d takes the strippings. Golly swishes her tail and kicks the minute
she hears us coming; then she stands stiff-legged and grits her teeth
and holds on to her milk HARD, and Ivory has to pat and smooth and coax
her every single time. Ivory says she's got a kind of an attachment
inside of her that she shuts down when he begins to milk."

"We had a cross old cow like that, once," said Waitstill absently,
loving to hear the boy's chatter and the eternal quotations from his
beloved hero.

"We have great fun cooking, too," continued Rod. "When Aunt Boynton was
first sick she stayed in bed more, and Ivory and I hadn't got used to
things. One morning we bound up each other's burns. Ivory had three
fingers and I two, done up in buttery rags to take the fire out. Ivory
called us 'Soldiers dressing their Wounds after the Battle.' Sausages
spatter dreadfully, don't they? And when you turn a pancake it flops on
top of the stove. Can you flop one straight, Waity?"

"Yes, I can, straight as a die; that's what girls are made for. Now run
along home to your big brother, and do put on some warmer clothes under
your coat; the weather's getting colder."

"Aunt Boynton hasn't patched our thick ones yet, but she will soon, and
if she doesn't, Ivory'll take this Saturday evening and do them himself;
he said so."

"He shall not!" cried Waitstill passionately. "It is not seemly for
Ivory to sew and mend, and I will not allow it. You shall bring me those
things that need patching without telling any one, do you hear, and I
will meet you on the edge of the pasture Saturday afternoon and give
them back to you. You are not to speak of it to any one, you understand,
or perhaps I shall pound you to a jelly. You'd make a sweet rosy jelly
to eat with turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, you dear, comforting little
boy!"

Rodman ran towards home and Waitstill hurried along, scarcely noticing
the beauties of the woods and fields and waysides, all glowing masses
of goldenrod and purple frost flowers. The stone walls were covered
with wild-grape and feathery clematis vines. Everywhere in sight the
cornfields lay yellow in the afternoon sun and ox carts heavily loaded
with full golden ears were going home to the barns to be ready for
husking.

A sudden breeze among the orchard boughs as she neared the house was
followed by a shower of russets, and everywhere the red Baldwins gleamed
on the apple-tree boughs, while the wind-falls were being gathered and