drink, so Sandy yoked his horse to the slide, and he, Dad,
and Joe started for the springs.

The slide was the fork of a tree, alias a wheel-less water-trolly. The
horse was hitched to the butt end, and a batten nailed across the
prongs kept the cask from slipping off going uphill. Sandy led the way
and carried the bucket; Dad went ahead to clear the track of stones;
and Joe straddled the cask to keep her steady.

It always took three to work the slide.

The water they brought was a little thick--old Anderson had been down
and stirred it up pulling a bullock out; but Dad put plenty ashes in
the cask to clear it.

Each of us had his own work to do. Sandy knocked the partition down
and decorated the place with boughs; Mother and the girls cooked and
covered the walls with newspapers, and Dad gathered cow-dung and did
the floor.

Two days before the wedding. All of us were still working hard. Dad
was up to his armpits in a bucket of mixture, with a stack of cow-dung
on one side, and a heap of sand and the shovel on the other. Dave and
Joe were burning a cow that had died just in front of the house, and
Sandy had gone to town for his tweed trousers.

A man in a long, black coat, white collar, and new leggings rode up,
spoke to Dad, and got off. Dad straightened up and looked awkward,
with his arms hanging wide and the mixture dripping from them. Mother
came out. The cove shook hands with her, but he did n't with Dad. They
went inside--not Dad, who washed himself first.

Dave sent Joe to ask Dad who the cove was. Dad spoke in a whisper and
said he was Mr. Macpherson, the clergyman who was to marry Kate and
Sandy. Dave whistled and piled more wood on the dead cow. Mother came
out and called Dave and Joe. Dave would n't go, but sent Joe.

Dave threw another log on the cow, then thought he would see what was
going on inside.

He stood at the window and looked in. He could n't believe his eyes at
first, and put his head right in. There were Dad, Joe, and the lot of
them down on their marrow-bones saying something after the parson.
Dave was glad that he did n't go in.

How the parson prayed! Just when he said "Lead us not into temptation"
the big kangaroo-dog slipped in and grabbed all the fresh meat on the
table; but Dave managed to kick him in the ribs at the door. Dad
groaned and seemed very restless.

When the parson had gone Dad said that what he had read about "reaping
the same as you sow" was