A Daughter of the Land

"I am not trying to work anything on you," said Kate, dully,

wondering to herself why she listened, why she went on with it.

"I'm merely telling you. In Father's big chest at the head of his

bed at home lies a deed for two hundred acres of land for each of

his seven sons, all signed and ready to deliver. He keeps the

land in his name on record to bring him distinction and feed his

vanity. He makes the boys pay the taxes, and ko-tow, and help

with his work; he keeps them under control; but the land is

theirs; none of the girls get a penny's worth of it!"

George Holt cleared his face with an effort.

"Well, we are no worse off than the rest of them, then," he said,

trying to speak naturally and cheerfully. "But don't you ever

believe it! Little old Georgie will sleep with this in his night

cap awhile, and it's a problem he will solve if he works himself

to death on it."

"But that is Father's affair," said Kate. "You had best turn your

efforts, and lie awake nights thinking how to make enough money to

buy some land for us, yourself."

"Certainly! Certainly! I see myself doing it!" laughed George

Holt. "And now, knowing how you feel, and feeling none to good

myself, we are going to take a few days off and go upstream,

fishing. I'll take a pack of comforts to sleep on, and the tackle

and some food, and we will forget the whole bunch and go have a

good time. There's a place, not so far away, where I have camped

beside a spring since I was a little shaver, and it's quiet and

cool. Go get what you can't possibly exist without, nothing

more."

"But we must dig the potatoes," protested Kate.

"Let them wait until we get back; it's a trifle early, anyway," he

said. "Stop objecting and get ready! I'll tell Aunt Ollie.

We're chums. Whatever I do is always all right with her. Come

on! This is our wedding trip. Not much like the one you had

planned, no doubt, but one of some kind."

So they slipped beneath the tangle of vines and bushes, and,

following the stream of the ravine, they walked until mid-

afternoon, when they reached a spot that was very lovely, a clear,

clean spring, grassy bank, a sheltered cave-in floored with clean

sand, warm and golden. From the depths of the cave George brought

an old frying pan and coffee pot. He spread a comfort on the sand

of the cave for a bed, produced coffee, steak, bread, butter, and

fruit from his load, and told Kate to make herself comfortable

while he got dinner. They each tried to make allowances for, and

to be as decent as possible with, the other, with the result that

before they knew it, they were having a good time; at least, they

were keeping the irritating things they thought to themselves, and

saying only the pleasant ones.