three years required to prove up, but in consideration of
these benefactions the titles to the land, when secured, were to be
promptly transferred to Riles and Harris. This was strictly against
the law, but the two pioneers felt no sense of crime or shame for
their plans, but rather congratulated themselves upon their cunning
though by no means original scheme to evade the regulations.

Harris found the task of disclosing his intentions to his wife more
unpleasant than he would have supposed, and it took him some days to
make up his mind to broach the subject. He felt that he was doing
what was for the best, and that his business judgment in the matter
could hardly be challenged; and yet he had an uncomfortable feeling
that his wife would not fall in with his plans. That, of course,
would not be allowed to affect his plans; since Beulah's departure
nothing but the most formal conversation had taken place in their
household; yet it would certainly be easier for him if Mary should
give her encouragement to his undertaking. He felt that he was
entitled to this, for was it not for her that he was making the
sacrifice? Was not all he had hers? And were not all his labours
directed toward increasing her reserve against the rainy day? And yet
instinctively he felt that she would oppose him.

It was the evening of a long day in July when, very much to Mary's
surprise, her husband took the handle of the cream separator from
her. To the sad-hearted woman it seemed that the breach was at length
beginning to heal, and that happiness would shortly return to their
hearthside. Below the din of the separator she actually found herself
humming an old love-song of the 'eighties.

But her happiness was of short duration. When the milk had been run
through, and the noise of the whirling bowl no longer prevented
conversation, Harris immediately got down to business.

"Allan and me will be leavin' for the West in a day or two," he said.
"I suppose you can get along all right for a few weeks until harvest.
Bill (the hired man) will be here."

In an instant she saw the motive behind his apparent kindness, and
the hopes she had just entertained only deepened the flood of
resentment which swept over them. But she answered quietly and
without apparent emotion: "That's unfortunate, as I was planning for
a little trip myself."

"You!" he exclaimed. "You plannin' a trip! Where in the world do you
want to go?" Such a thing as Mary going on a t