INTO RUIN; WHILE LUCAS ... KEPT HIS IN EXCELLENT REPAIR,
AND OCCASIONALLY RENEWED THE PAINT."]

Lucas had thought all might go on smoothly with a wife, and had
counted on her accepting the situation. Inquiring as to who had
meddled in his affairs, he traced the matter back to Armida, and
coming home mortified and angry, reproached her in unsparing terms,
ending his recital of wrongs with: "I don't know what you did it for,
unless you was afraid your half was going to be invaded; and if you
feel that way you'd better keep to your side and take care of your own
property. I ain't going to interfere."

Armida was powerless to protect herself except with tears, which did
not avail with Lucas. She made overtures of peace, such as offering to
cook her brother's meals and look after his share of the milk; but was
warned to attend to her own business.

Lucas had a new pipe-hole made in the kitchen chimney, and bought
a new stove, and hunted up a kitchen table, telling Armida she was
welcome to the stove and table they had previously used in common,
but he'd thank her to stay on her own side of the room. The situation
would have been ludicrous if it had not been grim earnest to the
brother and sister. Lucas had a hard side to his character, and he
could not forgive his sister's interference. He would not even give
Armida advice, but allowed her cows to break into her cornfield and
her sheep to stray away, without warning her, though all the while his
heart pricked him at sight of her distress. Still all he would do was
to suggest that she get a hired man.

Accordingly Armida, in despair, hired an easy-going, good-natured
creature that offered his services. He did very well, and Armida got
on better, and took courage.

But there was a dreadful blow in store for her. Lucas brought a gang
of carpenters to the farm, who instituted repairs on his half of the
house. He even went so far as to commit the extravagance of having
blinds hung for his sitting-room and front chamber windows, and his
half of the front porch was trimmed with brackets, and then the whole
of his half of the house painted white, so that his neighbors rallied
him on being proud. "Only," as one said, "why don't you extend your
improvements right along acrost the house, Lucas? It looks sorter
queer to see one-half so fine and the other so slack."

"Armida's free to do she's a mind to," said Lucas. "If she wants to
fix up her side, she can. I don't hinder her--"