A Daughter of the Land

"You fool! You great big dunderheaded fool!" cried Mrs. Holt.

"Now you have done it, for the thousandth time. She will start

out in less than no time to find some place else to stay, an' who

could blame her? Don't you know who she is? Ain't you sense in

your head? If there was ever a girl you ort to go after, and go

quick an' hard, there she is!"

"What? That big beef! What for?" asked George.

"You idjit! You idjit! Don't you sense that she's a daughter of

Adam Bates? Him they call the Land King. Ain't you sense ner

reason? Drive her from the house, will you? An' me relyin' on

sendin' you half her board money to help you out? You fool!"

"Why under the Heavens didn't you tell me? How could I know? No

danger but the bowl is upset, and it's all your fault. She should

be worth ten thousand, maybe twenty!"

"I never knew till jist before supper. I got it frum a letter she

wrote to her brother. I'd no chanct to tell you. Course I meant

to, first chanct I had; but you go to work an upset everything

before I get a chanct. You never did amount to anything, an' you

never will."

"Oh, well, now stop that. I didn't know. I thought she was just

common truck. I'll fix it up with her right after supper. Now

shut up."

"You can't do it! It's gone too far. She'll leave the house

inside fifteen minutes," said Mrs. Holt.

"Well, I'll just show you," he boasted.

George Holt pushed back his plate, wiped his mouth, brushed his

teeth at the washing place on the back porch, and sauntered around

the house to seat himself on the front porch steps. Kate saw him

there and remained in her room. When he had waited an hour he

arose and tapped on her door. Kate opened it.

"Miss Bates," he said. "I have been doing penance an hour. I am

very sorry I was such a boor. I was in earnest when I said I

didn't get the gad when I needed it. I had a big disappointment

to-day, and I came in sore and cross. I am ashamed of myself, but

you will never see me that way again. I know I will make a

failure of my profession if I don't be more polite than Mother

ever taught me to be. Won't you let me be your scholar, too?

Please do come over to the ravine where it is cool and give me my

first lesson. I need you dreadfully."

Kate was desperately in need of human companionship in that

instant, herself, someone who could speak, and sin, and suffer,

and repent. As she looked straight in the face of the man before

her she saw, not him being rude and quarrelling pettily with his

mother, but herself racing around the dining table pursued by her

father raving like an insane man. Who was she to judge or to

refuse help when it was asked? She went with him; and Mrs. Holt,

listening and peering from the side of the window blind of her

room across the hall, watched them cross the road and sit beside

each other on the bank of the ravine in what seemed polite and

amicable conversation. So she heaved a deep sigh of relief and

went to wash the dishes and plan breakfast. "Better feed her up

pretty well 'til she gits the habit of staying here and mebby the

rest who take boarders will be full," she said to herself. "Time

enough to go at skimpin' when she's settled, and busy, an' I get

the whip hand."