oot with her little daughters, Agatha,
Sproatly, and Winifred between them. The latter two had just driven
over from the railroad settlement, as they did now and then, which
explained why the meal, which is usually served early in the evening,
had been delayed an hour or so. The two hired men, whom Mrs. Hastings
had not kept waiting, had gone out to some task in the barn or stables.

By and bye Sproatly took a bundle of papers out of his pocket and laid
them on the table. There had been a remarkable change in his
appearance of late, for he now wore store clothes, and the skin coat he
had taken off when he came in was, as his hostess had noticed, a new
one. It occurred to her that there was a certain significance in this,
though Sproatly had changed his occupation some little time ago, and
now drove about the prairie on behalf of certain makers of agricultural
implements.

"I called for your mail and Gregory's before we left," he said. "I had
to go round to see him, which is partly what made us so late, though
Winifred couldn't get away as soon as she expected. They've floods of
wheat coming in to the elevators, and I understand that the milling
people can't take another bushel in."

Mrs. Hastings glanced at Agatha, who understood what she meant, for
Sproatly had hitherto spoken of Winifred circumspectly as Miss
Rawlinson. Hastings, however, took the papers which Agatha handed him,
and laid them aside.

"We'll let them wait until supper's over. I don't expect any news
that's particularly good," he said. "The bottom's apparently dropping
out of the wheat market."

"Hamilton can't get cars enough, and we'll have to shut down in another
day or two unless they turn up," said Winifred. "It's much the same
all along the line. The Winnipeg traffic people wired us they haven't
an empty car in the yards. Why do you rush the grain in that way?
It's bound to break the market."

Hastings smiled rather drily. "Well," he said, "a good many of us have
bills to meet. For another thing, they've had a heavy crop in
Manitoba, Dakota, and Minnesota, and I suppose some folks have an idea
they'll get in first before the other people swamp the Eastern markets.
I think they're foolish. It's a temporary scare. Prices will stiffen
by and bye."

"That's what Hamilton says, but I suppose the thing is natural. Men
are very like sheep, aren't they?"

Hastings laughed. "Well," he admitted, "we are, in some respects.
When p