can stand it," said
Joe, brightening a little, the tense severity of his face softening.
"Never mind; I can stand it, I guess."

"I'll never let you go to him--I didn't mean to do it--it wasn't fair
the way he drove me into it!" said she.

She laid her hand, almost timidly, on her son's shoulder, and looked
into his face. "I know you could take care of me and keep off of the
county, even if Isom did put us out like he said he'd do, but I went and
done it, anyhow. Isom led me into it, Joe; he wasn't fair."

"Yes, and you bound me out for about half what I'm worth to any man and
could demand for my services anywhere, Mother," said Joe, the bitterness
which he had fought down but a moment past surging up in him again.

"Lord forgive me!" she supplicated piteously. She turned suddenly to the
table and snatched the paper. "It wasn't fair--he fooled me into it!"
she repeated. "I'll tear it up, I'll burn it, and we'll leave this place
and let him have it, and he can go on and do whatever he wants to with
it--tear it down, burn it, knock it to pieces--for anything I care
now!"

Joe restrained her as she went toward the stove, the document in her
hand.

"Wait, Mother; it's a bargain. We're bound in honor to it, we can't back
down now."

"I'll never let you do it!" she declared, her voice rising beyond her
control. "I'll walk the roads and beg my bread first! I'll hoe in the
fields, I'll wash folks' clothes for 'em like a nigger slave, I'll lay
down my life, Joe, before I let you go into that murderin' man's
hands!"

He took the paper from her hands gently.

"I've been thinking it over, Mother," said he, "and it might be
worse--it might be a good deal worse. It gives me steady work, for one
thing, and you can save most of my wages, counting on the eggs you'll
sell, and the few turkeys and things. After a while you can get a cow
and make butter, and we'll be better off, all around. We couldn't get
out of it, anyway, Mother. He's paid you money, and you've signed your
name to the contract along with Isom. If we were to pull out and leave
here, Isom could send the sheriff after me and bring me back, I guess.
Even if he couldn't do that, he could sue you, Mother, and make no end
of trouble. But we wouldn't leave if we could. It wouldn't be quite
honorable, or like Newbolts at all, to break our contract that way."

"But he'll drive you to the grave, Joe!"

A slow smile spread over his face. "I don't think Isom would fin