til he reached the cross-lots path which
led to the Duke home. Here he saw him pause, go on again, pause once
more, then jump lightly over the fence and strike out across the field.
Uncle Zed then went on finishing his preparations for meeting.

As Dorian walked across the field, he did think of what Uncle Zed had
said to him. Dorian had built his castles, had dreamed his dreams; but
never before had the ideas presented to him by Uncle Zed that afternoon
ever entered in them. The good old man had seemed so eager to pass on
to the young man an unfulfilled work, yes, a high, noble work. Dorian
caught a glimpse of the greatness of it and the glory of it that
afternoon, and his soul was thrilled. Was he equal to such a task?... He
had wanted to become a successful farmer, then his vision had gone on
to the teaching profession; but beyond that he had not ventured. He was
already well on the way to make a success of his farms. He liked the
work. He could with pleasure be a farmer all his life. But should a
man's business be all of life? Dorian realized, not of course in its
fuller meaning, that the accumulating of worldly riches was only a means
to the accomplishing of other and greater ends of life; and here was
before him something worthy of any man's best endeavors. Here was a
life's work which at its close would mean something to him and to the
world. With these thoughts in his mind he stepped up to the rear of the
Duke place where he saw someone in the corral with the cows, busy with
her milking.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

"Hello, Carlia", greeted Dorian as he stopped at the yard and stood
leaning against the fence.

Carlia was just finishing milking a cow. As she straightened, with a
three-legged stool in one hand and a foaming milk pail in the other, she
looked toward Dorian. "O, is that you? You scared me."

"Why?"

"A stranger coming so suddenly."

The young man laughed. "Nearly through?" he asked.

"Just one more--Brindle, the kickey one."

"Aren't you afraid of her?"

Carlia laughed scornfully. The girl had beautiful white teeth. Her red
cheeks were redder than ever. Her dark hair coiled closely about her
shapely head. And she had grown tall, too, the young man noticed, though
she was still plump and round-limbed.

"My buckets are full, and I'll have to take them to the house before I
can finish," she said. "You stay here until I come back--if you want
to."

"I don't want to--here, let me carry them."