ly welcome, though she does sometimes. I
don't see why she goes, anyway. What have we to do with any of these
people? When mother is ill, too. If I were a daughter, I'd stay at
home."

Cleena wheeled about from scrubbing the kitchen table and retorted,
impatiently:--

"Don't you go throwing blame on Miss Amy, lad. Arrah musha! but she's
the more sense of the lot of us, so she has, bless her bonny heart. An'
that sunbright an' cheerful, no matter--"

"She's not very cheerful this afternoon, Cleena. I believe she'd been
crying, just now, when I found her in the shed. I fancy she'll find a
ride anything but funny, on such a day as this. I like the warm fire
better than the road in such weather."

"Get back to it then, child. There's your book yon, on the settle. Wait.
Carry in a bowl of porridge to the mistress, an you can? Heigh! Move
them crutches easy now, an' not spill the stuff all over me nice floor."

In her heart Cleena was very proud of her deft-handed "child," who could
do so many helpful things, even though a cripple, and she watched him
cross the wide room, swinging easily along on his "other feet," yet
holding the bowl of steaming liquid upright and safely. Then she sighed,
and going to the door called:--

"Me Gineral Bonaparty, come by!"

Fayette was digging, even though the ground was frozen, and it would be
months before anything could grow again. But the simple fellow was a
"natural farmer," and it was his intention to "let her lie fallow this
winter. Next summer I'll show you a garden'll make your eyes bung out.
I'm the best gard'ner anywhere's round, I am."

He now replied:--

"What fer? I want to get this side gone over, this afternoon. Then come
Monday I'm goin' to get some trees down brook way, an' get John to haul
'em up an' set 'em out, an' get Miss Amy--"

"Faith, what else'll you 'get' with your 'get' an' 'get,' I'd know. Come
by, I tell ye, to wonst."

When Cleena spoke in that tone, it was noticeable that Fayette always
obeyed. He now threw down his spade, though reluctantly, and sauntered
to the kitchen door.

"A woman hain't got no sense nohow, stopping a man from his work."

"An' all the sense a man body has, me fathers, is to keep a woman
standin' in her doorway. I'm wantin' ye to go to the store down below.
Master Hallam's for lettin' ye ride Balaam. Off with ye, now, an' clean
the beast's coat, sayin' nothin' of Miss Amy's own little white. Will
she ride with ye? What for