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"Yistady. I took her down to the Siding. "

"When’s she coming back?"

"Oh, after the hot weather is over; four or five weeks. "

"I hope I’ll be alive when she returns," said Claude gloomily.

Naturally he had a little more time to give to Nina and her remarkable doings, which had set the whole neighborhood to wondering "what had come over the girl. "

She no longer worked in the field. She dressed better, and had taken to going to the most fashionable church in town. She was a woman transformed. Nothing was able to prevent her steady progression and bloom. She grew plumper and fairer and became so much more attractive that the young Germans thickened round her, and one or two Yankee boys looked her way. Through it all Claude kept up his half-humorous banter and altogether serious daily advice, without once realizing that anything sentimental connected him with it all. He knew she liked him, and sometimes he felt a little annoyed by her attempts to please him, but that she was doing all that she did and ordering her whole life to please him never entered his self-sufficient head.

There wasn’t much room left in that head for anyone else except Lucindy, and his plans for wining her. Plan as he might, he saw no way of making more than the two dollars a day he was earning as a cream collector.

Things ran along thus from week to week till it was nearly time for Lucindy to return. Claude was having his top buggy repainted and was preparing for a vigorous campaign when Lucindy should be at home again. He owned his team and wagon and the buggy–nothing more.

One Saturday Mr. Kennedy said, "Lucindy’s coming home. I’m going down after her tonight. "

"Let me bring her up," said Claude with suspicious eagerness.

Mr. Kennedy hesitated. "No, I guess I’ll go myself. I want to go to town, anyway. "

Claude was in high spirits as he drove into Haldeman’s yard that afternoon.

Nina was leaning over the fence singing softly to herself, but a fierce altercation was going on inside the house. The walls resounded. It was all Dutch to Claude, but he knew the old people were quarreling.

Nina smiled and colored as Claude drew up at the side gate. She seemed not to hear the eloquent discussion inside.

"What’s going on?" asked Claude.

"Dey tink I am in house. "

"How’s that?"

"My mudder she lock me up. "

Claude stared. "Locked you up? What for?"

"She tondt like it dot I come out to see you. "

"Oh, she don’t?" said Claude. "What’s the matter o’ me? I ain’t a dangerous chap. I ain’t eatin’ up little. girls. "

Nina went on placidly. "She saidt dot you was goin’ to marry me undt’ get the farm. "

Claude grinned, then chuckied, and at last roared and whooped with the delight of it. He took off his hat and said:

"She said that, did she? Why, bless her old cabbage head–"

The opening of the door and the sudden irruption of Frau Haldeman interrupted him. She came rushing toward him like a she grizzly bear, uttering a torrent of German expletives, and hurled herself upon him, clutching at his hair and throat. He leaped aside and struck down her hands with a sweep of his hard right arm. As she turned to come again he shouted,

"Keep off! or I’ll knock you down!"

But before the blow came Nina seized the infuriated woman from behind and threw her down, and held her till the old man came hobbling to the rescue. He seemed a little dazed by it all and made no effort to assault Claude.