ng: "As
there MIGHT be a chance of his hearin', it'll be company for the poor
old cove."

Chapter XIV.

When Dan Came Home.

One night after the threshing. Dad lying on the sofa, thinking; the
rest of us sitting at the table. Dad spoke to Joe.

"How much," he said, "is seven hundred bushels of wheat at six
shillings?"

Joe, who was looked upon as the brainy one of our family, took down his
slate with a hint of scholarly ostentation.

"What did y' say, Dad--seven 'undred BAGS?"

"Bushels! BUSHELS!"

"Seven 'un-dered bush-els-of wheat--WHEAT was it, Dad?"

"Yes, WHEAT!"

"Wheat at...At WHAT, Dad?"

"Six shillings a bushel."

"Six shil-lings-a.... A, Dad? We've not done any at A; she's on'y
showed us PER!"

"PER bushel, then!"

"Per bush-el. That's seven 'undered bushels of wheat at six shillin's
per bushel. An' y' wants ter know, Dad--?"

"How much it'll be, of course."

"In money, Dad, or--er----?"

"Dammit, yes; MONEY!" Dad raised his voice.

For a while, Joe thought hard, then set to work figuring and rubbing
out, figuring and rubbing out. The rest of us eyed him, envious of his
learning.

Joe finished the sum.

"Well?" from Dad.

Joe cleared his throat. We listened.

"Nine thousan' poun'."

Dave laughed loud. Dad said, "Pshaw!" and turned his face to the wall.
Joe looked at the slate again.

"Oh! I see," he said, "I did n't divide by twelve t' bring t' pounds,"
and laughed himself.

More figuring and rubbing out.

Finally Joe, in loud, decisive tones, announced, "FOUR thousand, NO
'undered an' twenty poun', fourteen shillin's an'--"

"Bah! YOU blockhead!" Dad blurted out, and jumped off the sofa and
went to bed.

We all turned in.

We were not in bed long when the dog barked and a horse entered the
yard. There was a clink of girth-buckles; a saddle thrown down; then a
thump, as though with a lump of blue-metal, set the dog yelping
lustily. We lay listening till a voice called out at the door--"All in
bed?" Then we knew it was Dan, and Dad and Dave sprang out in their
shirts to let him in. All of us jumped up to see Dan. This time he had
been away a long while, and when the slush-lamp was lit and fairly
going, how we stared and wondered at his altered looks! He had grown a
long whisker, and must have stood inches higher than Dad.

Dad was delighted. He put a fire on, made tea, and he and Dan talked
till near daybreak--Dad of the harvest, and the Gove