A Daughter of the Land

"I can't see how," he said.

"Some of the trees may become valuable when lumber gets scarcer,

as it will when the land grows older. Maybe a stone quarry could

be opened up, if the stone runs back as far as you say. A lot of

things might make it valuable. If I were you I would go to

Hartley, quietly, to-morrow, and examine the records, and if there

are back taxes I'd pay them."

"I'll look it up, anyway," he agreed. "You surely have made

another place of it. It will be wonderful by spring."

"I can think of many uses for it," said Kate. "Here comes your

mother to see how we are getting along."

Instead, she came to hand Kate a letter she had brought from the

post office while doing her marketing. Kate took the letter, saw

at a glance that it was from Nancy Ellen, and excusing herself,

she went to one of the seats they had made, and turning her face

so that it could not be seen, she read: DEAR KATE: You can prepare yourself for the surprise of your

life. Two Bates men have done something for one of their women.

I hope you will survive the shock; it almost finished me and

Mother is still speechless. I won't try to prepare you. I could

not. Here it is. Father raged for three days and we got out of

his way like scared rabbits. I saw I had to teach, so I said I

would, but I had not told Robert, because I couldn't bear to.

Then up came Hiram and offered to take the school for me. Father

said no, I couldn't get out of it that way. Hiram said I had not

seen him or sent him any word, and I could prove by mother I

hadn't been away from the house, so Father believed him. He said

he wanted the money to add two acres to his land from the Simms

place; that would let his stock down to water on the far side of

his land where it would be a great convenience and give him a

better arrangement of fields so he could make more money. You

know Father. He shut up like a clam and only said: "Do what you

please. If a Bates teaches the school it makes my word good." So

Hiram is going to teach for me. He is brushing up a little nights

and I am helping him on "theory," and I am wild with joy, and so

is Robert. I shall have plenty of time to do all my sewing and we

shall be married at, or after, Christmas. Robert says to tell you

to come to see him if you ever come to Hartley. He is there in

his office now and it is lonesome, but I am busy and the time will

soon pass. I might as well tell you that Father said right after

you left that you should never enter his house again, and Mother

and I should not speak your name before him. I do hope he gets

over it before the wedding. Write me how you like your school,

and where you board. Maybe Robert and I can slip off and drive

over to see you some day. But that would make Father so mad if he

found out that he would not give me the money he promised; so we

had better not, but you come to see us as soon as we get in our

home. Love from both,

NANCY ELLEN.