boys, under his
guidance, cooked a hearty luncheon which they heartily enjoyed.
Younkins had milk and eggs, both of which articles were luxuries to
the Whittier boys, for on their ranch they had neither cow nor hens.

"Why can't we have some hens this fall, daddy?" asked Sandy,
luxuriating in a big bowl of custard sweetened with brown sugar, which
the skilful Charlie had compounded. "We can build a hen-house there by
the corral, under the lee of the cabin, and make it nice and warm for
the winter. Battles has got hens to sell, and perhaps Mr. Younkins
would be willing to sell us some of his."

"If we stay, Sandy, we will have some fowls; but we will talk about
that by and by," said his father.

"Stay?" echoed Sandy. "Why, is there any notion of going back? Back
from 'bleeding Kansas'? Why, daddy, I'm ashamed of you."

Mr. Howell smiled and looked at his brother-in-law. "Things do not
look very encouraging for a winter in Kansas, bleeding or not
bleeding; do they, Charlie?"

"Well, if you appeal to me, father," replied the lad, "I shall be glad
to stay and glad to go home. But, after all, I must say, I don't
exactly see what we can do here this winter. There is no farm work
that can be done. But it would cost an awful lot of money to go back
to Dixon, unless we took back everything with us and went as we came.
Wouldn't it?"

Younkins did not say anything, but he looked approvingly at Charlie
while the other two men discussed the problem. Mr. Bryant said it was
likely to be a hard winter; they had no corn to sell, none to feed to
their cattle. "But corn is so cheap that the settlers over on
Solomon's Fork say they will use it for fuel this winter. Battles told
me so. I'd like to see a fire of corn on the cob; they say it makes a
hot fire burned that way. Corn-cobs without corn hold the heat a long
time. I've tried it."

"It is just here, boys," said Uncle Aleck. "The folks at home are
lonesome; they write, you know, that they want to come out before the
winter sets in. But it would be mighty hard for women out here, this
coming winter, with big hulking fellows like us to cook for and with
nothing for us to do. Everything to eat would have to be bought. We
haven't even an ear of corn for ourselves or our cattle. Instead of
selling corn at the post, as we expected, we would have to buy of our
neighbors, Mr. Younkins here, and Mr. Fuller, and we would be obliged
to buy our flour and groceries at the post, or down a