little back, and stood in round-eyed wonder
watching the wheel as she started to sew again.

John was getting restless and wanted to go.

"Aren't you about----"

Elizabeth looked up at him as he started to speak, and Jack's finger shot
out to the forbidden wheel on the instant. Elizabeth saw it at a point
when she could not control the pedal with her foot. Mother love brought a
scream to her lips, and to save the child she gave him a shove with her
hand. Jack fell on the floor in a heap, striking his head on the bedpost
as he did so.

John had clutched at him ineffectually as he fell and caught him up as
soon as he could get hold of him, turning him over in his arms to see
where he was hurt. The blood spurted from the little nose, giving an
appearance of serious injury to the matter all out of proportion to the
exact nature of the damage sustained, but as usual, when excited, John saw
only surface indications.

"What does possess you when you're cross?" he exclaimed as he relinquished
his hold on the baby, who, however badly he might be hurt, was struggling
to get to his mother's arms.

Elizabeth carried the screaming child to the kitchen to bathe the bruised
nose and apply a wet cloth to the nasty blue ridge beginning to form where
the little cheek had encountered the bedpost.

"I never saw any one act like you do with a child," John said with his
usual irritation.

"I didn't intend to knock him over, but I couldn't stop my foot and I
thought he'd get his little finger taken right off before my very eyes."

"Well, you shouldn't go at him so rough. You always treat him as if he
were a block of wood."

Elizabeth's lips closed down tight, and to keep Jack from hearing further
criticisms of her management she went back to the bedroom. When John was
ready to go he called to her from the lane, and she carried Jack to the
door instead of laying him down.

"Take Hepsie with you. Tell Mrs. Chamberlain that I got ready to come.
He'd probably be cross if I went now. Hepsie's in the potato patch,"
Elizabeth said in a low voice, and went back so promptly that John could
not reply.

John took Hepsie with him, and explained to Liza Ann, as Elizabeth
requested, that she was unable to come because Jack had hurt himself.

The day was dry and hot, and John Hunter consumed water like a fish upon
all occasions. The discovery that the water-jugs had been left at home
called for instant action when he arrived in the field. S