ld just send him packing. But she never could think of any
sharp things to say to folks, in time. She was too easy, she knew that,
always had been. Look how long she had put up with Mrs. Hewitt's
snooping around. And then in the end she had got cold feet and had had
to sick 'Gene on to her, to tell her they didn't want her sitting around
all the time and sponging off them at meal-times.

But somehow she didn't want to ask 'Gene to speak to Frank that way. She
was afraid somehow it would get 'Gene excited. Mostly he was so still,
and then all of a sudden he'd flare up and she never could see a thing
to make him then more than any time. The best thing to do with Gene was
to keep him quiet, just as much as she could, not do anything to get him
started. That was why she never went close up to him or put her arms
around his neck of her own accord. She'd _like_ to pet him and make over
him, the way she did over the children, but it always seemed to get him
so stirred up and everything. Men were funny, anyhow! She often had
thought how nice it would be if 'Gene could only be another woman. They
could have such good times together.

Why, here was 'Gene himself come in from cultivating corn right in the
middle of the morning. Maybe he wanted a drink. He came up on the porch,
without looking at her and went into the house. How heavy he walked. But
then he always did. That was the trouble with his dancing. You had to
step light, to be a good dancer.

There was a crack of thunder again, nearer than the first one. She heard
him ask his mother, "Frank Warner been here?"

And Mother Powers say, "Yes, he come in to ask if we could loan him our
compass. He's going to go up tomorrow in the Eagle Rock woods to run out
the line between the Warner and the Benson woodlots. The Warners have
sold the popple on theirs to the Crittenden mill, and Frank says the
blazes are all barked over, they're so old."

Oh goody! thought Nelly, there the butter was, come all at once. The
buttermilk was splashing like water. Yes, even there around the hole you
could see the little yellow specks. Well, she needn't have got so
provoked, after all. That was fine. Now she could get at that sprigged
dress for Addie, after all, this afternoon.

'Gene came out on the porch again. She looked at him and smiled. She
felt very happy and relieved that the butter had come so that she could
finish working it over before noon.

'Gene glowered at her smiling face and a