e bench this morning with his bundle. I put it up by his
bed."

"Hum-m," said Isom reflectively, as if considering it deeply. Then:
"Well, I guess it's all right."

Isom sat a good while, fingering his stiff beard. He gave no surface
indication of the thoughts which were working within him, for he was
unlike those sentimental, plump, thin-skinned people who cannot conceal
their emotions from the world. Isom might have been dreaming of gain, or
he might have been contemplating the day of loss and panic, for all that
his face revealed. Sun and shadow alike passed over it, as rain and
blast and summer sun pass over and beat upon a stone, leaving no mark
behind save in that slow and painful wear which one must live a century
to note. He looked up at his wife at length, his hand still in his
beard, and studied her silently.

"I'm not a hard man, Ollie, like some people give me the name of being,"
he complained, with more gentleness in his voice than she had heard
since he was courting her. He still studied her, as if he expected her
to uphold common report and protest that he was hard and cruel-driving
in his way. She said nothing; Isom proceeded to give himself the good
rating which the world denied.

"I'm not half as mean as some envious people would make out, if they
could find anybody to take stock in what they say. If I'm not as
honey-mouthed as some, that's because I've got more sense than to
diddle-daddle my time away in words when there's so much to do. I'll
show you that I'm as kind at heart, Ollie, as any man in this county, if
you'll stand by me and do your part of what's to be done without black
looks and grumbles and growls.

"I'm a good many years older than you, and maybe I'm not as light-footed
and light-headed as you'd like a husband to be, but I've got weight to
me where it counts. I could buy out two-thirds of the young fellers in
this county, Ollie, all in a bunch."

"Yes, Isom, I guess you could," she allowed, a weary drag in her voice.

"I'll put a woman in to do the work here in the fall, when I make a turn
of my crops and money comes a little freer than it does right now," he
promised. "Interest on my loans is behind in a good many cases, and
there's no use crowdin' 'em to pay till they sell their wheat and hogs.
If I had the ready money in hand to pay wages, Ollie, I'd put a nigger
woman in here tomorrow and leave you nothing to do but oversee. You'll
have a fine easy time of it this fall, Ol