esome," he laughed, his voice smothered in her bright hair.

The old woman settled back in her seat. The team made their way slowly
through the sandy wash between the boulders. When they emerged from the
sycamores, Rob pointed toward the cabin. "That's the place!" he said
triumphantly.

The sunset was sifting through the live-oaks upon the shake roof. Two
tents gleamed white beside it, frescoed with the shadow of moving
leaves. Ethel lifted her head from her husband's shoulder, and looked at
her home with the faith in her eyes that has kept the world young.

"I've put up some tents for us," said the young fellow gleefully; "but
you mustn't go in till I get the team put away. I won't have you
laughing at my housekeeping behind my back. Old Mosey's asleep in the
shanty; the doctor gives him something to keep him easy. You can go in
there and sit down, grandmother; you won't disturb him."

He helped them out of the wagon, lingering a little with his wife in his
arms. The old woman left them and went into the house. She crossed the
floor hesitatingly, and bent over the feeble old face on the pillow.

"It's just as I expected; he's changed a good deal," she said to
herself.

The old man opened his eyes.

"I was sayin' you'd changed a good deal, Moses," she repeated aloud.

There was no intelligence in his gaze.

"For that matter, I expect I've changed a good deal myself," she went
on. "I heard you'd had a fall, and I thought I'd better come out. You
was always kind of hard to take care of when you was sick. I remember
that time you hurt your foot on the scythe, just after we was married;
you wouldn't let anybody come near you but me"--

"Why, it's Angeline!" said the old man dreamily, with a vacant smile.

"Yes, it's me."

He closed his eyes and drifted away again. The old wife sat still on the
edge of the bed. Outside she could hear the sigh of the oaks and the
trill of young voices. Two or three tears fell over the wrinkled face,
written close with the past, like a yellow page from an old diary. She
wiped them away, and looked about the room with its meagre belongings,
which Rob had scoured into expectant neatness.

"He doesn't seem to have done very well," she thought; "but how could
he, all by himself?" She got up and walked to the door, and looked out
at the strange landscape with its masses of purple mountains.

"I've got to do one of two things," she said to herself. "I've just got
to own up the whole