The Wind Before the Dawn

helping the family to get out of debt, was simply the means of providing toys for experimentation, and that she was being quietly

uld obtain it through her easier than by direct appeal, she could avoid unpleasantness with him by insisting upon her daughter giving it to him; but Elizabet

d won't let anybody help him out, and I am going to go to Topeka this fall. I'm years older right now than the rest of the scholars will be-not a single pupil that was

LIZZIE, ... YOU

ith her back turned toward the raw April wind as they talked, her old nu

rnshaw always refused to use th

on't make any difference. I'm going to Topeka this fall just the same. I am not

in that manner. The tone her daughter had used frightened her and she quivered with an unacknowledged fear. Her

f her failure. She could not look in his eye and tell him that she was unable to obtain their daughter's consent. To live in

ried, "you don't have to be

sobbed. The pause became a comp

," Elizabeth said do

on to th' house. I can't work no more, an'

n covering the hills and went to the house, carrying a burde

th which she had protected her hands from the earth which never failed to leave them chapped, before

know nothin' about it, an'-an'-I'll have

vely and strained her ears for signs of

, ma, but-I'm twenty year

, and yet her mother threw herself against that

ive an' have you do it. You don't

talked as if I had committed some sort of sin. You and pa are determined to fuss it out and I can't help it, and I've sacrificed four good years to you and the interest is bigger than it ever was. I haven't helped

middle door and Josiah Farnshaw entered the kitchen a blazing picture of wrath. Before he could speak, however, the dog

hen to see what the man wanted, and Mr. Farnshaw went on out to th

one?" Mrs. Farnshaw cried, follo

ile that man is here. The sun has come out and it's only ten o'clock. If you're afraid, come along," she

d, as much afraid of the advi

ver her plain straw hat and left the house. The hog pens were on the opposite side of the stab

she did not wait to get extra wraps nor her umbrella. The best thing to do, she knew, was to get away while t

t did begin to rain half an hour later, instead of turning back she pressed forwa

ion the propriety of having suggested drastic measures to her mother. "Till death do you part" rang in her ears in spite of the certainty that the union of her mother and her father was an unholy thing which was damning them more surely

After some thought she decided to try the Chamberlain district, which lay between there and her home. It was eight miles from the Farnshaw homestead and far enough

ain set her to considering what course of act

r's standpoint he had a very real grievance against her. "It was a dreadful thing for him to hear me advising ma to leave him.

ly, she gave her a slap with the strap in her hand, urging the horse to a faster pace as she rounded the corner of the section without looking up. Patsie broke into a long, easy lope

plunge or two, fell floundering on her side before her mistress could support her with the rein. Active as a boy, Elizabeth loosened her foot from the stirrup and flung

d, was out of his high seat and had the mare by t

ie, still nervous from her fall, hung back as far as her rein would perm

" Elizabeth cried, coming around to them, and ext

he girl talking soothingly to the frightened animal the while. The naturally docile filly responded to the voice she had heard from earliest colthood and soon let Elizab

further cooperation was not needed. They untangled their hands where they had slipped

said, lifting his hat ceremoniously and

o see if it were sufficiently long to permit of tying another knot. Deciding that it was, he tied one end in the ring in the saddle and, passing the other through the ri

e not hurt at all?"

r face behind Patsie's head while waiting. The water dripped from the ends of her braided brown hair and the long dark lashes of her brown eyes were mist-laden also. He examined all the accoutrements of her mount minutely. When at

m awfully sorry to have been so stupid. I neve

on such a day, and leading her horse down into the deep road sprang

he said, and was off toward t

ould do nothing but lo

h matters, but either the spattering hoofbeats prevented her hearing his voice or she was det

d let her get away without finding out who she was or where she liv

y natural one and not aimed at her at all. She laughed at the spectacle she was sure she must have presented, and wished now that she

red, and now that she could not find out she rated herself severely f

er droop along the old country road, and speculated on this new specimen of

d be seen, she knew she could not be far from the Chamberlain homestead; but the ground was becoming more and more soggy, and her garments were not of the heaviest. Patsie's feet went ploop, ploop, ploop, in the soft, muddy

oured heavily and Elizabeth gave herself up to her cogitations agai

rass bordered the road to the very wheel-ruts; the meadow larks sang regardless of the rain, or mayhap in sheer meadow-lark delight because of it. To the south a prairie chicken dru

ping horse. Little spurts of water flew spatteringly from under the affectionate palm, and Elizabeth sho

a time for s

peared unhitching a team of horses from a large farm wagon. Patsie gave a little nicker of anticipation as she scented the sacks of oats,

uch a day as this?" he inquired, stepping forward when he saw th

in'-a goslin' bein' a

. Chamberlain." It was the second time within the hour that she had been

ng goose, you know; you ain't got

around so that the rain would come from behind

do. Yes, sir-ee, th' school board meets to-night an' you jes' come t' th' house an' have a bite t' eat an' we'll see what we can do for you. Why, stars an' garters!" he exclaimed as he lifted her down from her horse, "

red at the door and he

od of chickens you found under th' corn-planter. Give 'e

he old man exclaimed, "Why, Gosh all

d in the muddy road this afternoon. Do you suppose I

best thing I know of. Now you run on to th' house; you're wet enough t' wake up lame yoursel

team into the barn first. Old Queen was an unsocial animal and it was necessary to tie her in the far stall when a strange horse was bro

to th' stall. That saddle's carried th' pluckiest girl in this end of th' county t'day. Gosh-a-livin's! Think of her a comin' out on a day like this, an' smilin' at them wet feathers, as she calle

ing hostess began the supper. The potatoes were put on to fry, the kettle sang, and Mrs. Ch

anxiously, stopping to look over at the girl, wh

m a consideration of the handsome stranger she had met; "that is,

ather have tea, an' I ain't got no tea in th' house. Bein' f

nder the corn-planter earlier in the day, jumped out of the box in which it had been kep

ich she mixed with water. Lifting the skirt off the little brood carefully, and giving it a cautious shake to assure herself that no unwary chick was caught in its folds, she dropped some of the mixture in the middle of the box, tapping light

an' I'd most as soon he'd been more like t

k goodness, there's one on 'em alive,' when you fished 'em out from under that planter. Th' same thing's keeping 'im on th' go now that kept 'im from givin' up as quick as th' rest did then. Chicken's is like boys, Miss Farnshaw," Sila

curly locks of iron gray before the little looking glass which was so wrinkled that he looked like some fantastic caricat

th' table, Miss Farnshaw; You'll

eth asked at last, designating

s," said Mrs.

er, an' th' likeliest young man in these parts." Then he ad

nned cheeks, and to hide her embarr

is beau idea

. Chamberlain protested. "He's always

is afternoon." Noting his wife's look of surprise, he explained: "I mean when I see you down to

s, but said nothing, and Silas turned to Elizabeth aga

ill that shower cleared off. Most of th' time I was a prayin' that another cloud would appear, an' I didn't want it no bigger than a man's hand neither. No, sir-ee, I wouldn't 'a' cared if it'd 'a' been as big as th' whole Bay of Biscay. An' what I was thinkin' jest now was that there was about th' same fundamental differences 'tween you an' John Hunter that th' was 'tween Liza Ann an' me. He's light haired an' b

said his wife, passing Elizabeth a hot biscuit. "I walked home by th' turnp

a Ann into the discussion, in spite of herself,

tails, but I've always had a soft spot in my hea

n't here to eat his supper," said Elizabet

in all this mud. As to what he's like-it ain't easy t' tell what John's like;

a quick indrawn breath; she knew now who

and an' he's come out here to farm it. Couldn't plow a straight furrow t' save his life when he come a little ove

urhood all summer. Still another reason

unter came in. The ground had been too soft for them to hear the wagon

n't know enough t' come in out

cognition, but he did not mention the ac

ou, Miss Farnshaw; we are

for a frying pan, he a

e late, as I had to go around by Warren's after I got back, a

xclaimed Mrs. Chamberlain, to

e too had been silent regarding the afternoon encounter. He liked the mutuality of it and resolved that it should not be the last touch of that sort between them. While not really intellectual, John Hunter

You didn't bed them horse

tter do it now and ha

ng the back of the little alley, behind the stalls, fo

say the you

go an' carry this schoolma'am off till this here term's finished. I look fur Carter an' that new director over to-night, for a school meetin', an'

does she come to have that air away out he

of us, an' she ain't had no different raisin'. She's different in 'erself somehow. Curious thing how one body'll have a thing an' another won't, an'

'll give her the s

rtable. He had intended to avoid the nec

d dimly see now that he had been in the darkness long enough for his eyes to become accustomed to i

Carter?" Si

airly greasy to-night

there's room under cover

eir way from strap to manger. "The Farns

say she can handle youngsters. She's had some extry schoolin' too. Don't kno

ers came to the house. The school was assured to her with two members of the board in her favour, he

n Hunter was filled with joy. The mutuality of the reticence put them on the footing of good fellowship. There was no fur

hen the door did at last open El

e in the world di

od him off from her, looking at him in such a transport of joy tha

ll held to his coat as if afraid the vision might vanish from her sight, and asked questions twice as fast as the pleased old man could answer them, and learned that Nathan had been appointed to fill out the unexpired term of the moderator of the Chamberlain school district, with whom he had traded for the land. The business of the evening was c

f the time fortune had thrown at him as possible. They sat under one umbrella, and found the