Other Main-Travelled Roads

just a sense that he had been unduly irritable, not that on the whole he was not in the right. Little Pet lay with th

e boots, and, without washing his face or combing

e level land, bought with incredible toil, but his house was a little box-like structure, costing, perhaps, five hundred dollar

of various kinds, while a few calves were bawling from a pen near by. Behind the barn, on the west and north, was a fringe of willows forming a "wind-break." A few broken and d

erations of men like himself, whose main business had been to work hard,

or if he did, it was only to sneer obscenely at it. He had long since ceased to kiss his wife or even speak kindly to her. There was no longer any sanctity to

differed from his neighbors' mainly in being a little dirtier and more ragged. His grimy hands were broad and strong as the clutch of a bear, and he was a "terrible feller to turn off work," as Councill said. "I'd ruther have Sim Burns

me at once. That corn, the road-tax, and hay

und breakfast ready, but his wife was not in sight. The older children were clamoring around the uninviting

h a threatening note in his voi

in the

indow down across the superb field of timothy, moving like a lake of purple water. She did not

. "Don't be a fool. Come out and eat breakfa

ing-plough, not a little disturbed by this new phase of his wife's "cantankerousness." He ploughed steadily and sullenly all the forenoon, in the terrific heat and dust. The air was full of tempestuo

himself, in the hearing of the children, as he p

t wringing wet with sweat, and his neck aching with the work of looking down all day at the corn-rows. His moo

gave a sigh of relief to find she had. But she had done so not

's few little boxes and parcels-poor, pathetic properties!-had been removed to

and stiff with dust in other places, oppressed him more than usual; so he rose and removed it, getting a clean one out of a drawer. This was an unusual th

l she had done and suffered for Simeon Burns came back to her till she wondered how she h

ive. But they ain't no hope. I'm tied down. I can't leave the children, and I ain't got no money

sullenly thinking, wearily thinking of her life. She thought of a poor old horse which Sim had bought once, years before, and put to the plough when it was too old and weak to work. She could see her a

and she held her breath to think harder upon it. She conclude

low mutter of the rising storm in the west. She forgot her troubles

he was conscious only of pleasure. She had no fear. At last came the sweep of cool, fragrant storm-wind, a short and