no minor heirs. We could make an agreement and
record it. There was no will. Mother will administer. It's all
settled. Wait until I get the figures."

Then slowly and clearly she went over the situation, explaining
everything in detail. When she finished he sat staring at her with a
snarling face.

"You signed that?" he demanded. "You signed that! YOU THREW AWAY AT
LEAST HALF YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD! You let those lazy scoundrels of
brothers of yours hoodwink you, and pull the wool over your eyes like
that? Are you mad? Are you stark, staring mad?"

"No, I'm quite sane," said Kate. "It is you who are mad. You know my
figures, don't you? Those were the only ones used yesterday. The
whole scheme was mine, with help from Mother to the extent of her
giving up everything except the home farm."

"You crazy fool!" he cried, springing up.

"Now stop," said Kate. "Stop right there! I've done what I think is
right, and fair, and just, and I'm happy with the results. Act
decently, I'll stay and build the mill. Say one, only one more of the
nasty, insulting things in your head, and I'll go in there and wake up
the children and we will leave now and on foot."

Confronted with Kate and her ultimatum, George arose and walked down to
the road; he began pacing back and forth in the moonlight, struggling
to regain command of himself. He had no money. He had no prospect of
any until Aunt Ollie died and left him her farm. He was, as he
expressed it, "up against it" there. Now he was "up against it" with
Kate. What she decided upon and proposed to do was all he could do.
She might shave prices, and cut, and skimp, and haggle to buy material,
and put up her building at the least possible expense. She might sit
over books and figure herself blind. He would be driving over the
country, visiting with the farmers, booming himself for a fat county
office maybe, eating big dinners, and being a jolly good fellow
generally. Naturally as breathing, there came to him a scheme whereby
he could buy at the very lowest figure he could extract; then he would
raise the price to Kate enough to make him a comfortable income besides
his share of the business. He had not walked the road long until his
anger was all gone.

He began planning the kind of horse he would have to drive, the buggy
he would want, and a box in it to carry a hatchet, a square, measures,
an auger, other tools he would need, and by Jove! it would be a dandy
i