d putting away the dinner-dishes and sweeping
the kitchen.

They looked at each other, when, after the after-dinner housework was
all done, she took her shawl and hood from the peg, and drew some old
wool socks of Caleb's over her shoes. She went out without saying a
word. Ephraim waited a few minutes after the door shut behind her;
then he ran to the window.

"She's gone to Barney's," he announced, rolling great eyes over his
shoulder at his father; and the old man also went over to the window
and watched Deborah plodding through the snow up the street.

It was not snowing so hard now, and the clouds were breaking, but a
bitter wind was blowing from the northwest. It drove Deborah along
before it, lashing her skirts around her gaunt limbs; but she leaned
back upon it, and did not bend.

The road was not broken out, and the snow was quite deep, but she
went along with no break in her gait. She went into Barney's yard and
knocked at his door. She set her mouth harder when she heard him
coming.

Barney opened the door and started when he saw who was there. "Is it
you, mother?" he said, involuntarily; then his face hardened like
hers, and he waited. The mother and son confronted each other looked
more alike than ever.

Deborah opened her mouth to speak twice before she made a sound. She
stood upright and unyielding, but her face was ghastly, and she drew
her breath in long, husky gasps. Finally she spoke, and Barney
started again at her voice.

"I want you to go after William Berry and make him marry Rebecca,"
she said.

"Mother, what do you mean?"

"I want you to go after William Berry and make him marry Rebecca."

"Mother!"

"Rebecca is gone. I turned her out of the house this mornin'. I don't
know where she is. Go and find her, and make William Berry marry
her."

"Mother, before the Lord, I don't know what you mean!" Barney cried
out. "You didn't turn Rebecca out of the house in all this storm!
What did you turn her out for? Where is she?"

"I don't know where she is. I turned her out because I wouldn't have
her in the house. You brought it all on us; if you hadn't acted so I
shouldn't have felt as I did about her marryin'. Now you can go an'
find her, and get William Berry an' make him marry her. I ain't got
anything more to do with it."

Deborah turned, and went out of the yard.

"Mother!" Barney called after her, but she kept on. He stood for a
second looking after her retreating figure, struggl