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。