till midnight
the night before to let himself fall into temptation the first thing in
the morning, and suggested that since the shafts of the buggy were mended
that she drive over to Nathan's alone, giving as his reason that he might
be unable to come back promptly. The girl fell into his plan so readily
that Hugh in his contradictory frame of mind wondered about it and was
half hurt. As he hitched Patsie into the shafts, however, he reasoned it
out that Elizabeth Hunter was probably making the same fight that he was
making. He tied the mare in the side lane and left her there without going
to the house as usual to help with Jack. If she were fighting for her own
esteem, as he was doing, Hugh resolved not to be the cause of temptation;
it made him feel a little better about meeting John. Could he have known,
as Elizabeth did, that it was the first time since her marriage that she
had had the privilege of driving alone and that the precedent once
established would settle the possibility of demanding a horse whenever she
wanted it, it would have put a different complexion on the matter.

In order for Elizabeth to use the buggy, however, Hugh was obliged to
drive the strange team. Jake had been using them since John's absence, but
had come in from the field the night before with the announcement that he
did not intend "to risk his neck with them broncos any more." Before Hugh
got to Colebyville he was thoroughly displeased with them, and spoke of
his dislike of them to John on the way home.

"A few days on the harvester 'll fix them," John replied.

"Well, they're acting better than they did on the way in. They're hot and
tired, and maybe the harvester will do it, but they're a bad lot," Hugh
replied wearily. "I feel that I've got to get away to Mitchell County. The
cattle have been on my mind for days. You'll have this team on your hands,
for none of the men but Jake would try to use them, and he told me last
night he'd used them for the last time."

"Aren't you well, Hugh?" John Hunter asked with such concern that Hugh was
covered with humiliation and shame.

"Oh, yes-s-s. But you can run the place and I'm not hanging out like I
thought I could--and I like it down there; it's more like the life I've
been ordered to lead."

"Wait till the rye has been cut. Did you say Silas wanted us to cut his
too?" John Hunter asked.

"Yes. He stopped me as I drove over this morning. The boys will lay the
early corn by to-day; we