heaves
were comparatively small. Springing at this swath, Barney doubled the
first two, the second two, the third two, and putting the last three
together swung in upon Dick's swath where there were two sheaves left.

"Don't you touch it!" gasped Dick angrily.

"How's the time, Alec?" panted Barney.

"Half a minute."

Before he spoke, Dick flung himself on his last two sheaves, crying,
"Out of the way there!" snatched his band, passing it around the sheaf,
tied it, flung it over his shoulder, and stood with his hands on his
knees, his breath coming in sobbing gasps.

For a few minutes the men went wild. Barney stepped to Dick's side, and
patting him on the shoulder, said, "Great man, Dick! But I was a fool to
let you!"

"That's what you were!" cried the "Old King," slapping Dick on the
back, "but there's the greatest day's work ever done in these parts.
The wheat's yours," he said, turning to Alec, "but begad! I wish it was
goin' to them that won it!"

"An' that's where it is going," said Alec, "every blamed sheaf of it, to
Ben's gang."

"We'll take what's coming to us," said Barney shortly.

"I told yeh so," said Ben regretfully.

"Why, don't you know it was for you I took the bet?" said Alec, angry
that he should be balked in his good intention to help the boys.

"We'll take our wages," repeated Barney in a tone that settled the
controversy. "The wheat is not ours."

"Then it ain't mine," said Alec, disgusted, remembering in how great
peril his $50 had been.

"Well, boys," said the "Old King," "it ain't mine. We'll divide it in
three."

"We'll take our wages," said Barney again, in sullen determination.

"Confound the boy!" cried the "Old King." "What'll we do with the wheat?
I say, we'll give it to Ben; he's had hard luck this year."

"No, by the jumpin' Jemima Jebbs!" said Ben, stumping over to Barney's
side. "I stand with the boss. I take my wages."

"Well, dog-gone you all! Will you take double pay, then? There's two
days' good work there. And the rest we'll give to the church. Good thing
the minister ain't here or he'd kick, too!"

"But," added the "Old King," turning to his son Sam, "after this you
crawl into your shell when there's any blowin' bein' done about Ben's
gang."

IX

LOVE'S TANGLED WAYS

The mill lane was prinked with all the June flowers. Over the snake
fence massed the clover, red and white. Through the rails peeped the
thistle bloom, pink and purple, and higher