u got any sense, boy? What earthly
use would a wire-fence be without any wire in it?"

Then we knocked off and went to dinner.

No one appeared in any humour to talk at the table. Mother sat
silently at the end and poured out the tea while Dad, at the head,
served the pumpkin and divided what cold meat there was. Mother would
n't have any meat--one of us would have to go without if she had taken
any.

I don't know if it was on account of Dan arguing with him, or if it was
because there was no bread for dinner, that Dad was in a bad temper;
anyway, he swore at Joe for coming to the table with dirty hands. Joe
cried and said that he could n't wash them when Dave, as soon as he had
washed his, had thrown the water out. Then Dad scowled at Dave, and
Joe passed his plate along for more pumpkin.

Dinner was almost over when Dan, still looking hungry, grinned and
asked Dave if he was n't going to have some BREAD? Whereupon Dad
jumped up in a tearing passion. "D--n your insolence!" he said to Dan,
"make a jest of it, would you?"

"Who's jestin'?" Dan answered and grinned again.

"Go!" said Dad, furiously, pointing to the door, "leave my roof, you
thankless dog!"

Dan went that night.

It was only upon Dad promising faithfully to reduce his account within
two months that the storekeeper let us have another bag of flour on
credit. And what a change that bag of flour wrought! How cheerful the
place became all at once! And how enthusiastically Dad spoke of the
farm and the prospects of the coming season!

Four months had gone by. The fence had been up some time and ten acres
of wheat put in; but there had been no rain, and not a grain had come
up, or was likely to.

Nothing had been heard of Dan since his departure. Dad spoke about him
to Mother. "The scamp!" he said, "to leave me just when I wanted
help--after all the years I've slaved to feed him and clothe him, see
what thanks I get! but, mark my word, he'll be glad to come back yet."
But Mother would never say anything against Dan.

The weather continued dry. The wheat did n't come up, and Dad became
despondent again.

The storekeeper called every week and reminded Dad of his promise. "I
would give it you willingly," Dad would say, "if I had it, Mr. Rice;
but what can I do? You can't knock blood out of a stone."

We ran short of tea, and Dad thought to buy more with the money
Anderson owed him for some fencing he had done; but when he asked for