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He washed at the pump, while the girl, in the attempt to be hospitable, held the clean towel for him.

"You’re purty well used up, eh?" he said to her.

"Yes; it’s awful hot out there. "

"Can’t you lay off this afternoon? It ain’t right. "

"No. He won’t listen to that. "

"Well, let me take your place. "

"No; there ain’t any use o’ that. "

Peterson, a brawny wide-bearded Norwegian, came up at this moment and spoke to Rob in a sullen, gruff way

"He ain’t very glad to see me," said Rob, winking at Julia. "He ain’t b’ilin’ over with enthusiasm; but I c’n stand it, for your sake," he added with amazing assurance; but the girl had turned away, and it was wasted.

At the table he ate heartily of the "bean swaagen," which filled a large wooden bowl in the center of the table, and which was ladled into smaller wooden bowls at each plate. Julia had tried hard to convert her mother to Yankee ways, and had at last given it up in despair. Rob kept on safe subjects,
mainly asking questions about the it comes t’ workin’ outdoors in the dirt an’ hot sun, gettin’ all sunburned and chapped up, it’s another thing. An’ then it seems as if he gets stingier ‘n’ stingier every year. I ain’t had a new dress in–I d’-know-how-long. He says it’s all nonsense, an’ Mother’s just about as bad. She don’t want a new dress, an’ so she thinks I don’t. " The girl was feeling the influence of a sympathetic listener and was making up for her long silence. "I’ve tried t’ go out t’ work, but they won’t let me. They’d have t’ pay a hand twenty dollars a month f’r the work I do, an’ they like cheap help; but I’m not goin’ t’ stand it much longer, I can tell you that. "

Rob thought she was yery handsome as she sat there with her eyes fixed on the horizon, while these rebellious thoughts found utterance in her quivering, passionate voice.

"Yulie! Kom heat!" roared the old man from the well. A frown of anger and pain came into her face. She looked at Rob. "That means more work. "

"Say! let me go out in your place. Come, now; what’s the use?"

"No; it wouldn’t do no good. It ain’t t’day s’ much; it’s every day, and–"

"Yulie!" called Peterson again with a string of impatient Norwegian.

"Well, all right, only I’d like to"

"Well, goodbye," she said, with a little touch of feeling. "When d’ye go back?"

"I don’t know. I’ll see y’ again before I go. Goodbye. " He stood watching her slow, painful pace till she reached the well, where Otto was standing with the horse. He stood watching them as they moved out into the road and turned down toward the field. He felt that she had sent him away; but still there was a look in her eyes which was not altogether–

He gave it up in despair at last. He was not good at analyses of this nature; he was used to plain, blunt expressions. There was a woman’s subtlety here quite beyond his reach.

He sauntered slowly off up the road after his talk with Julia. His head was low on his breast; he was thinking as one who is about to take a decided and important step.

He stopped at length, and turning, watched the girl moving along in the deeps of the corn. Hardly a leaf was stirring; the untempered sunlight fell in a burning flood upon the field; the grasshoppers rose, snapped, buzzed, and fell; the locust uttered its dry, heat-intensifving cry. The man lifted his head.