seek her fortune at the ironing board. From the time she came
home on her first visit she began to treat Canute with contempt. She had
bought a plush cloak and kid gloves, had her clothes made by the dress
maker, and assumed airs and graces that made the other women of the
neighborhood cordially detest her. She generally brought with her a
young man from town who waxed his mustache and wore a red necktie, and
she did not even introduce him to Canute.

The neighbors teased Canute a good deal until he knocked one of them
down. He gave no sign of suffering from her neglect except that he drank
more and avoided the other Norwegians more carefully than ever, He lay
around in his den and no one knew what he felt or thought, but little
Jim Peterson, who had seen him glowering at Lena in church one Sunday
when she was there with the town man, said that he would not give an
acre of his wheat for Lena's life or the town chap's either; and Jim's
wheat was so wondrously worthless that the statement was an exceedingly
strong one.

Canute had bought a new suit of clothes that looked as nearly like the
town man as possible. They had cost him half a millet crop; for
tailors are not accustomed to fitting giants and they charge for it. He
had hung those clothes in his shanty two months ago and had never put
them on, partly from fear of ridicule, partly from discouragement, and
partly because there was something in his own soul that revolted at the
littleness of the device.

Lena was at home just at this time. Work was slack in the laundry and
Mary had not been well, so Lena stayed at home, glad enough to get an
opportunity to torment Canute once more.

She was washing in the side kitchen, singing loudly as she worked. Mary
was on her knees, blacking the stove and scolding violently about the
young man who was coming out from town that night. The young man had
committed the fatal error of laughing at Mary's ceaseless babble and had
never been forgiven.

"He is no good, and you will come to a bad end by running with him! I do
not see why a daughter of mine should act so. I do not see why the Lord
should visit such a punishment upon me as to give me such a daughter.
There are plenty of good men you can marry."

Lena tossed her head and answered curtly, "I don't happen to want to
marry any man right away, and so long as Dick dresses nice and has
plenty of money to spend, there is no harm in my going with him."

"Money to spend? Yes,