the first night in the city, and was left nearly penniless. It was a great blow to him, for, as he said, every cent of

chopping wood in old man Bacon's yard, thinking busily on

shoulder. "If I hadn't 'a' been robbed I wouldn't 'a' come here-I nev

the window again to see what in the world he was doing. He

ctly ridiculous the way you yell and talk t' y'rself out the

indow, and, resting his great bare arms on

sittin' up the new seeder, and I'm goin' t' climb right o

oked sober

it over with, Lime, but somewa

hted kitchen floor. The kettle hissed, the meat sizzled, sending up a delicious odor; a hen stood in the open door and sang a sort of

look just like the wife I be'n a-huntin

olored wit

d an' look at me an' say

d just stand here till kingdom come an' look at you. Hello!

er's most ready, and

e yard with a new seeder in his wagon. Lime whacked away busily while Bacon stable

ner-

any time, and at meal-time, in seeding, eating was the main business in hand; therefore the meal was a silent one, Mar

around from under his bushy eyebrows. "We can't do too much this afternoon. That seeder's got

de calling "Oo-ee, poo-ee" to the pigs in the y

, Lime; I don't b'lieve you'

'll fix him. Come,

reat thing!

to me. Just walk right up to me an'

, feeling the force of his tender tone, she added:

little man-

d the old man

winking at the girl, as much as to say, "Th

not a fearful task on hand. He was apprehensive that the father might "g

ne, tightening some burrs. This was a good chance for two reasons. In the first place, the keen, almost savage eyes were no lon

ty," which was without a tenant; the man who had taken it, hav

barn, good land. A likely young feller with a team an' a woman could do ti

Lime, as a feeler. The old fellow

an' a woman, I'd jest as li

can pick up some tools, and as for a woman, Merry Etty an' me have talke

nder the seeder, as if the fat

stuttered. "Who'd you say

reed to m

him. "So that's what you do when I go off to town and le

him, glaring up into his smiling

That's the

in' t' say about that," said Ba

ur privilege-my bad luck. Sail in ol' man.

on Bacon, as he turned up another burr in a very awkward corner.

m!" howled and snar

ut when he saw the old savage straighten up and glare at him he sobered. Bacon was now in

had enough o' you. You can't live on t

faced the old man, his arms folded and each vast hand grasping an elbow, he looked like a sta

ink, I know

he object

inducement? My hired man, an'

our. Say, old man, did you

an' got t'gether a little prop'ty here, an' they ain't no sucker like you goun' to come 'lo

in' t' li

e aimu

't, ne

e loafed on me eve

self for Marietta's sake, an

aughter away from me. Now you just figger up what I owe

e was honest, temperate, and a good neighbor until something carried him off his balance; then he became as cruel as a panther and as savage as a gri

ut o'

in a rush,

o threw out one hand and stopped h

e, ol' man. I'm dangerou

den wrench and twist threw him to the ground with frightful force. Before Baco

er! What ar

rry. It was him 'r me,"

at 're you thinking of? You jest

the first time he had ever been thrown, and he could not but fe

l have the money fer ye when ye come back. I'll give ye jes

with a look of apology, not without humor, at Marietta, he went to the house to get his v

sense than t' take up w

zed forth, "and he's just a

nother word out o' your head.

with his valis

y. She started to go to him, but

, an' sta

oing out o

" yelled the old man, extendin

throat choked. Good-by to the sweet girl whose smile was so much to him, and to the happy noons and nights her eyes had made for him. He waved his hat at her as he

r see him, dashed away, and, sobb