A Daughter of the Land

"What is it?" she asked.

"Agatha," he said. "She's been having some severe heart attacks

lately, and she just gave me a real scare."

Instantly Kate forgot everything, except Agatha, whom she

cordially liked, and Robert, who appeared older, more tired, and

worried than she ever had seen him. She thought Agatha had "given

him a real scare," and she decided that it scarcely would have

been bad enough to put lines in his face she never had noticed

before, dark circles under his eyes, a look of weariness in his

bearing. She doubted as she looked at him if he were really

courting Mrs. Southey. Even as she thought of these things she

was asking: "She's better now?"

"Yes, easier, but she suffered terribly. Adam was upset

completely. Adam, 3d, and Susan and their families are away from

home and won't be back for a few days unless I send for them.

They went to Ohio to visit some friends. I stopped to ask if it

would be possible for you to go down this evening and sleep there,

so that if there did happen to be a recurrence, Adam wouldn't be

alone."

"Of course," said Kate, glancing at the baby. "I'll go right

away!"

"No need for that," he said, "if you'll arrange to stay with Adam

to-night, as a precaution. You needn't go till bed-time. I'm

going back after supper to put them in shape for the night. I'm

almost sure she'll be all right now; but you know how frightened

we can get about those we love."

"Yes, I know," said Kate, quietly, going straight on ripping open

ear after ear of corn. Presently she wondered why he did not go.

She looked up at him and met his eyes. He was studying her

intently. Kate was vividly conscious in an instant of her bare

wind-teased head, her husking gloves; she was not at all sure that

her face was clean. She smiled at him, and picking up the

sunbonnet lying beside her, she wiped her face with the skirt.

"If this sun hits too long on the same spot, it grows warm," she

told him.

"Kate, I do wish you wouldn't!" he exclaimed abruptly.

Kate was too forthright for sparring.

"Why not?" she asked.

"For one thing, you are doing a man's work," he said. "For

another, I hate to see you burn the loveliest hair I ever saw on

the head of a woman, and coarsen your fine skin."

Kate looked down at the ear of corn she held in her hands, and

considered an instant.

"There hasn't any man been around asking to relieve me of this

work," she said. "I got my start in life doing a man's work, and

I'm frank to say that I'd far rather do it any day, than what is

usually considered a woman's. As for my looks, I never set a

price on them or let them interfere with business, Robert."