第2章

traordinarypersonsriding。

"Inthecauseofhealth，"Leroyusedtosay，"Ioughttohavethecarriagefumi-

gatedaftereveryrideJudithtakes，forsheisalwaysaccompaniedbysomeonewholooksasifheorsheshouldgointoquarantine。”

Onenight，whenhewaschaffingherinthisway，sheflunghersewingsuddenlyfromherandsprangtoherfeet，asifsheweregoingtogivewaytoaburstofgirlishtemper。Insteadofthat，astreamoftearspouredfromhereyes，andsheheldouthertremblinghandstowardJessica。

"Hedoesnotknow，"shesobbed。"Hecannotunderstand。”

OnememorabledayLeroyhastenedovertouswhilewewerestillatbreakfasttosaythatJudithwasill，——strangelyill。Allnightlongshehadbeenmutteringtoherselfasifinadelirium。Yetsheansweredlucidlyallquestionsthatwereputtoher。

"ShebegsforMissGrant。Shesaysoverandoverthatshe\'knows，\'whateverthatmaymean。”

WhenJessicacamehomeshetoldmeshedidnotknow。Sheonlyfeltthatatumultofimpatiencewasstirringinherfriend。

"Thereissomethingmajesticabouther，——

somethingepic。Ifeelasifsheweremak-

ingmeliveapartinsomegreatdrama，theendofwhichIcannottell。Sheissuffering，butIcannottellwhyshesuffers。”

Weekswentonwithoutanabatementinthisstrangeillness。Shedidnotkeepherbed。Indeed，sheneglectedfewofherusualoccupations。Butherhandswereburning，andhereyesgrewbrightwiththatwildsortoflustreoneseesintheeyesofthosewhogivethemselvesuptostrangedrugsormanias。Shegrewwhimsical，andformedcapriciousfriendships，onlytodropthem。

Andthenonedaysheclosedherhousetoallacquaintances，andsatalonecontinu-

allyinherroom，withherhandsclaspedinherlap，andhereyesswimmingwiththeemotionsthatneverfoundtheirwaytohertongue。

Brainardcametotheofficetotalkwithmeaboutheroneday。"Iamaverymiser-

ableman，Grant，"hesaid。"IamafraidI

havelostmywife\'sregard。Oh，don\'ttellmeitispartlymyfault。Iknowitwellenough。

AndIknowyouhaven\'thadaverygoodopinionofmelately。ButIamremorsefulenoughnow，Godknows。AndIwouldgivemylifetoseeherasshewaswhenIfoundherfirstamongthemountains。Why，sheusedtoclimbthemlikeastrongman，andshewasforevershoutingandsinging。Andshehadpeopledeveryspotwithstrangemodernmythologicalcreatures。Herfatherisanolddreamer，andshegotthetrickfromhim。Theyhadalittletelescopeonagreatknollinthecentreofthevalley，justwhereitcommandedalongpathofstars，andtheyusedtospendnightsouttherewhenthefrostliterallyfellinflakes。WhenIthinkhowhardyandgayshewas，howfullofcourageandlife，andlookathernow，sofeverishandbroken，IfeelasifIshouldgomad。YouknowInevermeanttodoheranyharm。Tellmethatmuch，Grant。”

"Ithinkyouwereveryegotisticalforawhile，Brainard，andthatisafact。Andyoudidn\'tappreciatehowmuchhernaturedemanded。ButIdonotthinkyouarere-

sponsibleforyourwife\'spresentcondition。

Ifthereisanycomfortinthatstatement，youarewelcometoit。”

"Butyoudon\'tmean——"hegotnofurther。

"Imeanthatyourwifemayhaveherreservations，justasweallhave，andIampayingherhighpraisewhenIsayit。Youarenotsonarrow，Leroy，astosupposeforamomentthattheonlysortofpassionawomaniscapableofisthatwhichsheenter-

tainsforaman。HowdoIknowwhatisgoingoninyourwife\'ssoul？Butitisnothingwhichevenanidealistofwomen，suchasIam，oldfellow，needregret。”

HowgladIwasafterwardthatIspokethosewords。Theyexercisedalittlere-

straint，perhaps，onLeroywhenthedayofhisterribletrialcame。Theymadehimwrestlewiththedemonofsuspicionthatstrovetopossesshim。Iwassittinginmyoffice，laggingdispiritedlyovermyworkoneday，whenthedoorburstopenandBrainardstoodbesideme。Brainard，Isay，andyetinnosensethemanIhadknown，——notahintinthispalecreature，whosebreathstruggledthroughchatteringteeth，andwhosehandsworkedinuncontrollablespasms，ofthenonchalantelegantIhadknown。Notaglimpsetobeseeninthoseangryanddeterminedeyesofthegaylyselfishspiritofmyholidayfriend。

"She\'sgone!"hegasped。"Sinceyes-

terday。AndI\'mheretoaskyouwhatyouthinknow？Andwhatyouknow。”

Apanoramaofallshamefulpossibilitiesforoneblackmomentfloatedbeforeme。

Irememberthisgaveplacetoawave，coldasdeath，thatsweptfromheadtofoot；

thenBrainard\'shandsfellheavilyonmyshoulders。

"ThankGodatleastforthismuch，"hesaid，hoarsely；"Ididn\'tknowatfirstbutIhadlostbothfriendandwife。ButIseeyouknownothing。AndindeedinmyheartIknewallthetimethatyoudidnot。

YetIhadtocometoyouwithmyanger。

AndIrememberedhowyoudefendedher。

Whatexplanationcanyouoffernow？"

Igothimtositdownafterawhileandtellmewhatlittletherewastotell。Hehadbeenawayforaday\'sshooting，andwhenhereturnedhefoundonlytheper-

plexedservantsathome。Anotewasleftforhim。Heshowedittome。

"Therearetimes，"itran，"whenwemustdoaswemust，notaswewould。Iamgo-

ingtodosomethingIhavebeendriventodosinceIleftmyhome。Idonotleaveanymessageofloveforyou，becauseyouwouldnotcareforitfromawomansoweakasI。ButitissoeasyforyoutobehappythatIhopeinalittlewhileyouwillforgetthewifewhoyieldedtoaninfluencepastresisting。Itmaybemadness，butIamnotgreatenoughtogiveitup。Itriedtomakethesacrifice，butIcouldnot。Itriedtobeasgayasyou，andtoliveyoursortoflife；butIcouldnotdoit。Donotmaketheefforttoforgiveme。Youwillbehap-

pierifyousimplyholdmeinthecontemptIdeserve。”

Ireadtheletteroverandover。IdonotknowthatIbelievethatthespiritofinani-

matethingscanpermeatetotheintelligenceofman。IamsureIalwayslaughedatsuchideas。Yetholdingthatnotewithitsshamefulseemingwords，Ifeltaconscious-

nessthatitwaswritteninpurityandlove。

Andthenbeforemyeyestherecameascenesovividthatforamomenttheofficewithitsfamiliarfurniturewasobliterated。WhatI

sawwasalongfirmroad，greenwithmid-

summerluxuriance。Theleisurelythuddingofmyhorse\'sfeetsoundedinmyears。Be-

sidemewasatall，black-robedfigure。I

sawherlookbackwiththatexpressionofdeprivationattheskyline。"It\'slikeliv-

ingaftertheworldhasbeguntodie，"saidthepensiveminorvoice。"Itseemsasifpartoftheworldhadbeentakendown。”

"Brainard，"Iyelled，"comehere!I

haveit。Here\'syourexplanation。Icanshowyouanewmeaningforeverylineofthisletter。Man，shehasgonetothemoun-

tains。Shehasgonetoworshipherowngods!"

TwoweekslaterIgotaletterfromBrain-

ard，datedfromColorado。

"Oldman，"itsaid，"you\'reright。Sheishere。Ifoundmymountainwomanherewherethefourvoicesofhercataractshadbeencallingtoher。Isawherthemomentourmulesroundedtheroadthatcommandsthevalley。Wehadbeenridingallnightandweredrenchedwithcolddew，hungrytodesperation，andmyspiritswereoflead。

Suddenlywegotoutfrombehindthegran-

itewall，andthereshewas，standing，whereI

hadseenhersooften，besidethelittlewater-

fallthatshecallsthehappyone。Shewaslookingstraightupatthebillowingmistthatdippeddownthemountain，mammothsaffronrollsofit，plungingsomadlyfromtheimpetusofthewindthatonemarvelledhowitcouldbenoiseless。Ah，youdonotknowJudith!Thatstrange，unsophisti-

cated，sometimesawkwardwomanyousawborenomoreresemblancetomymountainwomanthanItoHercules。Howstrongandbeautifulshelookedstandingtherewrappedinanecstasy!Itwasmyprimitivewomanbackinherprimevalworld。Howthebloodleapedinme!Allmyoldromance，sodif-

ferentfromthecommonlove-historiesofmostmen，wasthereagainwithinmyreach!

Allthemystery，thepoignanthappinessweremineagain。Donotholdmeincon-

temptbecauseIshowyoumyheart。Yousawmymisery。WhyshouldIgrudgeyouaglimpseofmyhappiness？ShesawmewhenItouchedherhand，notbefore，sowrappedwasshe。Butshedidnotseemsurprised。Onlyinhersplendideyestherecamealargecontent。Shepointedtothedancinglittlewhitefall。\'Ithoughtsome-

thingwonderfulwasgoingtohappen，\'shewhispered，\'forithasbeenlaughingso。\'

"IshallnotreturntoNewYork。Iamgoingtostayherewithmymountainwo-

man，andIthinkperhapsIshallfindoutwhatlifemeansheresoonerthanIwouldbacktherewithyou。Ishalllearntoseelargethingslargeandsmallthingssmall。

JudithsaystotellyouandMissGrantthatthefourvoicesarecallingforyoueverydayinthevalley。

"Yoursinfullestfriendship，"LEROYBRAINARD。”

JimLancy\'sWaterloo"WEmustgetmarriedbeforetimetoputincrops，"hewrote。"Wemustmakeasuccessofthefarmthefirstyear，forluck。

CouldyoumanagetobereadytocomeoutWestbythelastofFebruary？AfterMarchopenstherewillbenolet-up，andIdonotseehowIcouldgetaway。MakeitFebru-

ary，Anniedear。Afewweeksmoreorlesscanmakenodifferencetoyou，buttheymakeagooddealofdifferencetome。”

Thewomantowhomthiswaswrittenreaditwithsomethinglikeanger。"Idon\'tbe-

lievehe\'ssoimpatientforme!"shesaidtoherself。"Whathewantsistogetthecropsinontime。”Butshechangedthedateoftheirwedding，andmadeitFebruary。

TheirweddingjourneywasonlyfromtheIllinoisvillagewhereshelivedtotheirNebraskafarm。Theyhadneverbeenmuchtogether，andtheyhadmuchtosaytoeachother。

"Farmingwon\'tcomehardtoyou，"Jimassuredher。"Alloneneedstofarmwithisbrains。”

"Whatasuccessyou\'llmakeofit!"shecriedsaucily。

"IwishIhadmyfarmclear，"Jimwenton；"butthat\'smorethananyonehasaroundme。I\'mnoworseoffthantherest。

We\'vegottopayoffthemortgage，Annie。”

"Ofcoursewemust。We\'lljustdowith-

outtillwegetthemortgagelifted。Hardworkwilldoanything，Iguess。AndI\'mnotafraidtowork，Jim，thoughI\'veneverhadmuchexperience。”

Jimlookedoutofthewindowalongtime，atthegentleundulationsofthebrownIowaprairie。Hiseyesseemedtopiercebeneaththesod，totheswellingbudsoftheyetinvisiblegrass。Henoticedhowdisdain-

fullytherainsofthenewyearbeatdownthegrassesoftheyearthatwasgone。Itopenedtohismindavisionoftheseason\'spossibilities。Foramoment，evenamidthesmokeofthecar，heseemedtoscentclover，andhearthestiffswishingofthecornandthedullburringofthebees。

"Iwishsometimes，"hesaid，leaningfor-

wardtolookathisbride，"thatIhadbeenbornsomethingelsethanafarmer。ButI

cannomorehelpfarming，Annie，thanabirdcanhelpsinging，orabeemakinghoney。Ididn\'ttaketofarming。Iwassimplybornwithahoeinmyhand。”

"Idon\'tknowablessedthingaboutit，"

Annieconfessed。"ButImadeupmymindthatafarmwithyouwasbetterthanatownwithoutyou。That\'sallthereistoit，asfarasIamconcerned。”

JimLancyslidhisarmsoftlyaboutherwaist，unseenbytheotherpassengers。

Annielookedupapprehensively，toseeifanyonewasnoticing。Buttheywereeatingtheirlunches。Itwasacommoncoachonwhichtheywereriding。TherewasaPullmanattachedtothetrain，andAnniehadsecretlythoughtthat，asitwastheirweddingjourney，itmightbemorebecomingtotakeit。ButJimhadmadenosuggestionaboutit。Whathesaidlaterexplainedthereason。

"Iwouldhavelikedtohavebroughtyouafinepresent，"hesaid。"Itseemedshabbytocomewithnothingbutthatlittlering。

ButIputeverythingIhadonourhome，youknow。Andyet，I\'msureyou\'llthinkitpoorenoughafterwhatyou\'vebeenusedto。You\'llforgivemeforonlybringingthering，mydear？"

"Butyoubroughtmesomethingbetter，"

Anniewhispered。Shewasafoolishlittlegirl。"Youbroughtmelove，youknow。”

Thentheyrodeinsilenceforalongtime。

Bothofthemwerenewtothephraseologyoflove。Theirsimplecomplimentstoeachotherwerealmostludicrous。Butanyonewhomighthavechancedtooverhearthemwouldhavebeencharmed，fortheybetrayedaninnocenceasbeautifulasanuncloudeddawn。

AnnietriedhardnottobedepressedbythetreelessstretchesoftheNebraskaplains。

"ThisisdifferentfromIllinois，"sheventuredonce，gently；"itisevendifferentfromIowa。”

"Yes，yes，"criedJim，enthusiastically，"itisdifferent!Itisthefinestcountryintheworld!Youneverfeelshutin。Youcanalwaysseeoff。IfeelathomeafterIgetinNebraska。I\'dchokebackwhereyoulive，withallthoselittlegulliesandthetreeseverywhere。It\'samysterytomehowfarmershavepatiencetoworkthere。”

Annieopenedhereyes。Therewasevi-

dentlymorethanonewayoflookingataquestion。Thefarm-housesseemedverylowandmeantoher，asshelookedatthemfromthewindow。Therewerenofences，exceptingnowandthentheinhospitablebarbedwire。Thedoor-yardswerebleaktohereyes，withouttheornamentalshrubberywhicheveryfarmerinherpartofthecountrywasusedtotending。Thecattlestoodun-

sheddedintheircorrals。Thereapersandbindersstoodrustinginthedulldrizzle。

"Howshiftless!"criedAnnie，indignantly。

"Whatdothesemenmeanbylettingtheirmachinerylieoutthatway？Ishouldthinkonewinteroflyingoutwouldhurtitmorethanthreesummersofusing。”

"Itdoes。Butshedsarenoteasilyhad。

Lumberisdear。”

"ButIshouldthinkitwouldbeeconomyeventhen。”

"Yes，"hesaid，"perhaps。Butwealldothatwayouthere。Ittakessomemoneyforamantobeeconomicalwith。Someofushaven\'teventhatmuch。”

Therewasasix-mileridefromthestation。

Thehorseswerewaiting，hitcheduptoaserviceablelightwagon，anddrivenbythe"help。”Hewasathinyoungman，withredhair，andheblushedvicariouslyforJimandAnnie，whowerereallytooentertainedwitheachother，andattheideaofthenewlifeopeningupbeforethem，tothinkany-

thingaboutblushing。Atthestation，anumberofmeninsistedonshakinghandswithJim，andbeingintroducedtohiswife。

Theywereallbearded，asifshavingwereanunnecessarylabor，andtheirtrousersweretuckedindustytop-boots，noneofwhichhadeverseenblacking。Anniehadasenseofthesemenseemingunwashed，orasiftheyhadsleptintheirclothes。Buttheyhadkindvoices，andtheireyeswereveryfriendly。Sosheshookhandswiththemallwithheartiness，andaskedthemtodriveoutandbringtheirwomenkind。

"Iamgoingtomakeupmymindnottobelonesome，"shedeclared；"but，allthesame，Ishallwanttoseesomewomen。”

Anniehadgotsafeonthehighseatofthewagon，andwasbalancingherlittlefeetontheinclinedfoot-rest，whenawomancamerunningacrossthestreet，callingaloud，——

"Mr。Lancy!Mr。Lancy!You\'renotgoingtodriveawaywithoutintroducingmetoyourwife!"

Shewasathinlittlewoman，withmove-

mentsasnervousandasgracelessasthoseofagrasshopper。Herdun-coloredgarmentsseemedtohaveallthehuebleachedoutofthemwithwindandweather。Herfacewasbrownandwrinkled，andherbrighteyesflashedrestlessly，deepintheirsockets。Twofrontteethwereconspicuouslymissing；andherfadedhairwasblowninwispsaboutherface。Jimperformedtheintroduction，andAnnieheldoutherhand。Itwasaprettyhand，delicatelyglovedindovecolor。

Thewomantookitinherown，andaftershehadshakenit，helditforasilentmo-

ment，lookingatit。Thenshealmostthrewitfromher。Theeyeswhichsheliftedtoscanthebrightyoungfaceaboveherhadsomethinglikeagonyinthem。Annieblushedunderthisfiercescrutiny，andthewoman，suddenlyconsciousofherdemeanor，forcedasmiletoherlips。

"I\'llcomeoutan\'seeyeh，"shesaid，incordialtones。"Maybe，asanewhouse-

keeper，you\'lllikealittleadvice。You\'veaniceplace，an\'Iwishyehluck。”

"Thankyou。I\'msureI\'llneedadvice，"

criedAnnie，astheydroveoff。ThenshesaidtoJim，"Whoisthatoldwoman？"

"Oldwoman？Why，sheain\'tadayoverthirty，Mis\'Dundyain\'t。”

Annielookedatherhusbandblankly。

Buthewasalreadytalkingofsomethingelse，andsheaskednomoreaboutthewoman，thoughallthewayalongtheroadthefaceseemedtofollowher。Itmighthavebeenthisthatcausedthetighteningaboutherheart。Forsomewayhervivacityhadgone；andtherestoftheridesheaskednoquestions，butsatlookingstraightbeforeheratthenorthwardstretchingroad，witheyesthatfeltratherthansawthebrown，bareundulations，risingeverynowandthencleantothesky；attheside，littlefamished-

lookinghouses，unacquaintedwithpaint，disorderlyyards，andendlessreachesoffurrowedground，whereinsummerthecornhadwaved。

Thehorsesneedednoindicationofthelinetomakethemturnupasmoothbitofroadthatcurvedawayneatly\'midtheraggedgrasses。Attheendofit，inaclumpofpunyscruboaks，stoodasquarelittlehouse，inuncornicedsimplicity，withblank，uncur-

tainedwindowsstaringoutatAnnie，andforamomenthereyes，blurredwiththecold，seemedtoseeinoneofthemthedespairingfaceofthewomanwiththewispsoffadedhairblowingaboutherface。

"Well，whatdoyouthinkofit？"Jimcried，heartily，swingingherdownfromherhighseat，andkissingherashedidso。

"Thisisyourhome，mygirl，andyouareaswelcometoitasyouwouldbetoapalace，ifIcouldgiveittoyou。”

Annieputupherhandstohidethetrem-

blingofherlips；andsheletJimseethereweretearsinhereyesasanapologyfornotreplying。Theyoungmanwiththeredhairtookawaythehorses，andJim，withhisarmaroundhiswife\'swaist，rantowardthehouseandthrewopenthedoorforhertoenter。

Theintenseheatoftwogreatstovesstruckintheirfaces；andAnniesawthebigburner，erectedinallitsblackhideousnessinthemiddleofthefrontroom，likeasortofhouseholdhoodoo，tobeconstantlypropi-

tiated，likethegodsofGreece；andinthekitchen，thenewrange，withadistractedtea-kettleleapingonit，asifitwouldliketolooseitsfettersandraceawayovertheprairieafteritscousin，thelocomotive。

Itwasahouseoffourrooms，andaglancerevealedthefactthatithadbeenprovidedwiththenecessaries。

"Ithinkwecanbeverycomfortablehere，"saidJim，ratherdoubtfully。

Anniesawshemustmakesomeresponse。

"Iamsurewecanbemorethancomfort-

able，Jim，"shereplied。"Wecanbehappy。

Showme，ifyouplease，wheremyroomis。ImusthangmycloakupintherightplacesothatIshallfeelasifIweregettingsettled。”

Itwasenough。Jimhadnolongeranydoubts。Hefeltsuretheyweregoingtobehappyeverafterward。

ItwasAnniewhogotthefirstmeal；sheinsistedonit，thoughboththemenwantedhertorest。AndJimhadn\'tthehearttotellherthat，asageneralthing，itwouldnotdotoputtwoeggsinthecorn-cake，andthatthebeefsteakwasagreatluxury。

Whenhesawherabouttobreakaneggforthecoffee，however，heinterfered。

"Theshellsoftheonesyouusedforthecakewillsettlethecoffeejustaswell，"hesaid。"Youseewehavetobeverycarefulofeggsouthereatthisseason。”

"Oh!Willtheshellsreallysettleit？

Thisiswhatyoumustcallprairielore。

Isupposeoutherewefindoutwhattherealrelationsofinventionandnecessityare——eh？"

Jimlaugheddisproportionately。Hethoughtherwonderfullywitty。AndheandthehelpatesomuchthatAnnieopenedhereyes。Shehadthoughttherewouldbeenoughleftforsupper。Buttherewasnothingleft。

ForthenexttwoweeksJimwasabletobemuchwithher；andtheyamusedthemselvesbydecoratingthehousewiththebrightcurtainingsthatAnniehadbrought，andputtingupshelvesforafewpiecesofchina。

Shehadtwoorthreepictures，also，whichhadcomefromherroominheroldhome，andsomeofthoseuselessdaintythingswithwhichsomewomenliketolittertheroom。

"Mostfolks，"Jimexplained，"havetobecontentwithonefire，andsitinthekitchen；

butIthought，asthiswasourhoneymoon，wewouldputonsomelugs。”

Anniesaidnothingthen；butadayortwoaftersheventured，——

"Perhapsitwouldbeaswellnow，dear，ifwekeptinthekitchen。I\'llkeepitasbrightandpleasantasIcan。And，any-

way，youcanbemoreaboutwithmewhenI\'mworkingthen。We\'lllayafireinthefront-roomstove，sothatwecanlightitifanybodycomes。Wecanjustaswellsavethatmuch。”

Jimlookedupbrightly。"Allright，"hesaid。"You\'reasensiblelittlewoman。

Yousee，everycentmakesadifference。

AndIwanttobeabletopayofffivehundreddollarsofthatmortgagethisyear。”

So，afterthat，theysatinthekitchen；andthefirewaslaidinthefrontroom，againstthecomingofcompany。Butnoonecame，anditremainedunlighted。

Thentheseasonbegantoshowsignsofopening，——bleaksigns，hardlyrecognizabletoAnnie；andafterthatJimwasnotmuchinthehouse。Theweeksworeon，andspringcameatlast，dancingoverthehills。

Theground-birdsbeganbuilding，andatfoureachmorningawokeAnniewiththeirsylvanopera。ThecreekthatranjustatthenorthofthehouseworkeditselfintoafuryandblusteredalongwithmuchnoisetowardthegreatPlattewhich，milesaway，wallowedinitsvastsandybed。Thehillsflushedfrombrowntoyellow，andfrommottledgreentointensestemerald，andinthesuperbairallthewindsofheavenseemedtomeetandfrolicwithlaughterandsong。

Sometimesthemorningsweresobeauti-

fulthat，themenbeingafieldandAnnieallalone，shegaveherselfuptoanecstasyandkneeledbythelittlewoodenbenchoutsidethedoor，tosay，"Father，IthankThee，"

andthenwentaboutherworkwithallthepoemofnaturerhymingitselfoverandoverinherheart。

ItwasonsuchadayasthisthatMrs。

Dundykeptherpromiseandcameovertoseeiftheyounghousekeeperneededanyoftheadviceshehadpromisedher。Shehadwalked，becausenoneofthehorsescouldbespared。Ithadgotsowarmnowthatthefireinthekitchenheatedthewholehousesufficiently，andAnniehadtheroomscleantoexquisiteness。Mrs。Dundylookedaboutwithenviouseyes。

"Howlovely!"shesaid。

"Doyouthinkso？"criedAnnie，insur-

prise。"Ilikeit，ofcourse，becauseitishome，butIdon\'tseehowyoucouldcallanythingherelovely。”

"Oh，youdon\'tunderstand，"hervisitorwenton。"It\'slovelybecauseitlookssohappy。Someofushave——well，kindo\'

lostourgrip。”

"It\'seasytodothatifyoudon\'tfeelwell，"Annieremarkedsympathetically。"I

haven\'tfeltaswellasusualmyself，lately。

AndIdogetlonesomeandwonderwhatgooditdoestofixupeverydaywhenthereisnoonetosee。Butthatisallnonsense，andIputitoutofmyhead。”

Shesmoothedoutthecleanlawnapronwithdelicatetouch。Mrs。Dundyfollowedthemovementwithhereyes。

"Oh，mydear，"shecried，"youdon\'tknownothin\'aboutityet!Butyouwillknow!Youwill!"andthoserestless，hoteyesofhersseemedtogrowmorerestlessandmorehotastheylookedwithinfinitepityattheyoungwomanbeforeher。

Anniethoughtofthesewordsoftenasthesummercameon，andtheheatgrew。Jimwasseldomtobeseennow。Hewasupatfoureachmorning，andthelastchorewasnotcompletedtillnineatnight。Thenhethrewhimselfinbedandlaytherelog-liketilldawn。Hewastoowearytotalkmuch，andAnnie，withherheartachingforhisfatigue，forboretospeaktohim。Shecookedthemoststrengtheningthingsshecould，andtriedalwaystolookfreshandpleasantwhenhecamein。Butsheoftenthoughtherpainswereinvain，forhehardlyrestedhissunburnedeyesonher。Hisskingotsobrownthathisfacewasstrangelychanged，especiallyashenolongerhadtimetoshave，andhadletaroughbeardstraggleoverhischeeksandchin。OnSundaysAnniewouldhavelikedtogotochurch，butthehorsesweretootiredtobetakenout，andshedidnotfeelwellenoughtowalkfar；besides，Jimgotnoparticulargoodoutofwalkingoverthehillsunlesshehadaploughinhishand。

Harvestcameatlength，andthecropwasgood。Therewereanywayfromthreetotwentymenatthehousethen，andAnniecookedforallofthem。Jimhadtriedtogetsomeonetohelpher，buthehadnotsucceeded。Anniestrovetobebrave，re-

memberingthatfarm-womenalloverthecountrywereworkinginsimilarfashion。

Butinspiteofallshecoulddo，thedaysgottoseemlikenightmares，andsleepbe-

tweenwasbutabriefpauseinwhichshewasalwaysdreamingofwater，andthinkingthatshewasstoopingtoputfeveredlipstoarunningbrook。SomeofthesemenwereverydisgustingtoAnnie。Theirmannerswereasbadastheycouldwellbe，andacoarsewordcamenaturallytotheirlips。

"Tobemasterofthesoil，thatisonething，"saidshetoherselfinsicknessofspirit；"buttobetheslaveofitisanother。

Thesemenseemtohavegottheirsoulsallcoveredwithmuck。”Shenoticedthattheyhadnoideaofamusement。Theyhadneverplayedanything。Theydidnotevencareforbase-ball。Theirideaofhappinessappearedtobetodonothing；andtherewasagoodpartoftheyearinwhichtheywerehappy，——forthesewerenotforthemostpartmenowningfarms；theyweremenwhohiredouttohelpthefarmer。Agoodmanyofthemhadbeenfarmersatonetimeandanother，buttheyhadfailed。Theyalltalkedpoliticsagreatdeal，——politicsandrail-

roads。Anniehadnotmuchpatiencewithitall。Shehadgreatconfidenceinthecourseofthings。Shebelievedthatinthiscountryallmenhaveafairchance。Sowhenitcameaboutthatthecornandthewheat，whichhadbeenraisedwithsuchincessanttoil，broughtthemnomoney，butonlyaloss，Anniestoodaghast。

"Isaidtherateswereruinous，"Jimsaidtoheronenight，afteritwasallover，andhehadfoundoutthattheyear\'sslavishworkhadbroughthimalossofthreehundreddollars；"it\'sbeenaconspiracyfromthefirst。Thepriceofcornisallright。ButbythetimewesetitdowninChicagoweareouteighteencentsabushel。

Itmeansruin。Whatarewegoingtodo？

Herewehadthebestcropwe\'vehadforyears——butwhat\'stheuseoftalking!

Theyhaveusintheirgrip。”

"Idon\'tseehowitis，"Annieprotested。

"Ishouldthinkitwouldbefortheinter-

estoftheroadstohelpthepeopletobeasprosperousaspossible。”

"Oh，wecan\'tgetout!Andwe\'reboundtostayandraisegrain。Andthey\'reboundtocartit。Andthat\'sallthereistoit。Theyforceustostandeveryloss，eventotheshortagethatismadeintransportation。

Therailroadcompaniesowntheelevators，andtheyhavethecinchonus。Ourgrainisattheirmercy。GodknowshowI\'mgoingtoraisethatinterest。Asforthefivehundredweweregoingtopayonthemort-

gagethisyear，Annie，we\'renotinit。”

Autumnwaswellsetinbythistime，andthebrilliantcoldskyhungovertheprairiesasyoungandfreshasiftheworldwerenotoldandtired。Annienolongercouldlookastrimaswhenshefirstcametothelittlehouse。Herprettyweddinggarmentswerebeginningtobewornandtherewasnomoneyformore。Jimwouldnotplaychessnowofevenings。Hewasforeverwritingarticlesfortheweeklypaperintheadjoin-

ingtown。Theytalkedofrunninghimforthestatelegislature，andhewasanxiousforthenomination。

"IthinkImightbeabletostanditifI

couldfight\'em!"hedeclared；"buttosithereidle，knowingthatIhavebeencheatedoutofmyyear\'swork，justasmuchasifI

hadbeenknockeddownontheroadandthemoneytakenfromme，isenoughtosendmetotheasylumwithastrait-jacketon!"

Lifegrewtotakeontragicaspects。Annieusedtofindherselfwonderingifanywhereintheworldtherewerepeoplewithlighthearts。Forhertherewasnolongerantici-

pationofjoy，orpresentcompanionship，oranydivertissementinthewholeworld。Jimreadbookswhichshedidnotunderstand，andwithafewofhisfriends，whodroppedinnowandtheneveningsorSundays，talkedaboutthesebooksinanexcitedmanner。

Shewouldgotoherroomtorest，andlyingthereinthedarknessonthebed，wouldhearthemspeakingtogether，some-

timesallatonce，inthosesternlyvindictivetonesmenusewhenthereisrevoltintheirsouls。

"Itisthegovernmentwhichishelpingtoimpoverishus，"shewouldhearJimsaying。"Workismoney。Thatistosay，itistheactiveformofmoney。Thewealthofacountryisestimatedbyitspowerofproduction。Anditspowerofproductionmeanswork。Itmeanstherearesomanymenwithsomuchcapacity。

Nowthegovernmentowesittothesementohavemoneyenoughtopaythemfortheirwork；andifthereisnotenoughmoneyincirculationtopaytoeachmanforhishonestandnecessarywork，thenIsaythatgovernmentisinleaguewithcrime。

Itistryingtomakedefaultersofus。Ithasahundredwaysofcheatingus。WhenI

boughtthisfarmandputthemortgageonit，aday\'sworkwouldbringtwicetheresultsitwillnow。Thatistosay，thetotalattheendoftheyearshowedmyprofitstobetwicewhattheywouldbenow，eveniftherailwaydidnotstandinthewaytorobusofmorethanweearn。

Sothatitwilltakejusttwiceasmanydays\'worknowtopayoffthismortgageasitwouldhavedoneatthetimeitwascontracted。It\'saconspiracy，Itellyou!

ThoseEasterncapitalistsmakeascienceofruiningus。”

Hegotmoreeloquentastimewenton，andAnnie，whohadknownhimfirstasratheracarelesstalker，wasastonishedattheboldnessofhislanguage。Butconver-

sationwasalostartwithhim。Henolongertalked。Heharangued。

IntheearlyspringAnnie\'sbabywasborn，——alittlegirlwithanervouscry，whoneversleptlongatatime，andwhoseemedtowailmerelyfromdistasteatliving。ItwasMrs。DundywhocameovertolookafterthehousetillAnniegotabletodoso。

Hereyeshadthatfeverinthem，asever。

Shetalkedbutlittle，buthertouchonAnnie\'sheadwasmoreeloquentthanwords。

OnedayAnnieaskedfortheglass，andMrs。Dundygaveittoher。Shelookedinitalongtime。Thecolorwasgonefromhercheeks，andabouthermouththerewasanuglytightening。Buthereyesflashedandshonewiththatsame——no，no，itcouldnotbethatinherfacealsowascomingthelookofhalf-madness!ShemotionedMrs。

Dundytocometoher。

"Youknewitwascoming，"shesaid，brokenly，pointingtothereflectionintheglass。"Thatfirstday，youknewhowitwouldbe。”

Mrs。Dundytooktheglassawaywithagentlehand。

"HowcouldIhelpknowing？"shesaidsimply。Shewentintothenextroom，andwhenshereturnedAnnienoticedthatthehandkerchiefstuckinherbeltwaswet，asifithadbeenwepton。

Awomancannotstaylongawayfromherhomeonafarmatplantingtime，evenifitisacaseoflifeanddeath。Mrs。Dundyhadtogohome，andAnniecreptaboutherworkwiththewailingbabyinherarms。

Thehousewasoftendisorderlynow；butitcouldnotbehelped。Thebabyhadtobecaredfor。ItfrettedsomuchthatJimsleptapartinthemowofthebarn，thathissleepmightnotbedisturbed。Itwasapleasant，dimplace，fullofsweetscents，andhelikedtobetherealone。Thoughhehadalwaysbeenanunusualworker，heworkednowmorelikeamanwhowasfightingofffate，thanameretoilerforbread。

Thecorncameupbeautifully，andfarastheeyecouldreacharoundtheirhomeittosseditsbroadgreenleaveswithanocean-

likeswellingofsibilantsound。Jimloveditwithasortofpassion。Annielovedit，too。Sometimes，atnight，whenherfatiguewasunbearable，andherirritationwearingoutbothbodyandsoul，shetookherlittleoneinherarmsandwalkedamongthecorn，lettingitsrustlingsoothethebabytosleep。

Theheatofthesummerwasterrible。