d came back to her.

"You are doing a man's work, anyway," he said, looking into her flushed
face, "and you ought to call a halt. Life is too short to spend it as
you are doing."

"It's all very well for you men to talk that way," Dixie retorted, as
she pushed her milking-stool to the side of the cow and sat down with
the pail between her knees, "but women, as well as men, want to live,
and if there's any way to live without work, and plenty of it, I'd like
to find out about it."

"It seems to me that a feller by the name of Long was offering to point
out a way to you," he said, with a forced smile.

The back part of her uncovered head was turned toward him. Her shapely
hands and bare, tapering arms gleamed like yellow marble through the
dusk. He smelled the delightful odor of the warm milk as her deft
fingers sent it ringing into the pail.

"Yes, he was offering me a job," he heard her say with a sarcastic
little chuckle. "He wanted me to quit working at my old place and set in
for him, and nothing particular was said about raising my wages."

"And what are you going to answer him, I wonder?" Henley inquired, as he
bent down over her that the noise of the squirting milk might not drown
her reply.

She flashed a glance at him; there was an ineffable shimmer in her
long-lashed eyes; she made a comical little grimace. "I've said the last
word between me and him," she answered. "I got a humble letter from him
yesterday begging my pardon for what he'd tried to do, and saying he'd
behave like a gentleman from now on, if I'd only let him come out
again."

"Well, it was time he was apologizing," Henley cried. "For a little I'd
have--well!"

Dixie smiled and looked at him eagerly. "Did that make you mad,
Alfred--really mad?"

"I don't think I ever was madder in all my life." He walked
unsuspectingly into her trap. "I driv' away soon after or I don't know
what would have happened. The more I thought about it the madder I got.
Once I started to turn round and go back. I would, if I hadn't thought
he was such a weak fool. It ain't done with; I can't think about it
without wanting to mash something. I reckon me 'n him had better stay
apart."

"We ain't going to have any row about that, Alfred," Dixie said, quite
seriously. "You know you would bear a lot rather than have folks say
a--a married man was taking up for me in that way. If you ever meet him,
and the thing comes up, you must remember that one thing. My chara