FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  
heaves were comparatively small. Springing at this swath, Barney doubled the first two, the second two, the third two, and putting the last three together swung in upon Dick's swath where there were two sheaves left. "Don't you touch it!" gasped Dick angrily. "How's the time, Alec?" panted Barney. "Half a minute." Before he spoke, Dick flung himself on his last two sheaves, crying, "Out of the way there!" snatched his band, passing it around the sheaf, tied it, flung it over his shoulder, and stood with his hands on his knees, his breath coming in sobbing gasps. For a few minutes the men went wild. Barney stepped to Dick's side, and patting him on the shoulder, said, "Great man, Dick! But I was a fool to let you!" "That's what you were!" cried the "Old King," slapping Dick on the back, "but there's the greatest day's work ever done in these parts. The wheat's yours," he said, turning to Alec, "but begad! I wish it was goin' to them that won it!" "An' that's where it is going," said Alec, "every blamed sheaf of it, to Ben's gang." "We'll take what's coming to us," said Barney shortly. "I told yeh so," said Ben regretfully. "Why, don't you know it was for you I took the bet?" said Alec, angry that he should be balked in his good intention to help the boys. "We'll take our wages," repeated Barney in a tone that settled the controversy. "The wheat is not ours." "Then it ain't mine," said Alec, disgusted, remembering in how great peril his $50 had been. "Well, boys," said the "Old King," "it ain't mine. We'll divide it in three." "We'll take our wages," said Barney again, in sullen determination. "Confound the boy!" cried the "Old King." "What'll we do with the wheat? I say, we'll give it to Ben; he's had hard luck this year." "No, by the jumpin' Jemima Jebbs!" said Ben, stumping over to Barney's side. "I stand with the boss. I take my wages." "Well, dog-gone you all! Will you take double pay, then? There's two days' good work there. And the rest we'll give to the church. Good thing the minister ain't here or he'd kick, too!" "But," added the "Old King," turning to his son Sam, "after this you crawl into your shell when there's any blowin' bein' done about Ben's gang." IX LOVE'S TANGLED WAYS The mill lane was prinked with all the June flowers. Over the snake fence massed the clover, red and white. Through the rails peeped the thistle bloom, pink and purple, and higher
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Barney

 

coming

 

turning

 

shoulder

 

sheaves

 
double
 

disgusted

 

remembering

 

jumpin

 
divide

determination

 
Confound
 

sullen

 

Jemima

 

stumping

 

prinked

 

flowers

 

TANGLED

 

massed

 

thistle


purple

 

higher

 

peeped

 

clover

 

Through

 

minister

 

church

 

blowin

 

breath

 

sobbing


minutes

 
doubled
 

patting

 

stepped

 

passing

 
angrily
 

gasped

 

panted

 

crying

 

snatched


putting

 

minute

 

Before

 

regretfully

 

heaves

 

shortly

 
repeated
 

settled

 

controversy

 

intention