and dismounted, for the
first time in my life there without a boy to take my horse. I walked
slowly up the steps to the great front door of the old house. No servant
came to meet me, grinning. I, grandson of the man who built that house,
my father's home and mine, lifted the brazen knocker of the door and
heard no footstep anticipate my knock. The place sounded empty.

Finally there came a shuffling footfall and the door was opened, but
there stood before me no one that I recognized. It was a smallish,
oldish, grayish man who opened the door and smiled in query at me.

"I am John Cowles, sir," I said, hesitating. "Yourself I do not seem to
know--"

"My name is Halliday, Mr. Cowles," he replied. A flush of humiliation
came to my face.

"I should know you. You were my father's creditor."

"Yes, sir, my firm was the holder of certain obligations at the time of
your father's death. You have been gone very long without word to us.
Meantime, pending any action--"

"You have moved in!"

"I have ventured to take possession, Mr. Cowles. That was as your mother
wished. She waived all her rights and surrendered everything, said all
the debts must be paid--"

"Of course--"

"And all we could prevail upon her to do was to take up her quarters
there in one of the little houses."

He pointed with this euphemism toward our old servants' quarters. So
there was my mother, a woman gently reared, tenderly cared for all her
life, living in a cabin where once slaves had lived. And I had come back
to her, to tell a story such as mine!

"I hope," said he, hesitating, "that all these matters may presently be
adjusted. But first I ask you to influence your mother to come back into
the place and take up her residence."

I smiled slowly. "You hardly understand her," I said. "I doubt if my
influence will suffice for that. But I shall meet you again." I was
turning away.

"Your mother, I believe, is not here--she went over to Wallingford. I
think it is the day when she goes to the little church--"

"Yes, I know. If you will excuse me I shall ride over to see if I can
find her." He bowed. Presently I was hurrying down the road again. It
seemed to me that I could never tolerate the sight of a stranger as
master at Cowles' Farms.

CHAPTER XXXVII

THE FURROW

I Found her at the churchyard of the old meetinghouse. She was just
turning toward the gate in the low sandstone wall which surrounded the
burying ground and separat