not
improving and a fear lay close in his heart that he should never see him
again. It was almost more than he could bear to hear the girls talk
about going home. He eased the ache by keeping at work. Dr. Morton had
already initiated him into Ernest's duties. The others were too busy to
think much about Sherm but Chicken Little, who sat beside him at the
table, noticed that he scarcely tasted his dinner. She started to remark
about it, but a glance at Sherm's drawn face warned her in time.

Presently, she had a gracious thought. "Sherm, let's ride Caliph and
Calico in to the train, then the others won't be so crowded and Marian
and Jilly can go, too."

Sherm somehow felt better immediately. The brisk gallop they took at
starting helped still more. Sunflowers and golden rod lined the roadside
for miles; brown cat tails nodded above the swales. A bobolink, swaying
on a weed stalk near by, answered Sherm's chirrup to the ponies with a
volley of golden notes.

"Chicken Little," he remarked, apropos of nothing, after they had ridden
a few miles, "you are a mighty comfortable person to have 'round."

"Maybe you won't think so in a day or two. I shall be so lonesome I may
be tempted to follow you about like Huz and Buz."

"You can't scare me that way, Chicken Little, I think the ranch is going
to be a pretty loose fit for all of us for a few days. But your school
begins about the middle of September, doesn't it? That will help."

"Yes, I wish you were going to school, too. Say, Sherm, why couldn't you
arrange to take one or two special studies under the new teacher? They
say he only lacks one year of graduating from college and knows a lot.
He's teaching to save the money for his last year. Perhaps you might
take some of your freshman work."

"I wish I could--I hate to get behind the rest of the boys. But your
father is hiring me to work, not to study."

"I know, but when winter comes you won't need to work all the time, and
you'll have all your evenings--Jim Bart does."

"If I could only keep up my mathematics and Latin, I wouldn't be losing
so much." Sherm was considering.

The nine-mile ride to town seemed shorter than usual to most of the
party that afternoon. Ernest, in spite of his joy in actually going away
to school, found home and home folk unexpectedly dear now that he was
leaving them for many months. Poor Mrs. Morton could hardly tear her
eyes from the son who was taking his first step away from her. Ch