ine weather for cutting alfalfa.
My machines are at it this morning." York greeted the occupants of the
car cordially.

"Good morning, York. We are rushing a piece of the mower up to the shop.
Had a breakdown an hour ago."

Thelma was tanned brown, but her fair braids gleamed about her uncovered
head, and when she smiled a greeting her fine white teeth were worth
seeing. Paul Ekblad waved a thin white hand as the car passed the two on
horseback, and the delicate lines of his pale, studious face justified
York's comparison of it with Laura Macpherson's. Jerry saw her hostess
at that moment in a new light. Burdened for the moment as she was under
the discomfort of what seemed half-consciously to rebuke the frivolous
girl that she dimly knew herself to be, the sudden memory of her resolve
declared to Joe Thomson in the shadow-flecked porch the night before
came as a balm and a stimulant in one, to give her purpose,
self-respect, and peace.

Thus it was that Jerry came in to "Castle Cluny" at high noon the
picture of health and high spirits, shaming Laura Macpherson's doubt and
sorrow which her morning had brought her. Laura was thoroughly
well-bred, and she had, beyond that, a strong and virtuous heritage of
Scotch blood that made for uprightness and sincerity. With one effort
she swept out of her mind all that had harassed it since the cup episode
at the breakfast-table, establishing anew within her understanding the
force of her brother's admonition concerning any affiliation with the
Big Dipper, the town meddler and trouble-maker.

Late that afternoon, as Laura sat sewing in the shade of the
honeysuckle-vines, Stellar Bahrr hurried across lots again and hitched
cautiously up to the side door. Listening a moment, she heard the sound
of Laura's scissors falling on the cement floor of the porch, and
Laura's impatient exclamation, "There you go again!" as she reached to
pick them up and examine the points of their blades.

Stellar hitched cautiously a little further along the wall, and stood in
the shade of the house, outside the porch vines.

"Laury," she called, in a sibilant voice, "I jis' run in to say I won't
need that money at all. I'm goin' to go out sewin', an' I can git all I
can do, now the wheat harves' promises so well. Ever'body's spending
money on clo'es an' a lot of summer an' fall sewin' goin' to rot, you
might say. I'll be jis' blind busy, an' I can sew better than I can bake
or trim. But I'm same ob