ables
and slatternly yards and unhoused machinery, in the well-kept barnyard of
her husband was natural and commendatory. John had order well developed in
his scheme of things. John's cribs did not stand open to the weather. Now
that Mrs. Hunter was away, Elizabeth spent most of the day going about the
place, looking into every bin, and making the acquaintance of each new
animal they possessed. Jake was helping Silas and it left the girl plenty
of time to explore. The amount of new stock struck her as surprising. Here
too she was glad. John was evidently going to be a man of large affairs.
Elizabeth had a sudden desire to run over and talk it over with Luther as
she had done when she drove out with her affianced husband to buy the
calves. She was surprised to see how the little bunch of calves had grown,
not only in size but in numbers. The thought of Luther carried her back,
as she stood looking over the calf yard, to the matter of visiting Aunt
Susan. Of late the feeling had grown strong upon her that Mrs. Hunter had
had something to do with John's reluctance to making this visit. The
calves ceased to interest her and she wandered slowly back to the house
thinking about it. There were so many phases of her domestic affairs to
consider: Aunt Susan's right to the evidences of her love and her
inability to show that love because of her husband's reluctance to take
her; Luther's evident offence, and the possibility that the wedding
invitation had not been extended to him by John, since he had never paid
them a neighbourly visit; the close alliance between John and his mother
and the brusqueness with which John disposed of any request of hers if he
did not choose of himself to do the thing she wanted--all called for
examination. Elizabeth shook the snow from her hair and cloak and built up
the fire, intending to sit down by it and think over her situation, but
John arrived in the middle of her preparations and supper had to be
hastily prepared, for the afternoon had gone and much of the regular
morning's work still remained to be done. With flying feet, Elizabeth
attacked the task of getting things in order, and it was a relief when
John, who had left the last chores to Jake, came in and helped her. They
had hardly ever been left alone in the house in all the three months they
had been married, and to Elizabeth it was working in fairyland to have
John make one side of a bed's clothes lie smooth while she pulled and
straighte