traordinarypersonsriding。
\"Inthecauseofhealth，\"Leroyusedtosay，\"Ioughttohavethecarriagefumi-
gatedaftereveryrideJudithtakes，forsheisalwaysaccompaniedbysomeonewholooksasifheorsheshouldgointoquarantine。”
Onenight，whenhewaschaffingherinthisway，sheflunghersewingsuddenlyfromherandsprangtoherfeet，asifsheweregoingtogivewaytoaburstofgirlishtemper。Insteadofthat，astreamoftearspouredfromhereyes，andsheheldouthertremblinghandstowardJessica。
\"Hedoesnotknow，\"shesobbed。\"Hecannotunderstand。”
OnememorabledayLeroyhastenedovertouswhilewewerestillatbreakfasttosaythatJudithwasill，——strangelyill。Allnightlongshehadbeenmutteringtoherselfasifinadelirium。Yetsheansweredlucidlyallquestionsthatwereputtoher。
\"ShebegsforMissGrant。Shesaysoverandoverthatshe\'knows，\'whateverthatmaymean。”
WhenJessicacamehomeshetoldmeshedidnotknow。Sheonlyfeltthatatumultofimpatiencewasstirringinherfriend。
\"Thereissomethingmajesticabouther，——
somethingepic。Ifeelasifsheweremak-
ingmeliveapartinsomegreatdrama，theendofwhichIcannottell。Sheissuffering，butIcannottellwhyshesuffers。”
Weekswentonwithoutanabatementinthisstrangeillness。Shedidnotkeepherbed。Indeed，sheneglectedfewofherusualoccupations。Butherhandswereburning，andhereyesgrewbrightwiththatwildsortoflustreoneseesintheeyesofthosewhogivethemselvesuptostrangedrugsormanias。Shegrewwhimsical，andformedcapriciousfriendships，onlytodropthem。
Andthenonedaysheclosedherhousetoallacquaintances，andsatalonecontinu-
allyinherroom，withherhandsclaspedinherlap，andhereyesswimmingwiththeemotionsthatneverfoundtheirwaytohertongue。
Brainardcametotheofficetotalkwithmeaboutheroneday。\"Iamaverymiser-
ableman，Grant，\"hesaid。\"IamafraidI
havelostmywife\'sregard。Oh，don\'ttellmeitispartlymyfault。Iknowitwellenough。
AndIknowyouhaven\'thadaverygoodopinionofmelately。ButIamremorsefulenoughnow，Godknows。AndIwouldgivemylifetoseeherasshewaswhenIfoundherfirstamongthemountains。Why，sheusedtoclimbthemlikeastrongman，andshewasforevershoutingandsinging。Andshehadpeopledeveryspotwithstrangemodernmythologicalcreatures。Herfatherisanolddreamer，andshegotthetrickfromhim。Theyhadalittletelescopeonagreatknollinthecentreofthevalley，justwhereitcommandedalongpathofstars，andtheyusedtospendnightsouttherewhenthefrostliterallyfellinflakes。WhenIthinkhowhardyandgayshewas，howfullofcourageandlife，andlookathernow，sofeverishandbroken，IfeelasifIshouldgomad。YouknowInevermeanttodoheranyharm。Tellmethatmuch，Grant。”
\"Ithinkyouwereveryegotisticalforawhile，Brainard，andthatisafact。Andyoudidn\'tappreciatehowmuchhernaturedemanded。ButIdonotthinkyouarere-
sponsibleforyourwife\'spresentcondition。
Ifthereisanycomfortinthatstatement，youarewelcometoit。”
\"Butyoudon\'tmean——\"hegotnofurther。
\"Imeanthatyourwifemayhaveherreservations，justasweallhave，andIampayingherhighpraisewhenIsayit。Youarenotsonarrow，Leroy，astosupposeforamomentthattheonlysortofpassionawomaniscapableofisthatwhichsheenter-
tainsforaman。HowdoIknowwhatisgoingoninyourwife\'ssoul？Butitisnothingwhichevenanidealistofwomen，suchasIam，oldfellow，needregret。”
HowgladIwasafterwardthatIspokethosewords。Theyexercisedalittlere-
straint，perhaps，onLeroywhenthedayofhisterribletrialcame。Theymadehimwrestlewiththedemonofsuspicionthatstrovetopossesshim。Iwassittinginmyoffice，laggingdispiritedlyovermyworkoneday，whenthedoorburstopenandBrainardstoodbesideme。Brainard，Isay，andyetinnosensethemanIhadknown，——notahintinthispalecreature，whosebreathstruggledthroughchatteringteeth，andwhosehandsworkedinuncontrollablespasms，ofthenonchalantelegantIhadknown。Notaglimpsetobeseeninthoseangryanddeterminedeyesofthegaylyselfishspiritofmyholidayfriend。
\"She\'sgone!\"hegasped。\"Sinceyes-
terday。AndI\'mheretoaskyouwhatyouthinknow？Andwhatyouknow。”
Apanoramaofallshamefulpossibilitiesforoneblackmomentfloatedbeforeme。
Irememberthisgaveplacetoawave，coldasdeath，thatsweptfromheadtofoot；
thenBrainard\'shandsfellheavilyonmyshoulders。
\"ThankGodatleastforthismuch，\"hesaid，hoarsely；\"Ididn\'tknowatfirstbutIhadlostbothfriendandwife。ButIseeyouknownothing。AndindeedinmyheartIknewallthetimethatyoudidnot。
YetIhadtocometoyouwithmyanger。
AndIrememberedhowyoudefendedher。
Whatexplanationcanyouoffernow？\"
Igothimtositdownafterawhileandtellmewhatlittletherewastotell。Hehadbeenawayforaday\'sshooting，andwhenhereturnedhefoundonlytheper-
plexedservantsathome。Anotewasleftforhim。Heshowedittome。
\"Therearetimes，\"itran，\"whenwemustdoaswemust，notaswewould。Iamgo-
ingtodosomethingIhavebeendriventodosinceIleftmyhome。Idonotleaveanymessageofloveforyou，becauseyouwouldnotcareforitfromawomansoweakasI。ButitissoeasyforyoutobehappythatIhopeinalittlewhileyouwillforgetthewifewhoyieldedtoaninfluencepastresisting。Itmaybemadness，butIamnotgreatenoughtogiveitup。Itriedtomakethesacrifice，butIcouldnot。Itriedtobeasgayasyou，andtoliveyoursortoflife；butIcouldnotdoit。Donotmaketheefforttoforgiveme。Youwillbehap-
pierifyousimplyholdmeinthecontemptIdeserve。”
Ireadtheletteroverandover。IdonotknowthatIbelievethatthespiritofinani-
matethingscanpermeatetotheintelligenceofman。IamsureIalwayslaughedatsuchideas。Yetholdingthatnotewithitsshamefulseemingwords，Ifeltaconscious-
nessthatitwaswritteninpurityandlove。
Andthenbeforemyeyestherecameascenesovividthatforamomenttheofficewithitsfamiliarfurniturewasobliterated。WhatI
sawwasalongfirmroad，greenwithmid-
summerluxuriance。Theleisurelythuddingofmyhorse\'sfeetsoundedinmyears。Be-
sidemewasatall，black-robedfigure。I
sawherlookbackwiththatexpressionofdeprivationattheskyline。\"It\'slikeliv-
ingaftertheworldhasbeguntodie，\"saidthepensiveminorvoice。\"Itseemsasifpartoftheworldhadbeentakendown。”
\"Brainard，\"Iyelled，\"comehere!I
haveit。Here\'syourexplanation。Icanshowyouanewmeaningforeverylineofthisletter。Man，shehasgonetothemoun-
tains。Shehasgonetoworshipherowngods!\"
TwoweekslaterIgotaletterfromBrain-
ard，datedfromColorado。
\"Oldman，\"itsaid，\"you\'reright。Sheishere。Ifoundmymountainwomanherewherethefourvoicesofhercataractshadbeencallingtoher。Isawherthemomentourmulesroundedtheroadthatcommandsthevalley。Wehadbeenridingallnightandweredrenchedwithcolddew，hungrytodesperation，andmyspiritswereoflead。
Suddenlywegotoutfrombehindthegran-
itewall，andthereshewas，standing，whereI
hadseenhersooften，besidethelittlewater-
fallthatshecallsthehappyone。Shewaslookingstraightupatthebillowingmistthatdippeddownthemountain，mammothsaffronrollsofit，plungingsomadlyfromtheimpetusofthewindthatonemarvelledhowitcouldbenoiseless。Ah，youdonotknowJudith!Thatstrange，unsophisti-
cated，sometimesawkwardwomanyousawborenomoreresemblancetomymountainwomanthanItoHercules。Howstrongandbeautifulshelookedstandingtherewrappedinanecstasy!Itwasmyprimitivewomanbackinherprimevalworld。Howthebloodleapedinme!Allmyoldromance，sodif-
ferentfromthecommonlove-historiesofmostmen，wasthereagainwithinmyreach!
Allthemystery，thepoignanthappinessweremineagain。Donotholdmeincon-
temptbecauseIshowyoumyheart。Yousawmymisery。WhyshouldIgrudgeyouaglimpseofmyhappiness？ShesawmewhenItouchedherhand，notbefore，sowrappedwasshe。Butshedidnotseemsurprised。Onlyinhersplendideyestherecamealargecontent。Shepointedtothedancinglittlewhitefall。\'Ithoughtsome-
thingwonderfulwasgoingtohappen，\'shewhispered，\'forithasbeenlaughingso。\'
\"IshallnotreturntoNewYork。Iamgoingtostayherewithmymountainwo-
man，andIthinkperhapsIshallfindoutwhatlifemeansheresoonerthanIwouldbacktherewithyou。Ishalllearntoseelargethingslargeandsmallthingssmall。
JudithsaystotellyouandMissGrantthatthefourvoicesarecallingforyoueverydayinthevalley。
\"Yoursinfullestfriendship，\"LEROYBRAINARD。”
JimLancy\'sWaterloo\"WEmustgetmarriedbeforetimetoputincrops，\"hewrote。\"Wemustmakeasuccessofthefarmthefirstyear，forluck。
CouldyoumanagetobereadytocomeoutWestbythelastofFebruary？AfterMarchopenstherewillbenolet-up，andIdonotseehowIcouldgetaway。MakeitFebru-
ary，Anniedear。Afewweeksmoreorlesscanmakenodifferencetoyou，buttheymakeagooddealofdifferencetome。”
Thewomantowhomthiswaswrittenreaditwithsomethinglikeanger。\"Idon\'tbe-
lievehe\'ssoimpatientforme!\"shesaidtoherself。\"Whathewantsistogetthecropsinontime。”Butshechangedthedateoftheirwedding，andmadeitFebruary。
TheirweddingjourneywasonlyfromtheIllinoisvillagewhereshelivedtotheirNebraskafarm。Theyhadneverbeenmuchtogether，andtheyhadmuchtosaytoeachother。
\"Farmingwon\'tcomehardtoyou，\"Jimassuredher。\"Alloneneedstofarmwithisbrains。”
\"Whatasuccessyou\'llmakeofit!\"shecriedsaucily。
\"IwishIhadmyfarmclear，\"Jimwenton；\"butthat\'smorethananyonehasaroundme。I\'mnoworseoffthantherest。
We\'vegottopayoffthemortgage，Annie。”
\"Ofcoursewemust。We\'lljustdowith-
outtillwegetthemortgagelifted。Hardworkwilldoanything，Iguess。AndI\'mnotafraidtowork，Jim，thoughI\'veneverhadmuchexperience。”
Jimlookedoutofthewindowalongtime，atthegentleundulationsofthebrownIowaprairie。Hiseyesseemedtopiercebeneaththesod，totheswellingbudsoftheyetinvisiblegrass。Henoticedhowdisdain-
fullytherainsofthenewyearbeatdownthegrassesoftheyearthatwasgone。Itopenedtohismindavisionoftheseason\'spossibilities。Foramoment，evenamidthesmokeofthecar，heseemedtoscentclover，andhearthestiffswishingofthecornandthedullburringofthebees。
\"Iwishsometimes，\"hesaid，leaningfor-
wardtolookathisbride，\"thatIhadbeenbornsomethingelsethanafarmer。ButI
cannomorehelpfarming，Annie，thanabirdcanhelpsinging，orabeemakinghoney。Ididn\'ttaketofarming。Iwassimplybornwithahoeinmyhand。”
\"Idon\'tknowablessedthingaboutit，\"
Annieconfessed。\"ButImadeupmymindthatafarmwithyouwasbetterthanatownwithoutyou。That\'sallthereistoit，asfarasIamconcerned。”
JimLancyslidhisarmsoftlyaboutherwaist，unseenbytheotherpassengers。
Annielookedupapprehensively，toseeifanyonewasnoticing。Buttheywereeatingtheirlunches。Itwasacommoncoachonwhichtheywereriding。TherewasaPullmanattachedtothetrain，andAnniehadsecretlythoughtthat，asitwastheirweddingjourney，itmightbemorebecomingtotakeit。ButJimhadmadenosuggestionaboutit。Whathesaidlaterexplainedthereason。
\"Iwouldhavelikedtohavebroughtyouafinepresent，\"hesaid。\"Itseemedshabbytocomewithnothingbutthatlittlering。
ButIputeverythingIhadonourhome，youknow。Andyet，I\'msureyou\'llthinkitpoorenoughafterwhatyou\'vebeenusedto。You\'llforgivemeforonlybringingthering，mydear？\"
\"Butyoubroughtmesomethingbetter，\"
Anniewhispered。Shewasafoolishlittlegirl。\"Youbroughtmelove，youknow。”
Thentheyrodeinsilenceforalongtime。
Bothofthemwerenewtothephraseologyoflove。Theirsimplecomplimentstoeachotherwerealmostludicrous。Butanyonewhomighthavechancedtooverhearthemwouldhavebeencharmed，fortheybetrayedaninnocenceasbeautifulasanuncloudeddawn。
AnnietriedhardnottobedepressedbythetreelessstretchesoftheNebraskaplains。
\"ThisisdifferentfromIllinois，\"sheventuredonce，gently；\"itisevendifferentfromIowa。”
\"Yes，yes，\"criedJim，enthusiastically，\"itisdifferent!Itisthefinestcountryintheworld!Youneverfeelshutin。Youcanalwaysseeoff。IfeelathomeafterIgetinNebraska。I\'dchokebackwhereyoulive，withallthoselittlegulliesandthetreeseverywhere。It\'samysterytomehowfarmershavepatiencetoworkthere。”
Annieopenedhereyes。Therewasevi-
dentlymorethanonewayoflookingataquestion。Thefarm-housesseemedverylowandmeantoher，asshelookedatthemfromthewindow。Therewerenofences，exceptingnowandthentheinhospitablebarbedwire。Thedoor-yardswerebleaktohereyes，withouttheornamentalshrubberywhicheveryfarmerinherpartofthecountrywasusedtotending。Thecattlestoodun-
sheddedintheircorrals。Thereapersandbindersstoodrustinginthedulldrizzle。
\"Howshiftless!\"criedAnnie，indignantly。
\"Whatdothesemenmeanbylettingtheirmachinerylieoutthatway？Ishouldthinkonewinteroflyingoutwouldhurtitmorethanthreesummersofusing。”
\"Itdoes。Butshedsarenoteasilyhad。
Lumberisdear。”
\"ButIshouldthinkitwouldbeeconomyeventhen。”
\"Yes，\"hesaid，\"perhaps。Butwealldothatwayouthere。Ittakessomemoneyforamantobeeconomicalwith。Someofushaven\'teventhatmuch。”
Therewasasix-mileridefromthestation。
Thehorseswerewaiting，hitcheduptoaserviceablelightwagon，anddrivenbythe\"help。”Hewasathinyoungman，withredhair，andheblushedvicariouslyforJimandAnnie，whowerereallytooentertainedwitheachother，andattheideaofthenewlifeopeningupbeforethem，tothinkany-
thingaboutblushing。Atthestation，anumberofmeninsistedonshakinghandswithJim，andbeingintroducedtohiswife。
Theywereallbearded，asifshavingwereanunnecessarylabor，andtheirtrousersweretuckedindustytop-boots，noneofwhichhadeverseenblacking。Anniehadasenseofthesemenseemingunwashed，orasiftheyhadsleptintheirclothes。Buttheyhadkindvoices，andtheireyeswereveryfriendly。Sosheshookhandswiththemallwithheartiness，andaskedthemtodriveoutandbringtheirwomenkind。
\"Iamgoingtomakeupmymindnottobelonesome，\"shedeclared；\"but，allthesame，Ishallwanttoseesomewomen。”
Anniehadgotsafeonthehighseatofthewagon，andwasbalancingherlittlefeetontheinclinedfoot-rest，whenawomancamerunningacrossthestreet，callingaloud，——
\"Mr。Lancy!Mr。Lancy!You\'renotgoingtodriveawaywithoutintroducingmetoyourwife!\"
Shewasathinlittlewoman，withmove-
mentsasnervousandasgracelessasthoseofagrasshopper。Herdun-coloredgarmentsseemedtohaveallthehuebleachedoutofthemwithwindandweather。Herfacewasbrownandwrinkled，andherbrighteyesflashedrestlessly，deepintheirsockets。Twofrontteethwereconspicuouslymissing；andherfadedhairwasblowninwispsaboutherface。Jimperformedtheintroduction，andAnnieheldoutherhand。Itwasaprettyhand，delicatelyglovedindovecolor。
Thewomantookitinherown，andaftershehadshakenit，helditforasilentmo-
ment，lookingatit。Thenshealmostthrewitfromher。Theeyeswhichsheliftedtoscanthebrightyoungfaceaboveherhadsomethinglikeagonyinthem。Annieblushedunderthisfiercescrutiny，andthewoman，suddenlyconsciousofherdemeanor，forcedasmiletoherlips。
\"I\'llcomeoutan\'seeyeh，\"shesaid，incordialtones。\"Maybe，asanewhouse-
keeper，you\'lllikealittleadvice。You\'veaniceplace，an\'Iwishyehluck。”
\"Thankyou。I\'msureI\'llneedadvice，\"
criedAnnie，astheydroveoff。ThenshesaidtoJim，\"Whoisthatoldwoman？\"
\"Oldwoman？Why，sheain\'tadayoverthirty，Mis\'Dundyain\'t。”
Annielookedatherhusbandblankly。
Buthewasalreadytalkingofsomethingelse，andsheaskednomoreaboutthewoman，thoughallthewayalongtheroadthefaceseemedtofollowher。Itmighthavebeenthisthatcausedthetighteningaboutherheart。Forsomewayhervivacityhadgone；andtherestoftheridesheaskednoquestions，butsatlookingstraightbeforeheratthenorthwardstretchingroad，witheyesthatfeltratherthansawthebrown，bareundulations，risingeverynowandthencleantothesky；attheside，littlefamished-
lookinghouses，unacquaintedwithpaint，disorderlyyards，andendlessreachesoffurrowedground，whereinsummerthecornhadwaved。
Thehorsesneedednoindicationofthelinetomakethemturnupasmoothbitofroadthatcurvedawayneatly\'midtheraggedgrasses。Attheendofit，inaclumpofpunyscruboaks，stoodasquarelittlehouse，inuncornicedsimplicity，withblank，uncur-
tainedwindowsstaringoutatAnnie，andforamomenthereyes，blurredwiththecold，seemedtoseeinoneofthemthedespairingfaceofthewomanwiththewispsoffadedhairblowingaboutherface。
\"Well，whatdoyouthinkofit？\"Jimcried，heartily，swingingherdownfromherhighseat，andkissingherashedidso。
\"Thisisyourhome，mygirl，andyouareaswelcometoitasyouwouldbetoapalace，ifIcouldgiveittoyou。”
Annieputupherhandstohidethetrem-
blingofherlips；andsheletJimseethereweretearsinhereyesasanapologyfornotreplying。Theyoungmanwiththeredhairtookawaythehorses，andJim，withhisarmaroundhiswife\'swaist，rantowardthehouseandthrewopenthedoorforhertoenter。
Theintenseheatoftwogreatstovesstruckintheirfaces；andAnniesawthebigburner，erectedinallitsblackhideousnessinthemiddleofthefrontroom，likeasortofhouseholdhoodoo，tobeconstantlypropi-
tiated，likethegodsofGreece；andinthekitchen，thenewrange，withadistractedtea-kettleleapingonit，asifitwouldliketolooseitsfettersandraceawayovertheprairieafteritscousin，thelocomotive。
Itwasahouseoffourrooms，andaglancerevealedthefactthatithadbeenprovidedwiththenecessaries。
\"Ithinkwecanbeverycomfortablehere，\"saidJim，ratherdoubtfully。
Anniesawshemustmakesomeresponse。
\"Iamsurewecanbemorethancomfort-
able，Jim，\"shereplied。\"Wecanbehappy。
Showme，ifyouplease，wheremyroomis。ImusthangmycloakupintherightplacesothatIshallfeelasifIweregettingsettled。”
Itwasenough。Jimhadnolongeranydoubts。Hefeltsuretheyweregoingtobehappyeverafterward。
ItwasAnniewhogotthefirstmeal；sheinsistedonit，thoughboththemenwantedhertorest。AndJimhadn\'tthehearttotellherthat，asageneralthing，itwouldnotdotoputtwoeggsinthecorn-cake，andthatthebeefsteakwasagreatluxury。
Whenhesawherabouttobreakaneggforthecoffee，however，heinterfered。
\"Theshellsoftheonesyouusedforthecakewillsettlethecoffeejustaswell，\"hesaid。\"Youseewehavetobeverycarefulofeggsouthereatthisseason。”
\"Oh!Willtheshellsreallysettleit？
Thisiswhatyoumustcallprairielore。
Isupposeoutherewefindoutwhattherealrelationsofinventionandnecessityare——eh？\"
Jimlaugheddisproportionately。Hethoughtherwonderfullywitty。AndheandthehelpatesomuchthatAnnieopenedhereyes。Shehadthoughttherewouldbeenoughleftforsupper。Buttherewasnothingleft。
ForthenexttwoweeksJimwasabletobemuchwithher；andtheyamusedthemselvesbydecoratingthehousewiththebrightcurtainingsthatAnniehadbrought，andputtingupshelvesforafewpiecesofchina。
Shehadtwoorthreepictures，also，whichhadcomefromherroominheroldhome，andsomeofthoseuselessdaintythingswithwhichsomewomenliketolittertheroom。
\"Mostfolks，\"Jimexplained，\"havetobecontentwithonefire，andsitinthekitchen；
butIthought，asthiswasourhoneymoon，wewouldputonsomelugs。”
Anniesaidnothingthen；butadayortwoaftersheventured，——
\"Perhapsitwouldbeaswellnow，dear，ifwekeptinthekitchen。I\'llkeepitasbrightandpleasantasIcan。And，any-
way，youcanbemoreaboutwithmewhenI\'mworkingthen。We\'lllayafireinthefront-roomstove，sothatwecanlightitifanybodycomes。Wecanjustaswellsavethatmuch。”
Jimlookedupbrightly。\"Allright，\"hesaid。\"You\'reasensiblelittlewoman。
Yousee，everycentmakesadifference。
AndIwanttobeabletopayofffivehundreddollarsofthatmortgagethisyear。”
So，afterthat，theysatinthekitchen；andthefirewaslaidinthefrontroom，againstthecomingofcompany。Butnoonecame，anditremainedunlighted。
Thentheseasonbegantoshowsignsofopening，——bleaksigns，hardlyrecognizabletoAnnie；andafterthatJimwasnotmuchinthehouse。Theweeksworeon，andspringcameatlast，dancingoverthehills。
Theground-birdsbeganbuilding，andatfoureachmorningawokeAnniewiththeirsylvanopera。ThecreekthatranjustatthenorthofthehouseworkeditselfintoafuryandblusteredalongwithmuchnoisetowardthegreatPlattewhich，milesaway，wallowedinitsvastsandybed。Thehillsflushedfrombrowntoyellow，andfrommottledgreentointensestemerald，andinthesuperbairallthewindsofheavenseemedtomeetandfrolicwithlaughterandsong。
Sometimesthemorningsweresobeauti-
fulthat，themenbeingafieldandAnnieallalone，shegaveherselfuptoanecstasyandkneeledbythelittlewoodenbenchoutsidethedoor，tosay，\"Father，IthankThee，\"
andthenwentaboutherworkwithallthepoemofnaturerhymingitselfoverandoverinherheart。
ItwasonsuchadayasthisthatMrs。
Dundykeptherpromiseandcameovertoseeiftheyounghousekeeperneededanyoftheadviceshehadpromisedher。Shehadwalked，becausenoneofthehorsescouldbespared。Ithadgotsowarmnowthatthefireinthekitchenheatedthewholehousesufficiently，andAnniehadtheroomscleantoexquisiteness。Mrs。Dundylookedaboutwithenviouseyes。
\"Howlovely!\"shesaid。
\"Doyouthinkso？\"criedAnnie，insur-
prise。\"Ilikeit，ofcourse，becauseitishome，butIdon\'tseehowyoucouldcallanythingherelovely。”
\"Oh，youdon\'tunderstand，\"hervisitorwenton。\"It\'slovelybecauseitlookssohappy。Someofushave——well，kindo\'
lostourgrip。”
\"It\'seasytodothatifyoudon\'tfeelwell，\"Annieremarkedsympathetically。\"I
haven\'tfeltaswellasusualmyself，lately。
AndIdogetlonesomeandwonderwhatgooditdoestofixupeverydaywhenthereisnoonetosee。Butthatisallnonsense，andIputitoutofmyhead。”
Shesmoothedoutthecleanlawnapronwithdelicatetouch。Mrs。Dundyfollowedthemovementwithhereyes。
\"Oh，mydear，\"shecried，\"youdon\'tknownothin\'aboutityet!Butyouwillknow!Youwill!\"andthoserestless，hoteyesofhersseemedtogrowmorerestlessandmorehotastheylookedwithinfinitepityattheyoungwomanbeforeher。
Anniethoughtofthesewordsoftenasthesummercameon，andtheheatgrew。Jimwasseldomtobeseennow。Hewasupatfoureachmorning，andthelastchorewasnotcompletedtillnineatnight。Thenhethrewhimselfinbedandlaytherelog-liketilldawn。Hewastoowearytotalkmuch，andAnnie，withherheartachingforhisfatigue，forboretospeaktohim。Shecookedthemoststrengtheningthingsshecould，andtriedalwaystolookfreshandpleasantwhenhecamein。Butsheoftenthoughtherpainswereinvain，forhehardlyrestedhissunburnedeyesonher。Hisskingotsobrownthathisfacewasstrangelychanged，especiallyashenolongerhadtimetoshave，andhadletaroughbeardstraggleoverhischeeksandchin。OnSundaysAnniewouldhavelikedtogotochurch，butthehorsesweretootiredtobetakenout，andshedidnotfeelwellenoughtowalkfar；besides，Jimgotnoparticulargoodoutofwalkingoverthehillsunlesshehadaploughinhishand。
Harvestcameatlength，andthecropwasgood。Therewereanywayfromthreetotwentymenatthehousethen，andAnniecookedforallofthem。Jimhadtriedtogetsomeonetohelpher，buthehadnotsucceeded。Anniestrovetobebrave，re-
memberingthatfarm-womenalloverthecountrywereworkinginsimilarfashion。
Butinspiteofallshecoulddo，thedaysgottoseemlikenightmares，andsleepbe-
tweenwasbutabriefpauseinwhichshewasalwaysdreamingofwater，andthinkingthatshewasstoopingtoputfeveredlipstoarunningbrook。SomeofthesemenwereverydisgustingtoAnnie。Theirmannerswereasbadastheycouldwellbe，andacoarsewordcamenaturallytotheirlips。
\"Tobemasterofthesoil，thatisonething，\"saidshetoherselfinsicknessofspirit；\"buttobetheslaveofitisanother。
Thesemenseemtohavegottheirsoulsallcoveredwithmuck。”Shenoticedthattheyhadnoideaofamusement。Theyhadneverplayedanything。Theydidnotevencareforbase-ball。Theirideaofhappinessappearedtobetodonothing；andtherewasagoodpartoftheyearinwhichtheywerehappy，——forthesewerenotforthemostpartmenowningfarms；theyweremenwhohiredouttohelpthefarmer。Agoodmanyofthemhadbeenfarmersatonetimeandanother，buttheyhadfailed。Theyalltalkedpoliticsagreatdeal，——politicsandrail-
roads。Anniehadnotmuchpatiencewithitall。Shehadgreatconfidenceinthecourseofthings。Shebelievedthatinthiscountryallmenhaveafairchance。Sowhenitcameaboutthatthecornandthewheat，whichhadbeenraisedwithsuchincessanttoil，broughtthemnomoney，butonlyaloss，Anniestoodaghast。
\"Isaidtherateswereruinous，\"Jimsaidtoheronenight，afteritwasallover，andhehadfoundoutthattheyear\'sslavishworkhadbroughthimalossofthreehundreddollars；\"it\'sbeenaconspiracyfromthefirst。Thepriceofcornisallright。ButbythetimewesetitdowninChicagoweareouteighteencentsabushel。
Itmeansruin。Whatarewegoingtodo？
Herewehadthebestcropwe\'vehadforyears——butwhat\'stheuseoftalking!
Theyhaveusintheirgrip。”
\"Idon\'tseehowitis，\"Annieprotested。
\"Ishouldthinkitwouldbefortheinter-
estoftheroadstohelpthepeopletobeasprosperousaspossible。”
\"Oh，wecan\'tgetout!Andwe\'reboundtostayandraisegrain。Andthey\'reboundtocartit。Andthat\'sallthereistoit。Theyforceustostandeveryloss，eventotheshortagethatismadeintransportation。
Therailroadcompaniesowntheelevators，andtheyhavethecinchonus。Ourgrainisattheirmercy。GodknowshowI\'mgoingtoraisethatinterest。Asforthefivehundredweweregoingtopayonthemort-
gagethisyear，Annie，we\'renotinit。”
Autumnwaswellsetinbythistime，andthebrilliantcoldskyhungovertheprairiesasyoungandfreshasiftheworldwerenotoldandtired。Annienolongercouldlookastrimaswhenshefirstcametothelittlehouse。Herprettyweddinggarmentswerebeginningtobewornandtherewasnomoneyformore。Jimwouldnotplaychessnowofevenings。Hewasforeverwritingarticlesfortheweeklypaperintheadjoin-
ingtown。Theytalkedofrunninghimforthestatelegislature，andhewasanxiousforthenomination。
\"IthinkImightbeabletostanditifI
couldfight\'em!\"hedeclared；\"buttosithereidle，knowingthatIhavebeencheatedoutofmyyear\'swork，justasmuchasifI
hadbeenknockeddownontheroadandthemoneytakenfromme，isenoughtosendmetotheasylumwithastrait-jacketon!\"
Lifegrewtotakeontragicaspects。Annieusedtofindherselfwonderingifanywhereintheworldtherewerepeoplewithlighthearts。Forhertherewasnolongerantici-
pationofjoy，orpresentcompanionship，oranydivertissementinthewholeworld。Jimreadbookswhichshedidnotunderstand，andwithafewofhisfriends，whodroppedinnowandtheneveningsorSundays，talkedaboutthesebooksinanexcitedmanner。
Shewouldgotoherroomtorest，andlyingthereinthedarknessonthebed，wouldhearthemspeakingtogether，some-
timesallatonce，inthosesternlyvindictivetonesmenusewhenthereisrevoltintheirsouls。
\"Itisthegovernmentwhichishelpingtoimpoverishus，\"shewouldhearJimsaying。\"Workismoney。Thatistosay，itistheactiveformofmoney。Thewealthofacountryisestimatedbyitspowerofproduction。Anditspowerofproductionmeanswork。Itmeanstherearesomanymenwithsomuchcapacity。
Nowthegovernmentowesittothesementohavemoneyenoughtopaythemfortheirwork；andifthereisnotenoughmoneyincirculationtopaytoeachmanforhishonestandnecessarywork，thenIsaythatgovernmentisinleaguewithcrime。
Itistryingtomakedefaultersofus。Ithasahundredwaysofcheatingus。WhenI
boughtthisfarmandputthemortgageonit，aday\'sworkwouldbringtwicetheresultsitwillnow。Thatistosay，thetotalattheendoftheyearshowedmyprofitstobetwicewhattheywouldbenow，eveniftherailwaydidnotstandinthewaytorobusofmorethanweearn。
Sothatitwilltakejusttwiceasmanydays\'worknowtopayoffthismortgageasitwouldhavedoneatthetimeitwascontracted。It\'saconspiracy，Itellyou!
ThoseEasterncapitalistsmakeascienceofruiningus。”
Hegotmoreeloquentastimewenton，andAnnie，whohadknownhimfirstasratheracarelesstalker，wasastonishedattheboldnessofhislanguage。Butconver-
sationwasalostartwithhim。Henolongertalked。Heharangued。
IntheearlyspringAnnie\'sbabywasborn，——alittlegirlwithanervouscry，whoneversleptlongatatime，andwhoseemedtowailmerelyfromdistasteatliving。ItwasMrs。DundywhocameovertolookafterthehousetillAnniegotabletodoso。
Hereyeshadthatfeverinthem，asever。
Shetalkedbutlittle，buthertouchonAnnie\'sheadwasmoreeloquentthanwords。
OnedayAnnieaskedfortheglass，andMrs。Dundygaveittoher。Shelookedinitalongtime。Thecolorwasgonefromhercheeks，andabouthermouththerewasanuglytightening。Buthereyesflashedandshonewiththatsame——no，no，itcouldnotbethatinherfacealsowascomingthelookofhalf-madness!ShemotionedMrs。
Dundytocometoher。
\"Youknewitwascoming，\"shesaid，brokenly，pointingtothereflectionintheglass。\"Thatfirstday，youknewhowitwouldbe。”
Mrs。Dundytooktheglassawaywithagentlehand。
\"HowcouldIhelpknowing？\"shesaidsimply。Shewentintothenextroom，andwhenshereturnedAnnienoticedthatthehandkerchiefstuckinherbeltwaswet，asifithadbeenwepton。
Awomancannotstaylongawayfromherhomeonafarmatplantingtime，evenifitisacaseoflifeanddeath。Mrs。Dundyhadtogohome，andAnniecreptaboutherworkwiththewailingbabyinherarms。
Thehousewasoftendisorderlynow；butitcouldnotbehelped。Thebabyhadtobecaredfor。ItfrettedsomuchthatJimsleptapartinthemowofthebarn，thathissleepmightnotbedisturbed。Itwasapleasant，dimplace，fullofsweetscents，andhelikedtobetherealone。Thoughhehadalwaysbeenanunusualworker，heworkednowmorelikeamanwhowasfightingofffate，thanameretoilerforbread。
Thecorncameupbeautifully，andfarastheeyecouldreacharoundtheirhomeittosseditsbroadgreenleaveswithanocean-
likeswellingofsibilantsound。Jimloveditwithasortofpassion。Annielovedit，too。Sometimes，atnight，whenherfatiguewasunbearable，andherirritationwearingoutbothbodyandsoul，shetookherlittleoneinherarmsandwalkedamongthecorn，lettingitsrustlingsoothethebabytosleep。
Theheatofthesummerwasterrible。
