er mother, took up her knitting, and sewed upon a dress, and
even lent a hand in the kitchen. But action could not wholly dull the
song in her heart. She felt unutterably young, as if life had just
opened, with haunting, limitless, beautiful possibilities. Never had the
harvest-time been so sweet.

Anderson came in early from the fields that day. He looked like a
farm-hand, with his sweaty shirt, his dusty coat, his begrimed face. And
when he kissed Lenore he left a great smear on her cheek.

"That's a harvest kiss, my lass," he said, with his big laugh. "Best of
the whole year!"

"It sure is, dad," she replied. "But I'll wait till you wash your face
before I return it. How's the harvest going?"

"We had trouble to-day," he said.

"What happened?"

"Nothin' much, but it was annoyin'. We had some machines crippled, an'
it took most of the day to fix them.... We've got a couple of hundred
hands at work. Some of them are I.W.W.'s, that's sure. But they all
swear they are not an' we have no way to prove it. An' we couldn't catch
them at their tricks.... All the same, we've got half your big
wheat-field cut. A thousand acres, Lenore!... Some of the wheat 'll go
forty bushels to the acre, but mostly under that."

"Better than last harvest," Lenore replied, gladly. "We are lucky....
Father, did you hear any news from the Bend?"

"Sure did," he replied, and patted her head. "They sent me a message up
from Vale.... Young Dorn wired from Kilo he'd be here to-day."

"To-day!" echoed Lenore, and her heart showed a tendency to act
strangely.

"Yep. He'll be here soon," said Anderson, cheerfully. "Tell your mother.
Mebbe he'll come for supper. An' have a room ready for him."

"Yes, father," replied Lenore.

"Wal, if Dorn sees you as you look now--sleeves rolled up, apron on,
flour on your nose--a regular farmer girl--an' sure huggable, as Jake
says--you won't have no trouble winnin' him."

"How you talk!" exclaimed Lenore, with burning cheeks. She ran to her
room and made haste to change her dress.

But Dorn did not arrive in time for supper. Eight o'clock came without
his appearing, after which, with keen disappointment, Lenore gave up
expecting him that night. She was in her father's study, helping him
with the harvest notes and figures, when Jake knocked and entered.

"Dorn's here," he announced.

"Good. Fetch him in," replied Anderson.

"Father, I--I'd rather go," whispered Lenore.

"You stay right along by