RIDGEBY S 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
The Road to Ridgeby s 
 
 By 
 Frank Burlingame Harris 
 
 Boston 
 
 Small, Maynard & Company 
 1901 
 
10AN STACK 
 
 Copyright, 1901, by 
 
 SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY 
 
 (Incorporated) 
 
 Entered at Stationers Hall 
 
 Riggs Printing and Publishing Company 
 Albany, U. S. A. 
 
To Robert Burns Peattie 
 
 5GG 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 WHILE the cost of a literary achieve 
 ment is not to be considered in ar 
 riving at its true artistic worth, it 
 is but human to feel a deeper interest in that 
 book which has made great and costly demands 
 upon its author. Into the story which the fol 
 lowing pages present, a young man of large 
 ambitions, of keen discernment and generous, 
 sympathetic impulses, put the ripest effort and 
 the dearest hopes of his life. He lived to learn 
 that his book had been accepted by a publisher, 
 but his eyes did not see a page of its proof. 
 
 Few words are required to give the ma 
 terial facts in the life of Frank Burlingame 
 Harris. He was born September 26, 1873, 
 at Weedsport, N. Y., where his father, then 
 a Baptist minister, was preaching. His whole 
 life, however, was spent in the West and 
 he belonged distinctively to the prairie country. 
 The first outcroppings of the boy s talent ap 
 peared when attending the Omaha High School. 
 There he conducted, in association with a com- 
 vii 
 
Foreword 
 
 panion, a school paper called " The Register. 
 Its editorial crispness gave the juvenile journal 
 an unexpected popularity and attracted the at 
 tention of members of the local newspaper fra 
 ternity. Among those first to recognise his 
 promise of cleverness was Mrs. Elia W. Peat- 
 tie, then editorial zvriter of the Omaha World- 
 Herald. Immediately following his gradua 
 tion from the high school he secured work as a 
 substitute reporter on that newspaper. 
 
 His first assignments were handled with so 
 fair a display of resourcefulness, energy, and 
 literary skill, that, when he was but eighteen 
 years of age, young Harris was sent to Lincoln 
 to act as a legislative correspondent for his 
 newspaper. Thereafter he was permanently con 
 nected ivith the World-Herald staff until, in 
 1893, h e came to Chicago. At the University 
 of Chicago he took a special course in English 
 and American literature under Professor Wil 
 kinson. Meantime he made an effort to estab 
 lish a magazine in Chicago. It was called 
 The Calumet. Although young Harris dis 
 continued its publication after a few months, 
 viii 
 
Foreword 
 
 this unprofitable venture brought him the ac 
 quaintance and friendship of several western 
 writers. 
 
 He determined to write a novel of farm life 
 in the Middle West, and set about his task with 
 characteristic directness and enthusiasm. This 
 impulse came to him in the summer, and he 
 immediately left Chicago for the prairies of 
 Iowa, where he spent weeks in tramping from 
 farm to farm, forming an intimate acquaintance 
 with the life of the country. The novel was 
 written after his return to Chicago, in the au 
 tumn. He was then engaged to accompany a 
 party of American excursionists on a visit to 
 the Mediterranean countries, acting as corre 
 spondent for several Metropolitan newspapers. 
 His experience on his trip in La Touraine were 
 gathered in a small souvenir volume called A 
 Pleasure Pilgrimage. 
 
 At once he returned to his novel with renewed 
 enthusiasm and devotion. He applied himself 
 to the task with intemperate seal. When its 
 second writing was finished he was forced to 
 recognize that his health ivas shattered. At 
 ix 
 
Foreword 
 
 once he went ^vith his parents to the Boston 
 Mountains, in Missouri, but declined in strength 
 instead of improving. The following summer 
 was spent very wretchedly in Chicago, and the 
 winter saw him journeying in a " mover s 
 wagon " across New Mexico, making the final 
 stand in the last pitiful campaign for life. Long 
 after his days of extreme weakness began, he 
 continued the revision of his novel, declaring 
 that, as it was his only contribution to a world 
 he was soon to leave, he would like it to be the 
 best within his power, no matter how great the 
 cost in effort and perseverance. He was twenty- 
 four years old when he put aside the story which 
 is here offered, saying: "I can t think any 
 more! " 
 
 The personality of Frank Burlingame Harris 
 was as striking as his tall frame and strong 
 countenance. Generosity, sympathy and im 
 pulsiveness were his most conspicuous traits. 
 
 FORREST CRISSEY. 
 
Chapter I 
 
 A LITTLE red store stands at Beverly 
 Corners, where the county road crosses 
 the Hawkins turnpike. Opposite it a 
 dilapidated smithy leans against an old cotton- 
 wood tree. The highways intersect each other 
 on the summit of a little ridge. In all direc 
 tions the undulating Iowa prairie rolls like the 
 waves of a wind-tossed ocean. Rail fences 
 zigzag here and there cutting up the country 
 into crazy patchwork. Dotting the landscape 
 are growths of stunted trees, surrounding, in 
 most cases, an unpretentious farm house with 
 its unpainted barns and straw-thatched cattle 
 sheds. Tall, untrimmed willow hedges wave 
 in the breeze; a small stream of murky water 
 flows sluggishly through a closely cropped pas 
 ture, under a culvert, and is lost in a cornfield. 
 Away off to the east the gilded dome of the 
 court house in the county seat, some ten miles 
 away, can be seen glimmering in the sunlight. 
 The air is heavy with silence. When the 
 i 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wind rises a little it brings with it the rattle of 
 a distant mower that swells and sinks again. 
 At times the bellow of a cow in the next hollow, 
 or the low bark of a dog as he lazily scratches 
 at some old gopher hole breaks in on the still 
 ness. But all these sounds, with the rustle of 
 the corn and the sighs of the ripening grain 
 are so drowsy that they add only to the op 
 pressing silence. 
 
 The mellow haze of late summer hung over 
 the prairie. The rays of the sun fell on the 
 ridges and made deep shadows in the vales. 
 They beat down mercilessly while the green 
 leaves of corn crumpled and turned yellow, and 
 the ripening grain scorched on the withering 
 stalks. 
 
 The walls of the little red store warped and 
 crackled in the heat. The paint curled and 
 stood in flakes on its baked sides. The striped 
 sticks of peppermint in the window were half- 
 melted. 
 
 A little old woman was sitting stiffly in a 
 straight-backed chair by the door. A faded 
 
 2 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 shawl was wrapped about her spare shoulders. 
 A prim white collar encircled her throat. Her 
 black alpaca dress was buttoned to the chin. 
 Her thin, sharp features looked fairly cold. She 
 was gazing across the road to where a man had 
 thrown himself down within the shade of the 
 smithy. He was whistling " Bon Ami." Her 
 small grey eyes reflected her displeasure. She 
 detested whistling and tramps. 
 
 Two ragged urchins crept timidly in at the 
 door. They were the Peasley twins. The old 
 lady got up and went behind the counter. 
 
 " Well! " she exclaimed, sharply. 
 
 The twins each dug a dirty toe into a crack 
 in the floor. One looked beseechingly at the 
 other. 
 
 " Two sticks o red pep mint, Miss Latey," 
 faltered one of them, " An please don t give us 
 no broken ones." 
 
 " It s a blessed wonder you young uns don t 
 
 spile yer teeth a eatin s much sweet truck," 
 
 the old lady scolded in a high-keyed voice. 
 
 " Yer paw d better be a payin up at mor gage 
 
 3 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 o his n thun givin you brats money to ruin yer 
 stummicks with/ 
 
 " But please, Miss Latey, to-day s our 
 birfday, an we s six years old," whimpered one 
 of the twins. " An paw give us two cents t 
 cel brate with." 
 
 "Huh!" sniffed the old lady, "With six 
 young uns lyin round I shud think he d spank 
 ye all good on yer birthdays, sted o wastin 
 pennies on yeh; but yer paw allus was a 
 fool." 
 
 The twins dug their little fat fists into their 
 eyes and began to whimper. Miss Latey 
 hastily took two sticks of peppermint from one 
 of the jars in the window and laid them on the 
 counter. 
 
 " Take yer truck an run long," she snapped, 
 " An don t yeh lemme see yer dirty faces round 
 here again in a hurry. Now scat ! " 
 
 The twins grasped the candy and laying down 
 their coppers scampered out. The old lady fol 
 lowed them to the door and watched the cloud 
 of dust raised by their pattering bare feet as 
 4 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 they raced up the turnpike. Her features soft 
 ened just a trifle, but they hardened again when 
 she looked back at the man sitting in the shade. 
 He was still whistling " Bon Ami." 
 
 The man was lying outstretched with his 
 head propped against a stake which had once 
 served as a hitching post for the smithy. He 
 was idly biting at a blade of timothy. On 
 closer inspection he did not look so much like a 
 tramp. His clothing was rough but compara 
 tively new. The straw hat resting by his side 
 was wide of brim but of good material. His 
 eyes were a clear blue, and his face, covered by 
 a brown beard, was rather handsome than 
 otherwise. He stopped whistling for a moment 
 and gazed lazily toward the little red store. 
 Then he began whistling " Bon Ami " again. 
 
 A democrat wagon, drawn by two horses, 
 drove past. On the front seat sat a coarse- 
 featured man and a ruddy-cheeked girl. The 
 man was laughing loudly. The girl s eyes were 
 bent away in the distance. 
 
 A quaint figure came down through the pas- 
 5 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ture. It was an undersized woman clad in a 
 simple slip of calico. A great sunbonnet shaded 
 her features. Her face, creased and wrinkled, 
 was wreathed in smiles. She nimbly climbed 
 the fence and approached the man. As she 
 came up to him the quaint smile on her face 
 deepened, and she dropped a curtsey. 
 
 "They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died," she said, and laughed merrily. " Yes, 
 they laid down jes like little dogs an* died." 
 
 She dropped another curtsey and turned up 
 the road. When she had gone about a rod she 
 turned around. 
 
 " They laid down jes like little dogs and 
 died," she called. " Yes, they laid down jes 
 like little dogs an died." 
 
 She laughed cheerily again, and continued up 
 the road. 
 
 The man smiled to himself and tapping his 
 head significantly, began whistling again. He 
 tried " Annie Laurie," but dropped it after a 
 few bars. He closed his eyes and lulled by the 
 lotus influence about him sank into a half doze. 
 6 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He was started into life again in a moment by 
 the sound of a frantic voice piping up the road. 
 
 " Hey there ! Catch him ! Stop him ! Catch 
 holt the rope ! Whoa, there ! Whoa ! " 
 
 He opened his eyes. A roan calf was com 
 ing on the bias down the turnpike. His tail 
 was waving stiffly in the air. In excited pur 
 suit was a stoop-shouldered old man, very much 
 out of breath. His arms were flying madly, 
 and the wind blew the long tails of his coat out 
 behind him, like the trunk rack of a stage 
 coach. 
 
 " Stop him ! Head him off ! Catch holt the 
 rope;" he piped shrilly. "Hey there! Stop 
 him! Whoa there! Whoa!" 
 
 The calf kicked up his heels and made a dash 
 for a break in the fence. Miss Latey hurried 
 out of her door with a frantic " Shoo ! " 
 
 The calf turned and rushed straight at the 
 man in the shade, and shying, brought the long 
 rope that trailed in its wake within easy reach 
 of his arm. The man turned on his side, 
 reached quietly out, clutched the rope, and giv- 
 7 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ing it a quick twist around the hitching post, 
 held it. The calf came to a sudden stop and 
 sprawled heels over head on the ground. The 
 old man came up. 
 
 " Stop him ! Catch him ! Turn him ! " he 
 gasped. " Catch holt the rope ! Head him off ! 
 Whoa there! Whoa!" 
 
 He was blowing like a porpoise. 
 
 " Catch him ! Catch holt the rope ! " he sput 
 tered. " Head him !" 
 
 " I guess that I have filled all your require 
 ments," the man in the shade said calmly, as he 
 easily resisted a last attempt of the calf to break 
 away. " I have stopped him, and turned him, 
 and headed him off, and caught hold of the 
 rope. Here, take him." 
 
 " C-C-Ca-tch him I mean, thank ye," 
 puffed the old man, as he wiped his face with a 
 great red cotton handkerchief. " My Land ! I 
 haint done sech a heap o runnin sence Bull 
 Run, I ll be Gummed ef I have. Th Gummed 
 calf bruk away fr m me up there by Si John 
 son s place an I thought I never was a goin t 
 8 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ketch 4m. Ef they d a tuk my advice Whoa 
 there ! Whoa ! " he called soothingly to the 
 calf. 
 
 He took the rope and gingerly loosened it 
 from the hitching post, uttering soothing 
 " Whoas." The calf had a mild look like 
 twilight in its eyes, but starting suddenly into 
 life again, it gave its tail a flirt and dashed up 
 the turnpike. The old man held desperately to 
 the rope and went reluctantly but firmly in the 
 wake of the calf. 
 
 The man in the shade smiled to himself and 
 began again to whistle " Bon Ami." 
 
 The afternoon was waning. The sun was al 
 ready below the cottonwoods in the west and 
 was casting a shadow of rubies over the wheat 
 heads. The men were leaving the fields and 
 with their teams now and then appeared in 
 sight on the ridges only to disappear down the 
 swales. The horses hung their heads from fa 
 tigue; the men tramped stolidly behind them. 
 The tramp-like stranger watched them indo 
 lently, his eyes following now one group and 
 9 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 then another. The crows began to rise from 
 the corn fields and fly in flocks toward the 
 north. The little breeze that had been blowing 
 went down. The silence became denser. 
 
 A low creaking rumble sounded from up the 
 road. A heavy farm wagon laden with tiling 
 came in sight. So heavy was the load that the 
 horses could scarcely pull it. Their drooping 
 heads and lagging gait showed their fatigue. 
 Every time they faltered the driver gave them 
 a cut with a long "blacksnake" whip. He 
 was a huge swarthy-faced man with a growth 
 of bristling whiskers on his face. His features 
 were heavy and rugged, and his eyes were hard. 
 He wore no hat. His head was covered by a 
 shock of black tangled hair, in which the dust 
 had settled. His coarse gingham shirt was 
 open at the front, displaying his brown, shaggy 
 chest. 
 
 He came to the corners where the horses 
 lagged and all but stopped. 
 
 " Gee up ! Dam yeh ! " he shouted as he gave 
 each of them a cut with the whip. " Gee up ! " 
 10 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The stranger rose from his seat in the shade. 
 He showed himself to be tall and broad shoul 
 dered. Two long strides brought him into the 
 middle of the road. 
 
 " Stop whipping those horses," he said 
 quietly. 
 
 The driver turned on him savagely. 
 
 "What th Hell s it to you!" he snarled. 
 " Ther mine an I ll whip em if I want t an 
 you too ef yeh put in any o yer lip. Gee up ! 
 Gee ! " and he struck each of the horses an 
 other blow. 
 
 The young man, without a word, turned to 
 the wagon and putting his foot on one of the 
 hind wheels began to clamber up. The driver 
 turned with an oath and springing upon the 
 tiling, dealt him two terrific blows full in the 
 face. 
 
 " I ll teach yeh ! " he shouted. " 111 teach yeh 
 at I m Hi Simms an owns my own horses." 
 
 Two great welts rose where the whip 
 struck. The man was staggered for a moment, 
 but recovering instantly, sprang forward. He 
 ii 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 received another stinging blow, but without 
 faltering reached out and seizing Simms by the 
 waist before he could raise the whip again, 
 hurled him to the ground. Leaping after he 
 wrenched the whip from Simms hand. With 
 an oath the driver regained his feet and sprang 
 at his assailant. 
 
 " Z-z-z-z-z-z-zud." 
 
 The whip whistled through the air and 
 curled around Simms shoulders. He uttered a 
 snarl and sprang again. 
 
 " Z-z-z-z-z-z-zud." 
 
 Again the whip wrapped itself with a hiss 
 around Simms shoulders. Snarling and curs 
 ing he attempted again and again to reach his 
 antagonist. Each time the young man dodged 
 him as easily as a grasshopper eludes a cat, 
 while the rain of blows about Simms body con 
 tinued without a miss. Roaring with pain 
 and anger the driver was finally whipped into 
 submission. He stood still fairly foaming at 
 the mouth. 
 
 " Do you give up? " he was asked quietly. 
 12 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Dam ye ! " snarled Simms. 
 
 " Then unhitch your horses and drive them 
 home without the wagon. That can stay here 
 until you come back with a fresh team. I will 
 guard it until you return." 
 
 Simms glared at him for a moment, then 
 went to the wagon and unhitching the horses, 
 started cursing up the road. 
 
 The young man watched him until he had 
 gone some distance. Then he turned in search 
 of water to apply to the welts on his face. They 
 were smarting like fire. 
 
Chapter II 
 
 THE excitement of this struggle with 
 Simms had made the young man ob 
 livious to everything else. Turning he 
 found that his engagement had not been with 
 out a spectator. A sleek, round little horse, 
 hitched to a broken-down wagon, had halted 
 just behind him and gone to sleep. The occu 
 pant of the carriage was not so listless. When 
 the young man s eyes fell upon him he was 
 clambering to the ground with what speed the 
 weight of some seventy years would allow. A 
 frayed whip with a broken tip was grasped in 
 his hand. He was thin and bent and had hover 
 ing about him the air of a woman. There was 
 a flash in his faded eyes and as he reached the 
 ground he gripped tighter the handle of the 
 whip while his jaws shut together with a snap 
 of determination. As he gazed at the young 
 man before him, and then at the retreating form 
 of Simms, the expression on his face lightened. 
 A broad grin slowly spread over his features 
 and he bobbed his head up and down. 
 14 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Licked him, by Dumb, didn t yeh," he 
 chuckled, as he advanced with a ha ! lf-limp. 
 " I was a gittin here uz lively s I cud, but my, 
 ye didn t need no help." He bobbed his head 
 up and down again and chuckled. 
 
 He received no reply. The cuts on the young 
 man s face were inflaming rapidly and had 
 swollen until he could scarcely see out of his 
 eyes. 
 
 The grin on the old man s face deepened as 
 he watched Simms plodding in the wake of his 
 horses. He slapped his knee gleefully. 
 
 " That did me a heap o good, Dumb ef it 
 didn t. You throwed him off n that box too 
 pretty for anything. How he did howl. Guess 
 he knows how whippin dumb brutes feels 
 now." He chuckled again and bobbed his head. 
 
 Then he noticed the welts on the young 
 man s face. He stopped chuckling and the 
 broad grin on his face gave way to a look of 
 sympathy. 
 
 " You didn t git off scot-free though, did 
 ye ," he exclaimed, solicitously. " Them s 
 mighty ugly cuts and must smart powerful. 
 15 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Come down here to the creek an we ll put some 
 water on em. Burn pretty lively? " he asked, 
 as he turned towards the little stream. 
 
 The young man admitted that they did. 
 
 When they came to the banks, the old man 
 reached around to one of the tail pockets of his 
 shiny black coat and took out a folded hand 
 kerchief. Seizing it by one corner he gave it a 
 flirt that opened it. Then stooping stiffly he 
 wet it in the water and carefully applied it to 
 the welts. He was as gentle as a woman. He 
 was thanked simply. 
 
 "There, guess that s better, haint it," he 
 asked as he wet the handkerchief and re-applied 
 it. The grin came over his face again. 
 
 "Wonder ef Simms got anybody t water 
 his cuts ? " he chuckled. " You gave him a few 
 licks that humped him mightily." 
 
 " I m sorry that I struck him so hard," the 
 young man said. 
 
 "He s tough an* kin stand it. Guess it ll 
 do m more good n harm anyway. He s kinder 
 bullied this section for sometime an it does me 
 16 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 good t see im licked. Guess he ll be kinder 
 keerful who s round next time he goes to lick 
 ing horses." 
 
 The old man chattered on, now tenderly as 
 he applied the wet handkerchief and then 
 chuckling to himself and bobbing his head up 
 and down as he feasted his memory on the 
 whipping of Hi Simms. 
 
 The cold applications allayed somewhat the 
 inflammation in the young man s face and by 
 the time Simms returned with a fresh team he 
 was quite comfortable. The old man was the 
 first to see Simms far up the road. 
 
 " How do yeh like whippin horses, Hi ? 
 Taint s much fun uz yeh thought it was, be 
 it?" he jeered when Simms had come within 
 hearing distance. " Met yer match that time, 
 didn t yeh," he chuckled, " Wait till th boys 
 hear bout it." 
 
 Simms did not reply. He hitched the team 
 to the wagon and climbed upon the seat. Then 
 he turned sullenly around. His dark face was 
 ugly with a frown of hate. 
 
 17 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Dam yeh!" he snarled. "Til play even 
 with yeh fer this." 
 
 Clucking to his horses he drove off. The old 
 man jeered after him. 
 
 " Well, I must be goin ," he exclaimed turn 
 ing with an awakening energy, to his wagon. 
 " I guess we re done here. Going up th road a 
 piece?" 
 
 The young man told him he did not know. 
 
 " Where yeh goin ? " the old man asked. 
 
 " Nowhere," he was answered. 
 
 The old man looked surprised and puzzled. 
 
 " That s a good ways off," he replied. " Bet 
 ter git in with me an ride a piece. Where d 
 yeh cum from ? " 
 
 " Same place." 
 
 "Where s that?" 
 
 " Nowhere." 
 
 The old man opened his eyes. 
 
 "That s mighty fur off, too. How d yeh 
 cum, walk? " 
 
 " Part of the way." 
 
 "An th rest?" 
 
 18 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Rode." 
 
 "What on?" 
 
 " Shank s mare." 
 
 " Purty good ! Purty good ! " 
 
 The old man grinned, bobbed his head and 
 slapped his knee. 
 
 " Cum fr m nowhere, goin nowhere, walked 
 part o th way, an rode th rest on Shank s 
 mare. Purty good! Purty good." He put 
 back his head and laughed loudly. " Well ef 
 you haint th funniest feller I ever see." He 
 laughed again. 
 
 " Ef yeh haint goin nowhere don t s pose 
 it makes much diff runce jes when yeh git 
 there, so yeh d better git in an go up t my 
 place t supper. Emily ll be glad t see yeh. 
 There haint much t eat, but th feller at kin 
 lick Hi Simms is welcome t his sheer of it. 
 Better come long." 
 
 He started for the wagon. It was a quaint 
 
 figure he cut as he half limped towards it. His 
 
 spare form was clad in a shiny suit of black 
 
 diagonal considerably too big for him. It was 
 
 19 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wrinkled and creased and had an odor of cam 
 phor and tobacco hanging about it. He wore 
 a turndown collar and a black cravat. A 
 rumpled beaver hat was tilted back on his head. 
 A fringe of white hair straggled down all 
 around it. 
 
 He climbed into the wagon and turned 
 back. 
 
 "Better cum long/ he repeated. "No 
 trouble tall. Emily ll be glad t see yeh." 
 
 After a moment s hesitation the young man 
 followed him into the wagon. The little mare 
 was awakened with a chirrup. They rode a 
 little ways in silence. 
 
 " I m Hiram Ridgeby," the old man said 
 abruptly as he flecked a fly off the flanks of the 
 mare. " I ve got a farm up here next t Si John 
 son s. I m sup viser o Hawkins township and 
 chairman o th school committee. Now who 
 might you be ? " 
 
 " Abraham Lincoln." 
 
 "Pshaw, now re lly?" 
 
 " I might be, but some how I m not." 
 20 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The old man bobbed his head again and 
 chuckled. 
 
 " Purty good! Purty good! Got a name? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " Newton Mills." 
 
 Ridgeby pushed his hat further back on his 
 head and held out a wrinkled hand. Mills took 
 it. 
 
 " Newton Mills I m proud t see yeh. As 
 sup viser o Hawkins township an chairman o 
 the school committee I bid yeh welcome." 
 Ridgeby s voice became oratorical. " Any man 
 at kin whale Hi Simms deserves an shall re 
 ceive our humble hospitality. How old be 
 yeh?" 
 
 " Twenty-four." 
 
 "R publican?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Dem crat?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Ah, Pop list? " The old man s face lighted. 
 
 " No." 
 
 21 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " What be yeh then, Pro bition er Woman s 
 suffragist?" 
 
 " Neither." 
 
 " My Land. What be yeh then? " 
 
 " Presbyterian." 
 
 " Purty good ! Purty good ! " Ridgeby bobbed 
 his head and chuckled. 
 
 "Workin at it very hard?" 
 
 " Not very." 
 
 " Sort of a muscular Christian, haint yeh." 
 
 " More muscular than Christian." 
 
 " Well, yeh got in some good licks this after 
 noon at must a been heard in heaven." He 
 gave vent to his customary chuckle. 
 
 The old man rattled on, going from religion 
 to crops and from crops to politics and back 
 again. The old wagon rattled on as well. It 
 seemed to Mills that at every turn of the wheels 
 the old trap must fall into pieces. Ridgeby was 
 compelled to raise his voice at times to be heard 
 above the trackle-trackle-trackle of the wheels. 
 The fact that Mills took no particular part in 
 the conversation did not disturb the old man 
 
 22 
 
TKe ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 seriously. He probably considered himself 
 fully competent to do all the talking and do it 
 well. Now and then his companion would 
 reply to a direct question in a manner that 
 would have been impudent had it not been 
 for the peculiarly good-natured way in which 
 he spoke. These odd answers seemed to amuse 
 Ridgeby more and more and before they had 
 ridden very far he had exhausted himself in 
 chuckles. 
 
 The sun was just disappearing below the 
 swells in the west. It was of the hue of blood 
 and painted the bank of clouds behind which it 
 was setting a glorious orange that was deep 
 ening into crimson. The air was heavy and 
 tremulous. The birds, whose songs had been 
 heard earlier in the day from the tops of the 
 rail fences or from the swaying pinnacle of a 
 cornstalk, were voiceless. Now they perched 
 silently on the fences and pecked industriously 
 at the wood or bobbed about on the bending 
 stalks as though waiting to be rocked to sleep. 
 Now and then a quail would start out from 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 the dusty weeds that lined the road and run for 
 a ways ahead of the mare. 
 
 " That s my place, over yon," said Ridgeby, 
 pointing with his whip, after they had ridden 
 some time. The fat little mare pricked up her 
 ears and broke into a trot. " We re jes comin 
 t my south line. That stun marks it." Ridgeby 
 leaned out and swept his hand proudly in a 
 semi-circle " There s th bes piece o land in 
 lowy. Nary a wet acre on th hull place, an 
 good for fifty bushels t th acre year in an year 
 out." 
 
 They turned up a lane lined with waving 
 willow trees, that led off from the main road. 
 Before them stood a one-story stone house with 
 a frame addition built out on one side of it. 
 Before the front door towered two giant wal 
 nut trees. A white picket fence surrounded the 
 house. Some ways off to the left, at the far end 
 of a large yard, stood a great red barn. The 
 little mare turned in at the gate and coming 
 down to a walk headed towards it. A great 
 Newfoundland dog, gray and stiff, rose from 
 24 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 the kitchen door and trotted in the wake of 
 the buggy. As they passed the house Mills 
 heard a girl s sweet voice singing " Bon 
 Ami." 
 
 " That s Sibley Ann," Ridgeby explained as 
 the mellow notes rising higher floated out the 
 open window. 
 
 Mills turned and caught a glimpse of a girl s 
 form. 
 
 A pig sprang up from the road. 
 
 " Chase him, Towser," Ridgeby shouted. 
 
 The pig ran squealing towards a pair of bars 
 that led into a meadow, the dog in eager pur 
 suit. The pig won the race and the dog with 
 a parting bark returned with his tail waving 
 triumphantly. The mare stopped at the open 
 door of the barn. 
 
 " Whoa ! " called Ridgeby. The command 
 did not seem to be addressed to the mare. 
 
 " Comin " 
 
 The word came wandering from somewhere 
 out of the depths of the barn. The voice was 
 deep and sounded as though the speaker had 
 25 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 started to say something and then had changed 
 his mind and swallowed it. 
 
 They clambered out of the wagon. A great 
 forkful of hay fell on the barn floor before 
 them, followed rapidly by two more. Then 
 there came another muffled, half swallowed, 
 call. 
 
 "Lookout!" 
 
 A pitchfork fell on the heap. It was followed 
 by a man. He was covered with chaff and 
 stood clearing it from his eyes. A handful 
 of it rested on his shock of red hair. He was 
 tall and husky. A rough good humour shone 
 on his face. There was a twinkle in his small 
 blue eyes. He was Lilt Murdock, Hiram 
 Ridgeby s man of all-work. 
 
 " This is Newton Mills, Lilt," said Ridgeby, 
 abruptly, as an introduction. 
 
 Lilt looked Newton over from head to foot. 
 
 " Kin yeh wras le," he asked after he had 
 completed the inventory. 
 
 Ridgeby chuckled. 
 
 " Kin he wras le. Well I shud say he cud 
 26 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wras le. He jes gave Hi Simms th wuss 
 wolloping he ever got. Handled him like he 
 was a cat. Wras le! I never see nothin like 
 it" 
 
 Lilt s eyes opened but he sniffed disdainfully. 
 He spoke abruptly. 
 
 " Licked Hi Simms ! Don t b lieve it." 
 
 " Licked him till he howled for mercy," 
 chuckled Ridgeby, bobbing his head. " An did 
 it easy uz breakin yearlin steers, too." 
 
 " Don t b lieve it," Lilt repeated, with con 
 viction. " Why he looks like a city chap." 
 
 Mills smiled. 
 
 " He did it, Lilt, Dumb ef he didn t. I seen 
 th hull thing m self. Believe he cud throw you, 
 Lilt, Dumb, ef I don t." 
 
 Lilt put back his head and laughed uproari 
 ously. Then he put his arms akimbo and 
 looked down at Mills disdainfully. 
 
 " Do you want to try throwin me, Sonny," 
 he laughed. " It s mighty dang rous biz ness. 
 Ther haint nobody in Hawkins county at kin 
 stand up with me three minutes." 
 27 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Mills smiled with easy confidence. 
 
 " I ll try it." 
 
 " Come on then." 
 
 Scarcely were the words spoken when light 
 ning like Newton sprang forward. There was 
 a quick clasp, a turn of the knee, a twist, and 
 Lilt found himself hurled bodily on the pile of 
 hay. He got up clumsily. There was a look 
 of surprise on his face and a startled tone of 
 protest in his voice. 
 
 " Hey there ! " he exclaimed ruefully. " Yeh 
 haint totin fair. I didn t know yeh was 
 comin ." 
 
 Ridgeby chuckled and bobbed his head. 
 
 " He throwed yeh square, Lilt, Dumb ef he 
 didn t, he throwed yeh square." 
 
 " He can t do it again," Lilt replied dog 
 gedly. 
 
 " Look out then," laughed Newton. " I will 
 give you fair warning this time that I am 
 coming." 
 
 It was not so easily done again. Lilt planted 
 himself firmly. He caught Mills with his 
 28 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 favourite hold and gave him a toss that had 
 rarely failed to bring his opponents to grass. 
 What was his surprise to see this agile fellow 
 turn in the air like a cat and alight on his feet. 
 Lilt was beginning to get a little angry and for 
 getting discretion he sprang wildly forward. 
 Mills easily eluded him and with a trip 
 sent the hired man sprawling to the floor. 
 The fall was a heavy one and Lilt got 
 up slowly. Ridgeby bobbed his head and 
 chuckled. 
 
 " Yeh ve found yer master, Lilt, yeh ve 
 found yer master. He beat ye fair." 
 
 Lilt stood for a moment pulling at his red 
 poll. Then he put back his head and laughed 
 good naturedly. He advanced towards Mills 
 and held out a great hand. 
 
 " Yeh beat me fair," he laughed, as Newton 
 took his hand. " Yeh beat me fair. I want 
 yeh t show me how yeh did it. I want t try it 
 on the Graham boys, e-e-e-e-e-e-o-uch!!! 
 
 Lilt gave a yell of pain. He had tried his 
 favourite game of squeezing a hand until its 
 29 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 owner shouted for mercy, but had found his 
 own horny palm caught in a grip that fairly 
 made the bones crackle. 
 
 "Hully Gee! Let up," he cried. " Yeh d 
 better show me that, too." 
 
 Just then a horn blew at the house and 
 Ridgeby, chuckling, turned away telling New 
 ton to follow him. Lilt led the mare into the 
 barn. 
 
Chapter III 
 
 THEIR way led up through the barn 
 yard, over the bars, and by a narrow 
 path through a garden. They stopped at 
 a bench by the door to wash. Ridgeby began to 
 recount some feat of wrestling he had accom 
 plished in his younger days. Newton pre 
 tended to pay him an interested attention, but 
 in reality he was listening to the sounds that 
 came from within; the rattle of a stove lid, 
 mingled with the singing of a kettle, and a 
 girl s voice humming " Bon Ami. v After dry 
 ing their hands and faces on a towel that hung 
 from a nail above the bench Ridgeby opened 
 the door. A savory odour was wafted out. 
 They entered. 
 
 A little woman so bent she seemed almost a 
 hunchback turned from the stove. Her fea 
 tures were plain and disfigured by a great mole 
 on her left cheek. Newton forgot the homeli 
 ness of the face in the bright smile of hospi 
 tality that lighted it. She came forward 
 31 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 nervously, wiping her hands on her calico 
 apron. 
 
 " Step right in," exclaimed Ridgeby cor 
 dially. " Em ly, this is Newton Mills. Picked 
 him up down th road a piece an brung im 
 long. Thought I d give im one taste o good 
 eatin ! " The old man chuckled and bobbed 
 his head. 
 
 " How-de-do ! " she said, extending a thin 
 hand which Newton shook as delicately as 
 though it were china. " Never mind, Hiram ; he 
 allus wuz a flatt rer ever since I married 
 him." 
 
 Newton started to excuse his unannounced 
 intrusion when he was interrupted by a crum 
 pling of paper from behind the stove. A 
 withered old man clad in faded army blue shuf 
 fled forward; a grotesque figure. He was en 
 tirely bald and his gums were toothless. 
 
 Til be Gummed ef taint th feller at stopped 
 
 th ca-af," he piped. " Gum yeh, I m glad 
 
 t see yeh. I d a stopped a little longer, but th 
 
 ca-af want willin ." He spread his drooping 
 
 32 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 lips in a grin. His speech was a high keyed 
 drawl; his laugh a cackle. 
 
 " Ef they d a tuk my advice ," he began in 
 a complaining voice. 
 
 Ridgeby hastily interrupted him. 
 
 " Newton Mills this s Reuben." 
 
 Reuben grinned again and shuffling a step 
 back made a stiff bow. 
 
 " Ef they d a tuk my advice " 
 
 The rest of the sentence was lost on Newton. 
 A girl entered the room carrying two pans of 
 newly moulded bread. The sleeves of her ging 
 ham dress were rolled up to the shoulder dis 
 playing two white, plump arms. The hummed 
 notes of " Bon Ami " were still on her lips. 
 Newton recognised her at once as the girl who 
 had passed him with a companion during the 
 afternoon. Ridgeby introduced her as his 
 daughter, Sibley. The girl greeted him easily 
 and simply and passing him went to the stove 
 where she laid down the pans of bread and 
 covered them with a cloth. Newton s eyes 
 followed her. He was looking at her arms. 
 33 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 They were round and white and delicately 
 formed though strong. A dimple played about 
 each elbow. Her figure was supple and ex 
 quisitely moulded and her step light and grace 
 ful. She raised her eyes and caught Newton 
 staring at her. She neither blushed nor ap 
 peared confused but turned to her pans again. 
 A heavy tramping at the door announced Lilt s 
 entrance. Mrs. Ridgeby invited them to "set 
 up." They took their places. The girl came 
 forward rolling down her sleeves. Newton 
 could not resist a last look. He was certain he 
 had never seen prettier arms. 
 
 Mills started to take the vacant seat nearest 
 to him but was stopped by a sudden exclama 
 tion from his hostess. There was a note of 
 startled pain in it. 
 
 " No ! No ! Not there," she exclaimed hur 
 riedly. " Here, sit here. That s Jim s place," 
 she added. 
 
 Newton took the seat pointed out to him. He 
 looked askance at the number of vacant chairs. 
 Ridgeby mumbled an explanation. 
 34 
 
The ROAD to RIDG.EBY S 
 
 " We ust t have children, yeh see, an* when 
 they uz took from us we kinder kept right on 
 settin their places to the table. It don t seem 
 so lonesome like somehow." 
 
 " Ef they d a tuk my advice," shrilled Reu 
 ben 
 
 " They d never had no children," Lilt inter 
 rupted. 
 
 Newton laughed. 
 
 The old man covered his confusion by mut 
 tering a blessing. At its end Lilt caught up 
 his fork and hitching himself from his chair 
 deftly speared a slice of bread from a platter in 
 the center of the table. The meat and potatoes 
 were started on their procession around the 
 board. Newton was invited to " sail right in." 
 All became at once too busy eating to waste 
 breath in talking. Newton glanced around the 
 room. 
 
 It was of low ceiling. The walls were 
 washed a dark yellow. Two or three cheap 
 prints were hung upon them. One was a wood 
 cut of Daniel Webster ; the other was a picture 
 35 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 of Washington taking farewell of his troops. 
 There was one rocking chair in the room. The 
 rest were low, straight-backed, with heavy cane 
 seats woven in wedge-shaped quarters. 
 
 But Newton could not keep his eyes from 
 wandering back to the face of Sibley opposite 
 him. There was a sweetness in her features 
 that charmed him. Her complexion was per 
 fect. The smooth whiteness of her skin set off 
 the ruddy glow of her cheeks. Her eyes had 
 the reflection of the summer sky in them. When 
 she now and then reached him something he 
 was surprised to see how soft and white were 
 her hands. He marked the difference in her 
 demeanour from that of the rest of the family ; 
 so easy was it compared with the noisy haste 
 of Lilt; the untaught awkwardness of her 
 mother and the childish clatter of the old man 
 Reuben. She was perfect in her own deport 
 ment, and oblivious to the ignorance around 
 her. Newton could not help admiring the 
 girl. 
 
 " What d yeh guess I caught this young man 
 
 36 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 a doin ? " Ridgeby asked after he had worn off 
 the sharp edge of his appetite. 
 
 " I hope twant nahthin wrong," his wife re 
 turned. 
 
 Newton s exploit with Hi Simms was re 
 counted. Mrs. Ridgeby looked at him admir 
 ingly. 
 
 The girl lifted her eye lashes and gave him a 
 quick, sharp glance. It was the first sign of in 
 terest in him she had betrayed. Her glance was 
 one of searching inquiry. She dropped her 
 eyes again but said nothing. 
 
 " I hope yeh didn t get hurt much," ex 
 claimed her mother. " I d better put some 
 intment on them cuts after supper. I uz a 
 wonderin what had happened to yeh." 
 
 " Ef folks ud take my advice," broke out 
 Reuben 
 
 " Pass the meat, Rube," Lilt exclaimed. 
 
 The old man fumbled with the plate and for 
 got to finish his sentence. 
 
 " Lilt didn t b lieve he dun it till Mills threw 
 him ofFn his feet a couple o times," chuckled 
 37 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Ridgeby, as he bobbed his head. " Dumb ef 
 he didn t make Lilt think he want nahthin but 
 a baby." 
 
 " Did yeh get throwed, Lilt? " Mrs. Ridgeby 
 asked. 
 
 Lilt filled his mouth to completion and gave 
 it his entire attention. 
 
 " I hope yeh did," she continued. " Ef yeh d 
 only get throwed a few times yeh won t be a 
 wantin t wras le every body at comes on th 
 place." 
 
 " Ef folks ud take my advice," cackled Reu 
 ben, " they wouldn t wras le." 
 
 " They wouldn t wras le with Mills, nohow, 
 would they Lilt? " chuckled Ridgeby. 
 
 Lilt swallowed enough of his mouthful to 
 give room for a vindication. 
 
 " He s a pretty hard man, but I think I cud 
 down him after I got ust t him, a little," he 
 mumbled. 
 
 " You men folks 11 get hurt ef you don t 
 stop resking yer lim s so," exclaimed Mrs. 
 Ridgeby. 
 
 38 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " They will ef they don t take my advice," 
 Reuben put in. 
 
 Newton started to say something when he 
 was interrupted by a cheery voice from the 
 door behind him. 
 
 "They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died. Yes, they laid down jes like little dogs 
 an died." 
 
 He turned his head. The little woman who 
 had come up to him during the afternoon was 
 standing in the doorway nodding her head. 
 Her wrinkled face was smiling out from the 
 depths of her great sun bonnet. 
 
 " They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died," she repeated. " Yes, they laid down jes 
 like little dogs an died." She waved her hand 
 and turned away. Sibley sprang from her chair 
 and darted to the door. 
 
 " Oh, Aunt Bet," she called, " Come back 
 and eat some supper with us. You haven t 
 visited us in a long time." 
 
 "They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died," laughed back the old lady from the dis- 
 39 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 tance. " Yes, they laid down jes like little 
 dogs an died." She waved her hand again 
 and disappeared down the lane. 
 
 The girl returned to her seat with a look of 
 disappointment on her pretty face. Newton 
 gave her a glance of inquiry. 
 
 " Oh, that is Crazy Bet," Sibley answered. 
 " A shock unsettled her mind when she was a 
 young woman. Her husband was suddenly 
 killed by a fall from a hay loft and within the 
 next week her three children died of diphtheria. 
 Father and mother remember it. It was long 
 before I was born. Ever since that time the 
 poor woman has wandered about telling every 
 one she meets that they laid down like little 
 dogs and died/ She generally comes here quite 
 often but I think she has taken it into her head 
 to go to the poor farm again." 
 
 " Ef they d take my advice," Reuben put in, 
 " They d send her to th sylum." 
 
 " You must be a stranger in this section ef 
 yeh don t know Crazy Bet," said his hostess. 
 
 " I am." 
 
 40 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Where do yeh live when yer t home," she 
 continued with an idea of being sociable. 
 
 " Nowhere." 
 
 She looked startled. 
 
 " My, haint yeh got no home." 
 
 " Under my hat." 
 
 " Is that all yeh ve got tinder yer hat," Lilt 
 asked, staring hard at his plate. 
 
 " All except a few ideas about wrestling." 
 
 Ridgeby chuckled and bobbed his head. Lilt 
 grinned sheepishly. Mrs. Ridgeby returned to 
 the attack. 
 
 " Yeh haint a tramp, be yeh." 
 
 " Well a sort of a tramp, I suppose," New 
 ton returned. 
 
 " But haint yeh got no kin," she persisted. 
 
 Sibley was looking at him. He hesitated a 
 moment then answered slowly. 
 
 " We are all kin." 
 
 Sibley carried the conversation into other 
 channels. Newton gave her a grateful glance. 
 
 The supper was soon finished. Lilt tilted 
 back in his chair and began picking his teeth 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 with his fork. Ridgeby followed his example. 
 Sibley and her mother cleared away the dishes. 
 A great cat came out from under the stove and 
 rubbed against Newton s leg and then sprang 
 purring into his lap. A fly lighted on Reuben s 
 bald pate. He swung his hand testily about his 
 ears. 
 
 " Gum a fly ! Ef yeh d take my advice " 
 
 " Who, th fly? " grinned Lilt. 
 
 The old man glared at him and snorted. 
 Then he pulled a great red handkerchief from 
 his pocket and spread it over his head. Leaning 
 back against the wall he went to sleep. 
 
 Sibley went out of the kitchen and returned 
 in a moment with three milk pails. She set 
 them down on the floor and taking a pink sun 
 bonnet from a peg on the wall put it on. 
 
 " I m ready," she said. 
 
 Ridgeby and Lilt got up and taking each 
 a pail went out of the door. The girl caught up 
 the remaining pail and followed them. 
 
 "Do you help the men milk?" Newton 
 asked in surprise as he sprang after her. 
 42 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Why, certainly," she answered simply. 
 
 " Let me take your turn to-night." 
 
 " It is not necessary." 
 
 " Then get me another pail." 
 
 " You don t want to milk." 
 
 " But I do." 
 
 She threw that quick glance at him again. 
 
 " Can you milk ? " she asked, stopping. 
 
 "Why, certainly." 
 
 She returned to the house and got another 
 pail. 
 
 They walked side by side to the barn. 
 Neither spoke. The night was inky dark save 
 the little light the stars gave. The moon had 
 not yet risen. The wind was blowing lightly. 
 Its low complainings could be heard in the 
 wheat field to the left of them. Its louder 
 croonings sounded through the willow trees. 
 An owl was hooting somewhere about them. 
 They could hear the lowing of the cows in the 
 barn. 
 
 Newton stole a glance at his companion. Her 
 carriage was erect, the pose of her head com- 
 43 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 manding, her step was strong but graceful. 
 The girl puzzled him. She seemed to fit into 
 her surroundings yet had no part with them. 
 
 They came to the barn. A pale light shone 
 from out the doorway. Ridgeby had just 
 lighted a lantern and hung it upon a nail. Lilt 
 was closing the stanchions. 
 
 " Hullo ! " he called, when he caught sight 
 of Newton. " Have yeh come out t learn t 
 milk?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Yeh haint. What for, then ? " 
 
 " To teach you." 
 
 " How old was yeh when yeh learned to 
 milk?" 
 
 " About three hours." 
 
 It was Ridgeby s turn to laugh. The girl 
 was stroking the flank of a great roan cow, 
 which lowed a welcome. Newton caught up a 
 stool and began milking the cow nearest him. 
 The others followed. 
 
 Tz-i-i-e-e-e-e-eng, tz-i-i-i-e-e-e-e-e-eng sang 
 the white streams as they struck the tin, chang- 
 44 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ing to a quicker zung, sung as the pails slowly 
 filled. The cows chewed their cuds in silent 
 contentment. 
 
 Newton might have milked faster but he 
 could not forbear glancing now and then 
 around the flank of his cow to catch a glimpse 
 of Sibley. He could not see her face, only her 
 hands. They were so soft and white it did not 
 seem to him that they could be used to such 
 rough labour. He wished that he had not 
 offered to milk, but had only looked on. Then 
 he could have watched the girl s face. 
 
 " I ll race yeh," shouted Lilt. 
 
 " Here goes," Newton answered. 
 
 " Milk dry, now," cautioned Ridgeby. 
 
 The milk sang into the pails. There were 
 sixteen cows. Newton won the race by one. 
 Sibley was even with Lilt. She laughed lightly 
 when she found they had each been beaten. 
 
 A short time after returning to the house 
 
 Newton was shown to the room he was to 
 
 occupy for the night. The ceiling was low 
 
 and sloping on each side. There was a great 
 
 45 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 four-post bed in the room with a mountainous 
 feather tick. The bed was covered by a blue 
 woven counterpane. A Bible and a hymn 
 book rested on the low old-fashioned dresser, 
 and the Lord s prayer, worked in red worsted, 
 hung framed upon the wall. 
 
 He was tired and sank into a half doze as 
 soon as he touched the pillow. Then he became 
 dimly conscious of a howling and scratching 
 beneath him, mingled with low oofs and 
 smothered squeals. He heard a low shuffling 
 in the kitchen and the door opening. There 
 came a stampede beneath him. A moment 
 later he heard the shuffling in the kitchen again 
 and Reuben s voice drawling: 
 
 " Gum a hawg anyway. Ef they ud take 
 my advice " 
 
 Then he sank deeper into the feathers and to 
 sleep. 
 
Chapter IV 
 
 A TRUANT ray of sunshine playing at 
 hide and seek with a shadow fell 
 athwart Newton s face the next morn 
 ing and awoke him. Out in the yard the cocks 
 were welcoming the morning with clamorous 
 matins. Their bandied paeans mingled demo 
 cratically with the squealings of hungry pigs 
 and the morning songs of birds. The rattle of 
 dishes in the kitchen warned Newton to be 
 astir. He dressed hastily. The family was 
 sitting down to breakfast when he joined it. 
 Lilt had just surmounted a pile of cakes with 
 a great lump of butter. He looked up and 
 greeted Newton with a hearty, " Mornin ." 
 Mrs. Ridgeby bustled forward with an anxious 
 inquiry as to his night s rest. Ridgeby seemed 
 to be out of sorts. There was a frown on his 
 face and a pucker in his forehead. He growled 
 a greeting at Newton. Reuben was rolling a 
 potato from hand to hand and blowing on 
 his ringers alternately. 
 
 47 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Ef yeh d a tuk my advice," he was cackling, 
 " Gummed but these taters are hot. Ef yeh d 
 a tuk my advice, yeh wouldn t a et that las 
 piece o pie las night." 
 
 " Naw, he d a left it for you," Lilt put in. 
 
 Reuben turned on him testily. He dropped 
 the potato and gave his fingers a parting 
 blow. 
 
 " Ef yeh d take my advice," he shrilled. 
 " Yeh d talk less an say more." 
 
 Sibley came in and took her place. She 
 gave Newton a careless " good morning." He 
 looked at her narrowly. She seemed to him to 
 be even prettier in the early morning than she 
 was the night before. She was as fresh as the 
 morning itself. A sunbeam broke through the 
 window, mingled with her hair, and was lost. 
 Newton tried to draw her into a conversation 
 but succeeded indifferently. He found her, 
 however, to be of nimble wit and in her words 
 showed a familiarity with the world and its 
 doings that surprised him. Ridgeby was 
 grumbling to himself. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I never seen help s scarce in all my born 
 days," he mumbled tartly. " There hain t been 
 hide ner hair of a han through this section 
 this summer, an here tis way into harvestin 
 an not a blade s cut. Hay s bout ruined, too. 
 I swear ef things hain t jes set crostwise 
 with me this year. I never see such tarnal 
 luck." 
 
 "Ef yeh d a tuk my advice ," put in 
 
 Reuben. 
 
 " Here s me laid up with th Roomatis," 
 continued Ridgeby, hastily, " An Em ly s bout 
 beat out with th ager, an Sibley ain t feelin 
 very well, an th colt s got th influenzy, th 
 hogs th choleree an th chickens th pips. Th 
 ole mare s clean gin out, hain t been no rain 
 fer a month an taxes is due." 
 
 " Ef yeh d a tuk my advice " 
 
 " Everything s goin t rack an ruin," thun 
 dered Ridgeby, his voice rising with his anger. 
 " We re gittin porer every day an th rich is 
 gettin richer. We re bein groun down by 
 domineerin capitalists an th railroads re 
 49 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 eatin us up. Th gov ment s in th hands o 
 demagogues an tricksters. We re bein hur 
 ried under a mountain o taxes t keep a lot o 
 lazy paupers doin nahthin." Ridgeby stopped 
 to catch his breath. Reuben thought he saw 
 an opportunity. 
 
 " Ef yeh d a tuk my advice " 
 
 Ridgeby went on. 
 
 " Everything s taxed. Them buttons er 
 taxed ten per cent. Them overall s taxed ; so s 
 them knives and forks, an th table cloth too. 
 Th country s goin t th everlastin bow-wow- 
 o-o-o-o-o-o- 
 
 Ridgeby choked on the wow. Reuben seized 
 the opportunity. 
 
 " Ef yeh d a tuk my advice," he piped, 
 "Yeh d a stuck t th good ole Republican 
 party, like I dun." 
 
 His remarks were lost. Ridgeby was getting 
 black in the face. His wife sprang up and be 
 gan pounding on his back with what strength 
 there was in her thin, spare frame. Sibley 
 offered water. Between this assistance and 
 50 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ferocious swallowings on the part of Ridgeby 
 the truant mouthful was safely landed where it 
 belonged. 
 
 " What s got int yeh, anyway," his wife 
 exclaimed with considerable spirit. " I haint 
 seen yeh make sech a fool o yerself in a long 
 time. This s is what comes o bein in politicks 
 an runnin fer office." 
 
 " Wow ! " sighed Ridgeby, as he straight 
 ened up. " O-o-o-o-o-wow ! Is it gone? " 
 
 " It s t be hoped yer temper has," said his 
 wife, smiling again. 
 
 A sheepish grin spread over the old man s 
 face. Newton came to the rescue. 
 
 " Are you in need of a hand? " he asked. 
 
 " I be," Ridgeby answered, meekly. 
 
 "Will I do?" 
 
 "You?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Again Newton caught the girl throwing that 
 glance of inquiry at him. 
 
 " You don t look like a farm hand," said 
 Ridgeby, doubtfully. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Lilt didn t think that I looked like a wres 
 tler, either." 
 
 Ridgeby chuckled. 
 
 " Ther haint much money in it," he said. 
 " Twenty dollars a month an foun ." 
 
 " Give me the found. I don t care for the 
 twenty dollars," Newton replied. 
 
 Again came that quick glance from Sibley. 
 
 " Ef yeh d take my advice," Reuben cackled. 
 
 " I ll try yeh," answered Ridgeby. " Ther 
 haint much t do this mornin . Lilt s usin the 
 team down in th south lot cult vatin , but this 
 afternoon yeh can take em an begin cuttin 
 hay in th secon medder." 
 
 " Ef yeh d take my advice," finished Reuben, 
 " Yeh d make him pay fer his board." 
 
 Breakfast was hurried through as rapidly 
 as possible. Ridgeby and Lilt were on their 
 way to the fields very soon. Newton stayed 
 at the house and amused himself watching 
 the girl. She worked rapidly, going from 
 one task to another with the ease of habit. 
 Now wiping the dishes, giving them a pol- 
 52 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ish to the tune of " Bon Ami," now out in 
 the yard surrounded by a flock of cack 
 ling, clucking hens, that eagerly pecked the 
 corn she threw them; now carrying a pail of 
 skimmed milk to the calves. She swung the 
 heavy pail with an ease which proved that 
 strength was added to her beauty. The bend 
 of her lithe body and the pose of her arm as 
 she held it out for a balance were of classic 
 grace. The morning s drudgery was soon fin 
 ished. 
 
 Newton was drawing a bucket of water from 
 the well when Sibley came out from the house 
 and started with a sprightly step through the 
 orchard. 
 
 " Where away, now," he called after her. 
 
 She paid no attention to him. He shrugged 
 his shoulders and sprang after her. She 
 stopped and turned on him. A princess, whose 
 pale of royalty had been trespassed upon, could 
 not have been more repellent. Mills self- 
 assurance deserted him. He involuntarily 
 doffed his hat. He spoke humbly. 
 53 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "I beg your pardon if I have displeased 
 you," he said slowly. " I know you better 
 now." 
 
 The slight frown that had come over Sib- 
 ley s face passed away. 
 
 " Am I forgiven? " he asked. 
 
 Newton asked it so half timidly, half mis 
 chievously, that Sibley smiled in spite of her 
 self. 
 
 Your forwardness is at least good-na 
 tured," she answered. " I will pass it." 
 
 " Then may I go with you ? I want a walk, 
 the morning is beautiful." 
 
 Sibley turned away. 
 
 "I am going to the Corners. There are 
 several other directions in which you can 
 walk." 
 
 " But I want to go this way." 
 
 " I cannot stop you, but you will find it a 
 hard walk." 
 
 " Is it a long one? " he asked. 
 
 " A very long one, and a sharp tongue for 
 a welcome." 
 
 54 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " And a sharper one for company. Well, 
 I m going." 
 
 They came to the orchard fence. Newton 
 was just about to offer his assistance when Sib- 
 ley put her hand on the top rail and lightly 
 vaulted it. Newton followed her. He had 
 seen torn-boys leap fences, but this girl did not 
 do it like a tom-boy. She did it like Sibley. 
 
 " Is that the way you usually climb fences ? " 
 Newton asked quizzically. 
 
 " Yes, unless there is some one about whom 
 I care for." 
 
 She said it carelessly. Newton shrugged 
 his shoulders. 
 
 " I am glad then that I am one of the 
 favoured mortals whom you do not care for. I 
 would not have missed that sight for anything. 
 Will you leap the next fence, too? " 
 
 They walked some distance without speak 
 ing. The sun was flaming half way up the 
 heavens. Swallows were dipping here and 
 there. A flock of sparrows flew up, now and 
 then, around them. They were walking 
 55 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 through a pasture. The grass was closely 
 cropped. Gopher holes honeycombed the 
 ground. A snake wiggled out from under the 
 girl s foot and disappeared in a hole. She 
 carelessly watched its course. Newton cast 
 about him for an excuse with which to start a 
 conversation. 
 
 " What an odd old chap Reuben is," he said. 
 
 " Do you think so ? " she answered vacantly. 
 
 " Who is he? " he asked, bluntly. 
 
 "Who is who?" 
 
 " Why, Reuben." 
 
 "Oh, were you talking about him? Yes, 
 he is." 
 
 "He is what?" 
 
 "Didn t you say that he was odd? I was 
 agreeing with you." 
 
 " Oh." 
 
 Another silence. 
 
 "Well, who is Reuben," he asked again. 
 "A relative?" 
 
 " No, I don t know who he is," Sibley an 
 swered carelessly. 
 
 56 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " You don t know who he is ? " Newton re 
 plied, puzzled. " That s queer." 
 
 "Is it?" 
 
 Sibley s mind seemed to be wandering away 
 somewhere. Then she came a little more to 
 herself. 
 
 " Reuben came to the door one day about six 
 years ago and asked to be allowed to stay over 
 night. Up to this time he has neglected to go 
 away." 
 
 Just then they came to another fence. Sib- 
 ley did not vault it, but walked along its bush- 
 lined sides until she came to a pair of bars. She 
 let them down and passed through. 
 
 " I seem to be growing in your estimation," 
 Newton said, as he replaced the bars. 
 
 Sibley laughed, but did not reply. They 
 soon came within sight of the little red store. 
 He wondered if the girl would say anything 
 about his encounter with Hi Simms now that 
 they were on the scene of it. Instead, she 
 began humming " Bon Ami." 
 
 They passed around the corner of the store 
 57 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 and went in by the little door in front. Miss 
 Latey was sitting in her accustomed place by 
 the sugar barrel. She gave Newton a sharp 
 glance as they entered. 
 
 " Good morning, Miss Latey/ Sibley said 
 pleasantly. 
 
 Miss Latey snapped her teeth tightly to 
 gether and glared at her customers. 
 
 " Oh, it s you, be it? What d yeh want? " 
 
 " A pound of citron, if you please," Sibley 
 answered. 
 
 " Huh ! " sniffed the old lady, as she got up. 
 "It s a wonder at Hiram Ridgeby s able t 
 buy fancy stuff with s many paupers in th 
 house. No wonder he can t pay intrust." 
 
 Newton was looking at Sibley. He saw the 
 red of her cheeks deepen and spread over her 
 face until it burned like fire. He saw her white 
 teeth sink into her lips as though they would 
 bite through them. 
 
 " Has Ridgeby picked up any more paupers 
 lately? " continued the old lady, as she weighed 
 out the citron. 
 
 58 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " He picked me up last night," Newton 
 broke in sharply. " I am to work for my 
 board and clothes." 
 
 Miss Latey looked at him over her 
 glasses. 
 
 " My land," she exclaimed. " Ef it aint that 
 tramp at uz fightin with Hi Simms las 
 night. Well, ef I uz Hiram Ridgeby I d send 
 you postin fore yeh had time t steal any 
 thing." 
 
 Newton burst into a boisterous laugh. 
 Under cover of it Sibley caught up her pur 
 chase and darted out the door. Newton fol 
 lowed her more slowly and saw her speeding 
 across the fields in a walk that was almost a 
 run. He overtook her. He was still laugh 
 ing. When he came along side her Sibley 
 turned her head. 
 
 " What an old vixen," laughed Newton. 
 " She could break up that temper of her s into 
 little pieces and sell them for needles. Who is 
 she, Miss Ridgeby?" 
 
 Newton caught sight of Sibley s face. Tears 
 59 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 were stealing out of her eyes and staining her 
 cheeks. He was sobered at once. 
 
 " Why, Miss Ridgeby ," he began. 
 
 " Don t call me that," she cried. " I m not 
 Miss Ridgeby. I m only what Miss Latey 
 called me, a pauper, one of Hiram Ridgeby s 
 stray cattle. I ought to be in the poor house 
 or farmed out for my board." 
 
 The tears came faster, and she spoke fever 
 ishly. Newton looked at her in amazement. 
 The girl sped on. She seemed to want to es 
 cape him. He looked into her face again. All 
 the pride that had been in her carriage had 
 melted. She seemed to him now as a child. 
 He forgot for the moment that she was a 
 woman. He reached out and caught her hand. 
 She gave a start and turned a frightened face 
 towards him, but did not draw her hand away. 
 There was something in the expression on his 
 face that reassured her. She was in a mood in 
 which a woman craves sympathy. The highly- 
 keyed tension of her nerves made her fairly 
 clairvoyant. They told her that she had found 
 60 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 a friend. They were standing beneath a great 
 tree. He pulled her down on one of the roots. 
 
 " Tell me about it," he commanded. 
 
 " There isn t very much to tell," she replied, 
 borne down by his tone. " I was left, when a 
 baby, on Hiram Ridgeby s doorstep. The 
 only father and mother I ever knew took me in 
 and kept me. The neighbours wanted me 
 taken to the poor house, but they would not 
 have it that way and I was brought up as 
 if I were a daughter. How good they 
 have been to me. Father even mortgaged the 
 farm that I might have an education. Why, I 
 was at Vassar two years. It was intended that 
 I should finish the course, but father couldn t 
 raise the money without increasing the mort 
 gage and I wouldn t let him do that. They 
 have done everything in the world for me, but 
 I have no right to any of it. I suppose it is that 
 I may not forget that fact and become ungrate 
 ful that I have to stand such slurs as these, 
 but, oh, how they hurt me." 
 
 Newton smiled at her. 
 61 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Why do you mind the words of a sour- 
 tongued old woman whose temper has fer 
 mented and must blow up once in so often. 
 The idea of calling 1 you a pauper because Hiram 
 Ridgeby was lucky enough to have you left on 
 his doorstep. My home had a doorstep. I 
 wish you had been left on that. Perhaps, 
 then " 
 
 Newton s voice sank. Then he checked him 
 self. He looked away off towards the south 
 and for a moment watched a man and a team 
 crawling along the summit of the ridge. Even 
 that far away he could see that it was Ridgeby. 
 
 " Perhaps then Ridgeby and his wife 
 would not be the happy couple they are now," 
 he finished. 
 
 " Look ! " he said, pointing towards the 
 ridge. " There s the old man working away, 
 harder perhaps than he deserves, but you know 
 how cheerfully he does it. But don t you know 
 that you have lightened his load rather than 
 increased it. Those furrows would seem twice 
 as long were it not for the face he sees at the 
 62 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 end of each one of them. The mud would 
 cling twice as heavily about his great boots 
 were it not for the lightness in his heart that 
 you have put there. When we passed the house 
 yesterday we heard you singing. Could you 
 have heard the swell of loving pride that came 
 into his voice when he said, That s Sibley 
 Ann/ you would never let such thoughts 
 bother you again." 
 
 She was looking toward the ground. Her 
 hand supported her chin. She had stopped cry 
 ing. Newton lightened his tone. 
 
 " How can you be, a pauper with riches of 
 beauty," he exclaimed. 
 
 " Beauty is only skin deep at the best," she 
 returned. 
 
 " Not if it goes way through to the heart." 
 
 She looked up at him. 
 
 " I know I m foolish, but " 
 
 " It s the province of a girl to be foolish/ 
 Newton finished. 
 
 A smile crept over her face. 
 
 " But I have been to Vassar. Is that not 
 
 63 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 supposed to lift one above the right to be 
 foolish? But come, we must get back to the 
 house." 
 
 Newton would have liked to stay longer, but 
 he followed her. They came to the orchard 
 fence. 
 
 " Well," he said, " What are you going to 
 do about the fence this time? " 
 
 She looked him straight in the eyes a mo 
 ment. A quizzical smile came over her face, 
 then she held out her hand. 
 
 " I think that I will be a Vassar girl again 
 for a moment. You may help me over." 
 
Chapter V 
 
 AFTER dinner Newton hitched the team 
 to the mower and started for the hay 
 field. He drove through a winding 
 lane in which the calves were sporting, skirting 
 an orchard on one side, and on the other a 
 wheat field, whose golden expanse, uniting with 
 others, stretched out until, sinking down a 
 swale, it became lost to sight. The sun, falling 
 on the bending heads, was reflected back in a 
 golden sparkle. He let down a pair of bars, 
 drove through a pasture and into the field of 
 waving timothy. 
 
 He stopped his horses a moment and looked 
 around him. The tufted grass was bowing 
 salutes to the sun all about him. It swayed 
 and bent and tossed and became erect again as 
 the wind whispered over it, sending up a breath 
 of perfume that Newton drank in with a sigh. 
 Grasshoppers everywhere leaped from stalk to 
 stalk and filled the air with their grating song. 
 One of them lighted on his hand. He aroused 
 
 65 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 himself from the half reverie into which he 
 had fallen and flicked it off. He drew up the 
 lines, let down the bar and called to his horses. 
 They strained against the collars, the knives 
 creaked and crashed and the serried ranks of 
 hay began to prostrate themselves as Oriental 
 slaves at the approach of a master. The rattle 
 of the knives as he drove round and round the 
 field became monotonous after awhile. It 
 drowned out all other sounds and roared in his 
 ears until he scarcely heard it. Then he fell 
 to musing of Sibley. 
 
 The girl was an enigma to him. Here was 
 a woman to whom had been given advantages 
 far beyond those usual to her lot, a girl cul 
 tured, refined, with a mind broadened by con 
 tact with the world, educated at a college noted 
 for its culture, accomplished, beautiful. All 
 this she was, yet here he found her on an Iowa 
 farm, milking the cows, feeding the calves, en 
 gaged in all the rough household duties, tak 
 ing her full share in the rude battle for exist 
 ence, and doing it all as though she dreamed of 
 66 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 nothing better. There was nothing in her 
 bearing to reveal that she considered herself 
 better than her surroundings, no attempt to 
 hold herself above it. If she longed for some 
 thing better, if her mind revolted at the crude 
 monotony around her, if she was filled with 
 ambitions beyond her every day life it was no 
 where manifested. Still her superiority was 
 everywhere apparent. Her face and form 
 showed a gentle parentage shining through 
 the mystery of her birth. There was an uncon 
 scious grace in her bearing, a quiet queenliness 
 in her address, which in spite of herself marked 
 her as above her condition. 
 
 Sibley was an example of that ever increas 
 ing type, the educated farmer s daughter, the 
 girl for whom the old, bent, gnarled, work- 
 withered mothers and fathers have toiled year 
 in and year out, knowing not the meaning of 
 rest, narrowing as the seasons pass, growing 
 farther and farther away from that great world 
 that lies somewhere over beyond the swells. 
 When the children grow up and become able 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 to take the plow from the hand of the father 
 and the multitudinous cares of the household 
 from the shoulders of the mother the parents 
 shut their eyes to the rest that is offered them. 
 They slave harder yet, scrimp closer than be 
 fore, add to the mortgage on the farm, that the 
 children may have an education. It is their 
 ambition, their dream. The children go away 
 to school. The boys stay away. The glamour 
 of the world blinds them. Ambitious dreams 
 weave delusions in their minds, and they turn 
 their backs on the old farm and go out into the 
 hurly-burly. Not so the girl. She goes back 
 to mother and father, she takes up her duties 
 again and finds her simple pleasures among 
 them. So it was with Sibley. 
 
 The mower rattled on and the horses strained 
 on. The steam was rising in clouds from their 
 flanks. The sun was beating down with a 
 withering heat. The horizon seemed dancing, 
 so tremulous was the air. Newton felt as if he 
 were burning up as he guided the horses round 
 and round the field. The heat seemed to find its 
 68 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 way into his blood and set it boiling. His face 
 and hands were blistering- and his shoulders felt 
 on fire. The straw hat he had borrowed from 
 Lilt offered but small protection and he feared 
 he would faint. 
 
 He cast longing eyes toward the west. The 
 sun crawled along. He had not been in the 
 field more than two hours and already it 
 seemed that the heat must overcome him. He 
 happened to look toward the house. He caught 
 sight of a girl coming down through the pas 
 ture carrying a jug. As he came around the 
 circuit again she leaped the fence and called to 
 him. It was Sibley. He stopped his horses. 
 
 " I have brought you down something to 
 drink," she said, as she came up to him. " You 
 would better stop and rest for a few moments. 
 You are not seasoned to the heat yet. It is 
 terrible out here in the fields. I don t see how 
 the men stand it. Are you thirsty? " 
 
 " I m as dry as a bone," Newton said, grate 
 fully, as he headed his horses toward a tree 
 that grew in a fence corner. He drew up in the 
 
 69 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 shade and dismounted. She handed him the 
 jug. He put his thumb through the handle and 
 swinging it over his elbow pressed it to his lips. 
 
 " Ah, swizzle," he said, smacking his lips. 
 Then he took another draught. 
 
 Sibley stood with her arms akimbo smiling 
 at him. Her face, in the depths of her sunbon- 
 net, looked bewitching. Her rounded arms 
 shone through her thin sleeves, her dress open 
 at the neck, displayed a full, white throat. 
 
 " It was very kind of you to remember me," 
 Newton said, looking at her. " I was nearly 
 dying from thirst." 
 
 " I always take the men something cool to 
 drink in the afternoon," she replied. 
 
 The reply disappointed him. 
 
 Sibley went up to the horses and began strok 
 ing their heads. Newton threw himself down 
 in the shade. 
 
 " I have been thinking about you all the 
 afternoon, Miss Ridgeby," he said, after a 
 minute. 
 
 " Father would probably prefer you to think 
 70 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 about your work/ she returned, without look 
 ing at him. 
 
 Newton was taken back, but he did not yield 
 the field. 
 
 " You are an enigma to me," he continued. 
 " I can t make you out at all." 
 
 " What is the matter. I can probably ex 
 plain it," she replied. 
 
 Newton reached for a blade of timothy and 
 twirled it in his fingers. 
 
 " Well," he said slowly, " You have told me 
 of the advantages you have enjoyed, of your 
 college education and all, and yet here you are 
 on this farm doing the rough work as though 
 you cared for nothing better. You are like the 
 queen in the guise of a kitchen maid." 
 
 " Is an education supposed to unfit one for 
 the position of kitchen maid? " she asked with 
 out turning toward him. 
 
 " No, but it is likely to raise one above it, 
 and make one dissatisfied with it." 
 
 " You are college bred, are you not ? " she 
 asked, turning suddenly toward him. 
 
 7 1 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Yes," he admitted, after an instant s hesi 
 tation. 
 
 " You have had even greater advantages 
 than I?" 
 
 " Perhaps." 
 
 " Yet here you are working on a farm for 
 twenty dollars a month and found." Sibley 
 turned to the horses again. 
 
 " I beg your pardon," Newton added. 
 " Only for found. There may be some good 
 reason for that." 
 
 " Not for your health, anyway," Sibley 
 laughed. 
 
 " There are a good many kinds of health." 
 Newton replied slowly. 
 
 Sibley left the horses and went toward him. 
 Her face became grave. There was a look of 
 intenseness in her blue eyes. 
 
 " If there is reason for your doing as you 
 do," she said, " Is there not reason for me ? 
 What right have I to do anything else than 
 what I do, or to be anything else than what 
 I am. I have no right even to these. Every- 
 72 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 thing I am or ever will be is owing to those 
 whom by their kindness I can call parents. 
 Why should I allow their kindnesses to raise me 
 above them ? It is for me to be what they are, 
 to think as they think, to work as they work, 
 anything else would be treason. It is for me to 
 remember the debt I owe and to repay it as far 
 as may lie in my power. It is for me to sacri 
 fice myself to any extent to aid them, and may 
 I die before I see the day that I shall refuse 
 to do it. What am I ? Why I may even be " 
 
 She checked herself, and began winking her 
 eyes to keep back the tears. 
 
 " I don t know what I am." 
 
 " And should not care," said Newton. 
 " Look into the glass. Does that not tell 
 enough ? " 
 
 " Tell that to a silly girl," said Sibley. 
 
 " There seems to be none here to whom to 
 tell it," he answered meekly. 
 
 Sibley smiled again. 
 
 " You are bound to compliment me, but I am 
 proof against flattery." 
 73 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Or surfeited with it, which ?" 
 
 "A girl never is that," she replied with a 
 laugh. " She may be unaffected by flattery, 
 but she never tires of it. But you would better 
 go to work again. Here," she cried suddenly, 
 as from an inspiration, " you stay here and I 
 will go around two or three times. I haven t 
 driven a machine for two years." 
 
 She sprang on the iron seat and started the 
 horses on the circuit. Newton lay back in the 
 shade and watched her as the falling timothy 
 bent before her. She sat erect and guided the 
 horses with a rare skill. 
 
 A road skirted one side of the field. New 
 ton s eyes turning for a instant from Sibley s 
 graceful figure, looked up it. The wind rising 
 a little was puffing up the dust in eddies. Far 
 up the road he saw a man on horseback ap- 
 approaching. Sibley was almost out of sight at 
 the far end of the field so he watched him. 
 The horse was in harness and the tugs were 
 flapping. The man was mounted sideways. As 
 he came nearer Newton recognised him as the 
 74 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 one he had seen the day before with Sibley. He 
 was broad shouldered and muscular. His 
 checked shirt was open at the throat showing 
 a strong chest. His feet were thrust into coarse 
 boots. He wore his great straw hat in rather a 
 rakish fashion. The sun-burned features it 
 shadowed were heavy and coarse though well 
 formed, and his eyes had an expression of un 
 couth hardness in them. Sibley was coming 
 around by the tree. The man checked his 
 horse. 
 
 "Hello Sib!" he called. 
 
 Sibley stopped the horses and looked toward 
 him. 
 
 " Good afternoon, Abner," she answered 
 quietly. 
 
 " I uz jes goin over t your place. Got t 
 borrer a scythe if Ridgeby s willin . Jim jes 
 broke th one he s usin . It s a day s grindin t 
 get it int* shape agen. How s th folks ? " 
 
 " They are well. How is your mother, Ab 
 ner?" Sibley returned as she dismounted. 
 
 " The ole lady s lively nuff. Lize guessed 
 75 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 she d come over this aft noon, but Al s wife 
 dropped in fer th day an she had t give it up. 
 She s darned sorry too. Got a new han t help 
 Lilt?" 
 
 "Yes. Mr. Hawkins this is Newton 
 Mills." 
 
 " How d do Newt. Where d yeh come 
 from?" 
 
 Newton looked into Sibley s face. It ex 
 pressed nothing. He pulled another blade of 
 grass and began to chew it. 
 
 " I say, where d yeh come from ? " Abner 
 repeated roughly. 
 
 Newton turned toward him coolly. 
 
 " From Heaven, originally, I understand." 
 
 "The Hell yeh did?" 
 
 Again Newton looked at Sibley. Her face 
 was as impassive as before. 
 
 " If I were you," Newton said slowly, " I 
 would be a little more careful what language I 
 used in the presence of a lady." 
 
 Abner drew his horse closer to the fence and 
 rested his feet on the top rail. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Haw ! Haw ! Haw ! " he laughed, " Well, I 
 guess Sib s used t me, aint yeh Sib ? I d advize 
 you, though, not t be givin lessons in ettiket 
 t yer betters." 
 
 " I never do/ Newton answered, looking 
 carelessly away across the field. 
 
 " Yeh was jes tryin J t." 
 
 " Not to my betters." 
 
 Abner pushed his hat further back on his 
 head. The coarseness of his face became more 
 prominent. He was speechless for a moment. 
 Newton lay still watching Sibley and carelessly 
 chewing a blade of timothy. 
 
 Hawkins burst out at last. 
 
 " Ef Sib want here I d teach yeh some man 
 
 ners." 
 
 " If you will swear before a woman I should 
 think you would fight before her," Newton re 
 plied, throwing away the blade of grass. 
 
 " Why damn you ," began Abner. 
 
 Newton sprang from the ground and started 
 for the fence. Abner threw himself from his 
 horse and advanced to meet him. Sibley was 
 77 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 the only calm one. She stepped in front of 
 Newton and stopped him. 
 
 " My ears do not need a protector," she said 
 quietly. " As Abner says I am indeed used to 
 him. There is the team, you had better go back 
 to your work." 
 
 Newton frowned toward Abner, then with 
 out a word turned to the machine. As he 
 mounted it Abner broke out in a jeering 
 laugh. 
 
 " Yeh scart easy." 
 
 In an instant the rattle of the knives drowned 
 the rest of his words. Newton did not venture 
 to look back. When he came around again he 
 saw Abner riding toward the house. Sibley 
 was walking by his side. On the next round 
 they had disappeared. 
 
 After supper Newton helped Lilt do up the 
 chores. When he went into the house after the 
 milk pails he found Abner there. Sibley was 
 just leading him into the little parlor. He was 
 wearing the same rough clothes he had worn 
 in the afternoon. As Newton saw the door 
 
 78 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 close behind them he felt a strange feeling of 
 dissatisfaction in his heart. A sort of trembling 
 came over his limbs, a kind of vague disap 
 pointment. He pretended to himself that it was 
 not there. 
 
 He and Lilt did the milking alone that night. 
 
 "Who s this Abner Hawkins?" Newton 
 asked, with assumed carelessness, as he hung a 
 lantern on a peg. 
 
 " He s George Hawkins s son," Lilt an 
 swered, as he began closing the stanchions. 
 " Yeh want t look out for him a little. He s a 
 mean cuss. Th ole man has means an it kind 
 o sets Abner up. It ll all go t Ab. He ll be 
 th bes fixed man in th county when th ole 
 man dies. They say at George Hawkins owns 
 half th county, an s got a mor gage on t other 
 half. He s a mean scrimpy critter an Ab. takes 
 right after him. He s a chip off th ole 
 block." 
 
 " Is he a friend of Miss Ridgeby s? " New 
 ton asked, as he put a stool by the side of a 
 great roan cow and sat down. 
 79 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Well, I shud say so. They re goin t be 
 married in th spring." 
 
 "Oh!" 
 
 And then the milk began to sing in the 
 pails. 
 
 80 
 
Chapter VI 
 
 BEFORE he had noticed the quick pas 
 sage of time Newton had been a month 
 at the farm. His status in the family 
 was quickly determined. Ridgeby declared him 
 to be a jewel. Lilt admitted that he could farm 
 as well as he could wrestle. Reuben decided 
 that he earned his board. Mrs. Ridgeby had 
 ceased to inquire into his antecedents. 
 
 While his cordial reception into the family 
 was most pleasing to Newton there was one 
 member of it whose coldness offset in his mind 
 the warm heartedness of all the others. Upon 
 his advent at the farm Sibley had plainly been 
 suspicious of him. Newton was sure he had 
 conquered her suspicions. On two occasions 
 she had given him deep insights into her heart. 
 These revelations seemed to him to warrant a 
 pledge of friendship. For a time he thought 
 she was his friend. For two weeks she threw 
 aside the cool reserve in which she had at first 
 masked herself and had treated him with a 
 81 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 frank kindness. They had long talks together 
 during the short evenings. Sometimes it was 
 out under the walnuts where the tree toads 
 were singing for rain, or walking down the 
 road in the moonlight. Literature, art, re 
 ligion were the subjects that engrossed them. 
 Newton found the girl s mind to be better in 
 formed on many of these subjects than his own. 
 Her tastes were exquisite, her ideas well de 
 veloped, her opinions sharply defined. Nor did 
 he find her inclined toward the pedantry of the 
 blue stocking. She was always ready to stop 
 a discussion for a frolic and was inclined to 
 season an argument with a jest. 
 
 During those first days Newton found the 
 girl to be exerting an influence over him beyond 
 what he had thought possible. He put the 
 thought away from him, he even laughed at it, 
 but he caught himself listening to the meadow 
 larks and likening their song to Sibley s. He 
 came upon a blue-bell in the pasture one day 
 and he stopped to notice that its colour was that 
 of Sibley s eyes. He called himself a fool and 
 82 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 stepped upon the blue-bell but before he could 
 climb the fence he had gone back and raised the 
 bruised flower from the dust and kissed it. 
 Then he called himself a fool again. He 
 found himself looking forward all through the 
 day to that one short hour s conversation with 
 Sibley in the evening. It recompensed him for 
 the labour and sweat of the day. But an end 
 came to this. Abner Hawkins visits had 
 ceased for awhile. Newton had almost for 
 gotten that such a person had existence. Ab 
 ner had been away somewhere, Lilt said. 
 " Puttin th screws on a mortgage summers, 
 most likely!" But he came back again. New 
 ton found that he had no place with Sibley any 
 longer. Their evening talks ended. She no 
 longer came out to the fields in the afternoons 
 with a cooling draught. Old Reuben instead, 
 limped out with it. It often lay untasted in the 
 shade. Sibley s manner toward Newton 
 changed as well. The old coldness came into 
 her manner again. Then Newton found him 
 self to be miserable. The farm was no longer 
 
 83 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 pleasant. The sun seemed hotter and there 
 were no pleasant anticipations to make him for 
 get it. The clatter of the mower became more 
 deafening and there was no song in his ears to 
 drown it. He would not then admit that he was 
 coming to love Sibley, but he knew he was 
 beginning to hate Abner Hawkins. Then he 
 thought that he hated Sibley because she was 
 going to marry him. The thought of this 
 marriage had become a bitter one. Each day 
 he found himself able to consider it less calmly. 
 He made a wry face over it every time he 
 thought of it. 
 
 He finally became so impatient with himself 
 that he decided to leave the farm. Why? Be 
 cause he was in love with Sibley Ridgeby and 
 she was going to marry another man. Pshaw ! 
 but he was not in love with Sibley Ridgeby and 
 so far as he was concerned she could marry 
 anyone she pleased. Then why should he leave 
 the farm ? He decided that this was reasoning 
 somewhat in a circle and told himself again 
 that he was a fool. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Why was Sibley Ridgeby going to marry 
 Abner Hawkins? The rattle of the mower 
 shrieked the question in his ears all day long. 
 The robins chirped it. The gophers whistled it. 
 Why was Sibley Ridgeby going to marry Ab 
 ner Hawkins ? Because she loved him, seemed 
 the rational answer. But was it true in this 
 case? Did Sibley Ridgeby love Abner Haw 
 kins? Newton s mind rebelled at the thought. 
 Could she, a girl, educated, cultured, refined, 
 gifted with the thousand natural graces that 
 make a woman beautiful, could she conceive an 
 affection for a brute like Abner Hawkins, 
 coarse, illiterate, grasping, selfish, lacking in all 
 that crude nobility which springs naturally 
 from the soil and is nurtured by the sunshine. 
 No, a thousand times, No. 
 
 Now and then since their old associations 
 had been broken off Newton had come upon 
 Sibley at times in a musing fit. He had then 
 seen an expression flit over her face like a cloud 
 of hopelessness, a pained look of dread that 
 could not but associate itself in Newton s mind 
 
 85 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 with Abner Hawkins and her betrothal. He 
 felt someway that if he could but again get her 
 to open her heart to him as she had once done 
 that the riddle would be read him. But he 
 asked himself again what mattered it to him. 
 He was mowing with a scythe in a fence corner 
 when the thought came to him. He stopped 
 and resting the handle upon the ground took the 
 stone from his pocket and began to whet the 
 blade. He asked himself the question twice. 
 He stopped and looked away across the fields 
 to where a threshing machine was booming. 
 The sound seemed to him to be calling for an 
 answer to his question. He took off his hat 
 and looked up at the sun. 
 
 " Because I love her," he said aloud. 
 
 Then he began to swing his scythe lustily. 
 
 Newton was slower than usual over his 
 chores that night and he stopped at times and 
 absent-mindedly gazed at the lantern as if its 
 pale rays could light the mental darkness he 
 found himself in. He loved. Why deny it? 
 No, he did not deny it. He loved. He re- 
 86 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 peated the words over and over again to him 
 self as if to become used to them. He loved. 
 What then ? He loved a girl who was betrothed. 
 Did it not follow that he loved hopelessly? 
 Would it not be better for him to go away 
 from his love, or, taking it with him, to stifle 
 it in new impressions ? No, he did not want to 
 stifle it. His love was his. He gloried in it. 
 It had filled his heart. It had become a part 
 of himself. Though it might be hopeless; still 
 it was love, But was it hopeless? His reason 
 answered Yes. His heart urged, No. 
 
 He finished his chores. He went out of the 
 barn and unheeding Lilt s shouted request from 
 the stables below, to " wait a bit," he started 
 toward the fence and leaping it turned down 
 the lane. He was pulling through his hand a 
 bit of straw from the bedding he had thrown 
 down for the horses. Through his head he was 
 pulling and hauling the questions that troubled 
 him. 
 
 Something made him look up. Before him, 
 crouching in the grass below the walnut trees 
 
 87 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 was Sibley. A locust was singing shrilly in the 
 leaves above her and she was looking up to 
 ward it vacantly. The white moonlight fell 
 full upon her face and threw a pallor over it 
 3ave where the red of her lips blushed out. 
 Newton stopped and caught his breath. That 
 divinity he thought, his divinity, to be given 
 over to the arms of Abner Hawkins? Sibley 
 heard his step and turned toward him. A flush 
 overspread her face. She got up without a 
 word and turned toward the house. 
 
 Newton took a step forward. 
 
 " Sibley." 
 
 She turned toward him half helplessly. He 
 had never spoken to her so before. There 
 was a mingled command and entreaty in his 
 voice. It was the first time he had spoken that 
 name except in a whisper to himself. The 
 boldness with which the word came to his lips 
 startled him. 
 
 " Come for a walk." 
 
 Sibley hesitated. That wistful expression 
 flitted across her face again. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Come." 
 
 She sighed, half turned her head away, then 
 as though following a volition not her own 
 she came out the gate and silently took his arm. 
 He turned down the lane and followed it un 
 til it led them out into the main travelled 
 road. 
 
 The road wound its dusty length out before 
 them. The moon light threw a certain uncanny 
 spell over it. The winds were whispering 
 weird tales to the corn fields which shivered 
 restlessly. On either hand the rag weeds hud 
 dled closely to the sturdier sun flowers which 
 bowed assent. Grim, uncertain shadows 
 reached out their arms to gather in the light. 
 The moon beams seemed to flee from them. 
 The spell of the evening threw its influence 
 over Sibley and Newton. The silence about 
 them laid its heavy fingers on their lips and 
 bade them be still. They walked slowly up the 
 road without speaking. Now and then Newton 
 stole a look at Sibley. Her head was bent and 
 she seemed gazing intently at her feet as al- 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ternately they were pushed out from the bottom 
 of her dress. She hung heavily upon his 
 arm. 
 
 " I wonder where this road leads to ? " New 
 ton said after a time. "Where did it lead 
 from? Where does it end? " 
 
 Sibley shook her head 
 
 " It leads out of darkness, and it leads on 
 into darkness," she said musingly. 
 
 " How much then it is like life." Newton re 
 plied. " That comes out from a cloud and it 
 disappears again into a cloud." 
 
 " There is one great difference though." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " It has no moon." Sibley s voice was dis- 
 spirited. 
 
 " Ah, but there is a mightier light given to 
 brighten it," Newton said eagerly. 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " Love." 
 
 The hand on Newton s arm trembled. Sib- 
 ley did not answer for a moment. 
 
 " Perhaps," she said hesitatingly. " But so 
 90 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 often dark clouds hang over it and the light 
 cannot shine through." 
 
 " Or, again, if it does shine through it often 
 casts shadows that are worse than the darkness 
 itself." 
 
 Sibley looked up at him quickly as though 
 she would read his meaning in his eyes. They 
 were looking down at her reproachfully. Her 
 own fell again. She did not reply. 
 
 " I wonder which is better," Newton said 
 after awhile. " To live in the darkness without 
 the light, or in the shadow that the light casts." 
 
 She shook her head slowly. She spoke with 
 a half sigh. 
 
 " I do not know. We do not have the choos 
 ing. We must take the darkness, the shadow, 
 or the light as fate places us, it seems. We 
 have as little control over that light as we have 
 over the moon." 
 
 " Perhaps," Newton replied hastily. " But 
 even though the shadow be cast over us we need 
 not always stay within it. Sometimes we can 
 break out into the full sunshine." 
 
 9 1 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " But perhaps fate binds us hand and foot 
 and casts us in the shadow. Then we cannot 
 escape from it." 
 
 " I do not believe in such a fate." 
 
 " Perhaps then duty holds one there." 
 
 " It could not be a duty." 
 
 " I wish I could think so." 
 
 The words came whispered from Sibley s lips 
 like the outbreakings of a prayer. She had not 
 meant to utter them audibly. She trembled 
 when she heard herself speak them. An agony 
 had seized on her heart and the words were the 
 cry her heart sent up. She flushed and looked 
 toward the ground. 
 
 Newton s heart leaped. He stopped and 
 turned toward her. He spoke huskily. 
 
 "Where are you Sibley?" he asked. "In 
 the sunshine or in the shadow ? " 
 
 She could not answer. 
 
 " You are in the shadow," he cried. "It 
 must be so. I cannot think it otherwise. What 
 is it that keeps you there? " 
 
 His voice was low and pleading. The pent 
 92 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 up love in his heart was struggling for freedom 
 that it might pour itself out as a libation at her 
 feet. Newton tried to hold it back but it had 
 gained too great a power. 
 
 " Answer me, Sibley," he cried. " For 
 Heaven s sake answer me. You must know 
 that I." 
 
 Sibley shivered. She turned a white, ago 
 nised face toward him. She clutched harder at 
 his arm. 
 
 Don t!" she cried. 
 
 She stood still trembling. They had just 
 reached the top of a swell. At their feet the 
 road plunged down into a swale. A great 
 shadow fell over it. A dank air rose from out 
 it. Sibley turned away. 
 
 " Let us go back," she said. " I am almost 
 afraid of the shadow. 
 
 They walked back to the house in silence. 
 
 93 
 
Chapter VII 
 
 M 
 
 ISS LATEY was sitting in her accus 
 tomed place by the sugar barrel from 
 whence she could see up and down 
 the road. As usual, also, she was knitting. 
 Some influence seemed to soften her that after 
 noon. Perhaps it was the delicate scent of 
 ripening hay that was wafted through the open 
 door, or the spell of summer witchery that 
 hung over the prairie. The hard lines about her 
 mouth slowly softened and the light of ill- 
 temper died out of her eyes. In place of the 
 frown that hung almost perpetually over her 
 countenance there came a look of sadful yearn 
 ing. The shrunken breast heaved and a sigh 
 broke from between her half parted lips. She 
 stopped knitting and resting her hands in her 
 lap gazed vacantly up the dusty road where 
 the sunlight was chasing the shadows. Some 
 thing dimmed her eyes for she brushed her 
 faded hands across them. Then, as though the 
 spell about her had taken full possession of her 
 94 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 soul and had broken through the ice that had 
 so long crusted over her heart, she suddenly 
 tossed her apron over her head, and rocking to 
 and fro burst into a fit of weeping. Her spare 
 frame seemed almost to be rended by the sobs 
 that shook it. In a moment she was quieter, 
 but the tears continued to trickle through her 
 fingers and dampen her dress. 
 
 She was still sobbing gently when a buxom 
 figure darkened the doorway. It was Amanda 
 Speers. She was a great coarse woman clad in 
 a fantastic mixture of male and female attire. 
 A big yellow sun bonnet partially hid her mas 
 culine features, a ragged coat covered the upper 
 part of her body, while her lower limbs were 
 hidden by a short calico skirt from which 
 protruded a pair of heavy plow boots. 
 
 A coarse leer spread itself over her face as 
 she beheld the little store keeper sobbing in 
 her chair. She set the big market basket she 
 was carrying on the counter. 
 
 " How de, Miss Latey," she jeered, " Lover 
 gone back on yeh ? " 
 
 95 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The old lady had been so carried away by 
 her melting passions that she had been unaware 
 of the entrance of Mrs. Speers. A shiver ran 
 over her as the harsh voice broke in on her 
 grief. In a trice the fountains of her heart 
 were frozen up again and the softening influ 
 ence was chased away. When, a moment later, 
 she pulled down the apron from her face there 
 was only a suspicious redness around her eyes 
 to betray her tears. 
 
 There was something in the sneer on the face 
 of the woman before her that set her peppery 
 nature on fire. The hot blood rushed to her 
 face, her gray eyes flashed ominously and the 
 corners of her mouth drew down in a hard look 
 of hate. For an instant she glared at Mrs. 
 Speers. Then she sprang from her chair with 
 a shriek. 
 
 " Mandy Speers yeh take at ole basket of 
 yourn an git out at door jes as lively as yer 
 lumberin ole bones ll let yeh, an don t yeh 
 never let me see yer ugly face round here again 
 or I ll scratch yer eyes out." She advanced 
 threateningly upon her caller. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The red face beneath the sunbonnet turned 
 fairly pale. Mrs. Speers had once bested one of 
 her hired men in a pitched battle, but there was 
 something over-awing in the wrath of the little 
 woman before her. She caught up her basket 
 and retreated to the door. Miss Latey followed 
 her to the very sill and pushed her across the 
 threshold. Mrs. Speers was bubbling over 
 with anger, but it was not until she reached the 
 turnpike that it found vent. Then turning she 
 shook her great fist at the wrathful figure in 
 the doorway and hurled back a torrent of pro 
 fanity. 
 
 Miss Latey s spare form was still trembling 
 with fury when Ridgeby came around from 
 behind the store. He hesitated as he looked at 
 the wrathful figure before him and then at the 
 retreating form of Mrs. Speers, who at every 
 step turned back to shake her fist at the little red 
 store. Ridgeby wanted to laugh but did not 
 dare. 
 
 " Em ly wants a little tea, Miss Latey/ he 
 said in a halting voice after a moment. " Guess 
 two bits worth 11 be miff." 
 
 97 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Haint sellin no tea," snapped Miss Latey, 
 without taking her eyes from her vanishing 
 enemy. 
 
 " But Em ly wants it mighty bad," went on 
 the old man gently. " She s got Elder Sim 
 mons up air t supper an s jes seen she haint 
 got a mite o tea in th hull house." 
 
 "Haint got no tea t sell," she replied 
 sharply. 
 
 " Why, whats yer tea fer, Miss Latey, ef 
 taint t sell ? " urged Ridgeby. " Em ly wants 
 at tea mighty bad an she wont feel right ef 
 she don t get it." 
 
 " I guess my tea s my own, leastwise it s paid 
 fer, which is more n c n be said bout a hull lot 
 o things yeh ve got up t yer house, an I guess 
 I don t need t sell it ef I don t want t ." 
 
 " But th Elder" 
 
 " What do I care for th Elder," snapped the 
 old woman. " Let th Elder drink water. I 
 haint goin t sell yeh no tea, Hiram Ridgeby, 
 so yeh might as well be gettin back home fore 
 th Elder gits lonesome." 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 A shade of irritation passed over Ridgeby s 
 face. 
 
 " Don t seem t me yeh r actin jes right," 
 he said, half timidly. " Seems t me like yeh d 
 orter be more commodating." 
 
 " Huh ! Yeh seem t think I m runnin this 
 store jes t commodate folks." 
 
 A flash came into Ridgeby s eyes. 
 
 " I think yeh r showin a mighty mean spirit 
 th way yeh r actin , that s what I think," he 
 said, hastily turning away. 
 
 The old lady s form suddenly stiffened. The 
 angles of her body became more pronounced; 
 the sharpness of her features more deeply cut. 
 A lustre blazed in her eyes. She looked almost 
 like a snake coiled ready to launch its venom. 
 She gave utterance to a quick exclamation that 
 caused Ridgeby to turn back. 
 
 " Well, Hiram Ridgeby," she cried sharply. 
 Yeh r a nice one t talk about a mean spirit I 
 must say, you who turned yer oldest son out o 
 th house t die. You who shut yeh r doors 
 gainst yer own flesh an blood. Oh, some of 
 99 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 us haint forgot at while yeh fill yer house full 
 o paupers there want room in it for them at 
 God sent yeh. Then yeh come n tell a lone 
 woman she shows a mean spirit. Mean spirit 
 Huh!" 
 
 With that Miss Latey turned and slammed 
 the door behind her and although several of 
 the neighbours came during the afternoon and 
 knocked and knocked at the little red store they 
 received no answer and returned home won 
 dering. 
 
 Ridgeby looked blankly at the wall. He 
 stood stiffly as though his muscles had been 
 turned to stone. His jaws had fallen upon his 
 chest. A glassy look came into his eyes. He 
 drew his breath with a deep suspiration, then 
 seemed to cease breathing. A look of awful 
 agony swept over his face. Turning he shuffled 
 away across the fields with his eyes bent upon 
 the ground. The meadow larks were piping 
 all around him but he did not seem to hear 
 them. Now and then a covey of quail would 
 start from his feet and whirr whistling away, 
 or a flock of crows, frightened by his near ap- 
 100 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 proach would wing their flight out of danger. 
 But these, with all the other sights and sounds 
 of nature s golden prime of summer were lost 
 upon him. 
 
 Out in the back meadow Newton and Lilt 
 were at work cocking hay. The sun beat down 
 with a blinding glare. The perspiration was 
 streaming off them. Every now and then one 
 of them would stop for a moment and pulling 
 off his great straw hat would fan his flushed 
 face. The ripened hay sent up a redolent fra 
 grance that the men drew in with deep breaths. 
 A road skirted one side of the field. Now and 
 then Lilt would call out cheerily as some ac 
 quaintance passed. Jake Anson went by in a 
 wagon when they were near the line fence and 
 stopped for a moment s conversation. When 
 he had gone on Lilt proposed a rest. They threw 
 themselves down in the shade of the cock they 
 were building. Each gave vent to an involun 
 tary sigh of satisfaction. Lilt locked his hands 
 behind his head and stretched himself out at 
 length. 
 
 " I don t believe I m much more on bein 
 101 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 lazy un other people," he said half apologeti 
 cally. " But sence I ve been with Ridgeby I ve 
 learned at there s somepin t get out of a 
 farm sides work an crops. There haint no 
 body any sprier un Ridgeby on work for all 
 of his years. He can shock uz many oats in a 
 day now as two thirds o th men in th country. 
 But he has a way o stoppin now an then when 
 things haint pushin* too much an lookin 
 around t see ef he can t find somepin purty 
 handy. Why th ole man ll stop his plow in a 
 furrow t watch a woodpecker, an I ve seen him 
 set on th handles fer half an hour lookin at a 
 flock o black birds kitin about over head. He 
 allus looks kinder sheepish ef yeh catch him at 
 it an tells yeh he jes stopped a minnit t breathe 
 th horses. Someway I m kinder gettin int th 
 habit m self. I haint much on po try an such, 
 but seems t me that there haint nothin more 
 like a poem un a hay field. Some folks don t 
 see nahthin in it but th heat an th sweat an 
 th hard work. But look round here. There 
 want never nahthin purtier. There s th sky 
 up there like a million blue eyes run into one, 
 1 02 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 an tli sun blazin down like a woman s smile, 
 an every thing catches up th light an sends 
 it back. Th wind blows kind o soft like it uz 
 makin love t th fields an they nod away jes* 
 uz though they s sayin yes." 
 
 Lilt stopped and sank lower into his luxuri 
 ous couch. He stretched his legs wide apart 
 then pulled them up and taking off his hat bal 
 anced it upon his knee. 
 
 " You must be in love, Lilt," Newton said, 
 quizzically. 
 
 Lilt grinned sheepishly. 
 
 " Don t know uz that follows, though bein 
 in love haint such an awful fix." He pulled a 
 blade of hay and began chewing it. " I m 
 fraid it s gettin t be an epidemic in th 
 family." 
 
 " How s that ! " Newton inquired innocently. 
 
 " Urn 1 Well answer yer own riddles. Ef 
 we re goin t finish this field t night we d better 
 stop lazyin ." 
 
 He sprang to his feet and catching up his 
 fork bent to his work with a will that soon 
 made up for lost time. A man bearing a spade 
 103 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 over his shoulder stalked past the line fence. It 
 was Hi Simms. Lilt shouted to him. 
 
 "Hello Hi!" 
 
 Simms grunted an answer. 
 
 " Have yeh met our new hand ? " Lilt called. 
 
 Simms turned toward Newton and passed on 
 with an oath. 
 
 " I m fraid Simms haint of a fergivin na 
 ture," Lilt said, grimly. Newton smiled rather 
 seriously. 
 
 Another figure came down the road. It was 
 a girl riding a plow horse bare back. Her sun 
 bonnet had fallen back from her head display 
 ing a round, good natured face that reflected 
 the colours of perfect health. She sent a sturdy 
 hail across the field. 
 
 "Hello, Lilt!" 
 
 Lilt turned quickly. A broad smile spread 
 over his face. 
 
 "Hello Sue!" he called back. "Hold up 
 a minnit." 
 
 He dropped his fork where he stood and 
 hastened up to the fence, close to which the girl 
 104 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 had drawn her horse. Newton leaned on the 
 handle of his fork and looked at them for a 
 moment. He smiled to himself Then he 
 sighed heavily and turned away. An agonised 
 cry was ringing in his ears again. Sibley s 
 cry when he wanted to tell her that he loved 
 her : " Don t." The cry had stunned him 
 then, had half deadened his sensibilities, but 
 ever since it had rung in his ears with a persist 
 ence that drowned out all other sounds, while 
 there glimmered before his eyes the vision of 
 Sibley s face, white, drawn, almost tortured, 
 as she shrieked it. He had tried to keep 
 the sound of that cry out of his mind but 
 it beat constantly at the doors of his senses 
 and forced itself in. 
 
 " Don t." It was a cry that drowned every 
 half-formed hope. Its sound awoke him from 
 a dream and robbed him of even the excuse for 
 dreaming. It seemed to sound the death knell 
 of his love, yet it rang on his heart strings 
 with a pulsing harmony. 
 
 "Don t." What did it mean? Was it a 
 105 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 command, or an appeal ? Was it a frown, or a 
 flood of tears ? Was it a cry, or a wail ? Was 
 it a rebuke, or a petition ? 
 
 It rang in his ears in a dozen different keys. 
 Its note ranged from discord to harmony. It 
 bade him forget, and it bade him hope. It 
 stopped his voice and it urged him to speak. It 
 told him he was not loved and it told him he 
 was loved. At last its varying cadence rolled 
 into one that bade him wait. " Wait and 
 hope?" he asked himself. No, only wait. 
 
 He had forgotten Lilt and the girl at the 
 fence. He had almost forgotten where he was. 
 He roused himself. Lilt was at work again. 
 
 " Been t sleep? " Lilt asked. 
 
 " No, only resting. Who was the young 
 lady?" 
 
 " Sue Graham." 
 
 " A very pretty girl." 
 
 Lilt answered nonchalantly. 
 
 " Oh, I don t know. Some folks think so." 
 
 Newton shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " You overdo your carelessness," he said. 
 106 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Why don t you say that you think her the 
 prettiest girl in the world and ease your con 
 science ? " 
 
 " Mind yer own bizness. She hain t engaged 
 to another feller anyway." 
 
 One of the tines of Newton s fork broke with 
 a snap. Perhaps it was because he so savagely 
 thrust it into the hay that it buried its point in 
 the ground. Without a word he started toward 
 the barn for another. 
 
 As he strode over the stubble his pursuing 
 thoughts were upon him again. " Wait." 
 Wait for what? Wait to see every vestige of 
 hope pass from him ? Wait for the darkness to 
 settle all about him? Wait to see Sibley the 
 wife of another? Wait for his love to die? 
 Wait for these things, or wait for what ? " 
 
 He came to the barn and entered it. He was 
 just about to take down a fork from the wall 
 when a sound startled him. He listened. The 
 sounds came from the loft. They were sobs, 
 the sobs of a man in awful agony. Newton 
 would have turned away but something held 
 107 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 him where he was. With the sobs there came a 
 voice, choked, husky, tortured. The voice was 
 Ridgeby s. 
 
 "Oh, my God," it cried. "Are yeh ever 
 goin t fergive me, an* free me from th mem ry 
 of it. Oh Jim, our Jim, th boy yeh sent us an 
 who I wouldn t have an sent away. Oh God 
 don t torture me no more. It s killin me, it s 
 killin me. Haint I suffered enough. Haint 
 yeh taken every one fr m us because I sent th 
 one away. Haint yeh torn our hearts with 
 bereavements. Haint yeh given us little ones t 
 love an n taken em from us again. Oh God 
 I can t stand no more. Oh God in Heaven de 
 liver me from my torture. Fergive me an let 
 me know at I am fergiven. Don t do with me, 
 thy son, as I did with my son. Don t refuse t 
 fergive me as I refused t fergive him. Don t 
 turn yer face from me as I turned my face from 
 him. I know how awffilly I sinned. I fergive 
 him as yeh commandest me seven times an 1 
 seven times seven I bore with him, but I thought 
 I could bear no more an sent him away. Oh, 
 108 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 God, yeh must know how I ve repented of it. 
 Yeh must know how I ve suffered fer it. Yeh 
 must know of the sleepless nights an th tor 
 tured days. Yeh must know how I ve tried to 
 undo th wrong but it s been in vain. I opened 
 th door an told him t go an he went, an we 
 haint never seen him sence. Fer twenty-five 
 years I ve suffered. Oh take it from me now 
 I can bear no more. I can bear no more. I can 
 bear no more." 
 
 The words became choked with sobs. New 
 ton stole quietly out. 
 
 109 
 
Chapter VIII 
 
 AS a usual thing in the neighbourhood of 
 Beverly Corners the semi-annual visit 
 of the minister to his parishioners is 
 an occasion of great moment. Even the less 
 piously inclined take on for the time a sancti 
 monious air and arrayed in the starched dis 
 comfort of their Sunday clothes agree with all 
 the articles of faith with devout reverence. 
 They take upon themselves, as it were, the 
 odour of sanctity along with that of tobacco and 
 camphor balls. The season which the minister 
 spends with a family is one of solemnity. The 
 table creaks under its weight of viands, the 
 worldly pleasure of whose consumption is tem 
 pered with doctrinal discussions of fore-ordina 
 tion, predestination and election. The head 
 of the family loses himself in the labyrinth of 
 an argument and allows his spiritual shepherd 
 to lead him out. His better half fidgets, makes 
 excuses for the cooking which privately she 
 exults over. The hired hands eat in stupid 
 no 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 silence and hurry away as soon as possible. 
 The children, banished to the uncertainties of 
 a second table, hang about the doors and await 
 their turn with ill-concealed impatience. 
 
 The old pastor always hailed with a sensa 
 tion of relief the day appointed to spend with 
 the Ridgeby household. There was an air of 
 quiet holiness about the place that melted his 
 austere piety into a more fervent passion. He 
 there came upon a love of the Deity which 
 displaced for a time his sermonized fear. He 
 laid aside, while with them, his hard, uncom 
 promising doctrines of belief and allowed him 
 self to be swept into the arms of the one ab 
 sorbing, comforting, healing promise of love. 
 He ceased to think of himself as the appointed 
 agent of the most High, the earthly warrior of 
 Divinity, put here to battle against the forces of 
 evil, and thought of himself only as the child 
 of Love. 
 
 But that evening a pall hung about the 
 Ridgeby tea-table. None of those about it 
 could have explained its presence. If each had 
 in 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 attempted it each would have given a different 
 answer. Yet there it was and no one was free 
 from its influence. Ridgeby s face was drawn 
 and set and in its deepened lines gave token 
 of the mental agony he had gone through out 
 in the barn. There was a tremulousness about 
 the corners of his mouth and a half sigh would 
 break from him at times to be hidden by a 
 cough. Now and then he would sweep his 
 eyes over the five vacant chairs each of which 
 his quickened memory peopled with a child. 
 Oblivious to his duties as host he took no part 
 in the conversation which his wife vainly tried 
 to maintain. Even the old minister found his 
 fount of garrulousness checked by an influence 
 unknown to it before. The usual vapid cur 
 rent of his utterances became dried up and the 
 influence about him took away from him even 
 the desire to set it in motion again. 
 
 Abner Hawkins, coming over in the after 
 noon to borrow a hand rake, had been invited to 
 stay to tea. He sat next to Newton whom he 
 favoured at times with a frown. Newton tried 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 to treat him with a degree of politeness, but fail 
 ing in that had fallen back on the easier policy 
 of ignoring him. Sibley sitting opposite now 
 and then looked up at them. Perhaps she was 
 comparing their faces. She appeared, how 
 ever, quite unconcerned and she was the only 
 one at the table who seemed entirely at ease. 
 Lilt, overawed by the presence of the minister, 
 had relapsed into a silence which he broke only 
 with grunts. Even old Reuben s chattering 
 tongue was less active than usual. 
 
 "I ll tell yeh what tis, Elder/ he piped, 
 after the silence had become to him unendur 
 able, " Things er mighty dull round here now 
 seems t me, an ef yeh ll take my advice, yeh ll 
 wake em up a bit. What we need is a good 
 ole-fashioned revival. None o yer tame 
 meetin ev ry other night affairs, but a reg ler 
 amen time with plenty o glory mixed up in it. 
 They need stirrin up. That s what they need. 
 Yeh ll give em a smell o brimstone ef yeh ll 
 take my advice. 
 
 The minister sighed. 
 
 "3 
 
The ROAD to RIDGRBY S 
 
 " A visitation of the spirit at the present 
 time would be most cheering/ he answered. 
 " I have been feeling myself that some special 
 endeavours should be made. I am afraid that 
 we have not been pressing the work in the vine 
 yard as bravely as the Master would wish. I 
 hope I am not failing in my duty." 
 
 " Give em more fire, Elder, that s my ad 
 vice," Reuben exclaimed, swinging his hand 
 about his head to warn away a too familiar fly. 
 " Give em more fire. That s what they need. 
 Let em smell th brimstone comin up through 
 th floor. Yeh preachers er too easy on sin 
 ners now days seems t me. Yeh don t show 
 em what they re comin t . Yeh let em jog long 
 th road t perdition altogether t easy, when 
 what they need is proddin . Give it t em, 
 Elder, that s my advice. Warm em up. Spare 
 not th ungodly an temporise not with th 
 wicked. Better take my advice, Elder, an heat 
 em up a bit." 
 
 " Reuben seems to want to drive people into 
 Heaven with a prairie fire," Newton said qui- 
 114 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 etly. " How much will a man be worth in 
 Heaven who has to be scared into going 
 there?" 
 
 " Can t go back on scripture," Reuben piped 
 decidedly. " An ef yeh ll take my advice yeh 
 won t try tV 
 
 " Let the wicked flee from the wrath to 
 come," the minister sighed. 
 
 " Come unto me all ye who are weary and 
 heavy laden," Newton returned quietly. 
 
 " They that have done evil shall come into 
 the resurrection of damnation." 
 
 " They who have done good into the resur 
 rection of Life," Newton rejoined. 
 
 " Who-so-ever resisteth the power shall re 
 ceive unto themselves damnation." 
 
 " Knock and it shall be opened unto you." 
 
 " He that believeth not shall be damned." 
 
 The old minister s face was taking on an 
 expression more austere. His spare form be 
 came more erect. His dull eyes lighted. Their 
 shaggy brows drew down closer over them. 
 His voice took on a deeper and fuller intonation 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 and as he poured out his anathemas with a 
 growing animation he seiemed to forget his 
 surroundings and allowed his voice to grow 
 stronger. His vehemence called Ridgeby out 
 of his dreams. Reuben s face took on an ex 
 pression of triumph. He chuckled to himself. 
 The old minister ceased for a moment and 
 turned his piercing eyes full on Newton. 
 
 " Young man," he thundered, " Have you 
 the fear of God in your heart? " 
 
 " I hope not," Newton returned slowly. 
 
 " Prepare ye then for the fires of Hell." 
 
 " I hope that my heart contains something 
 which my Creator will esteem more highly than 
 fear." 
 
 The minister s face looked a question. 
 
 " Love." 
 
 Supper was finished. The entire family went 
 out into the front yard beneath the walnut 
 trees. Off toward the west the sun was flaming 
 a golden farewell. A tree toad was singing 
 somewhere. There was no wind and the trees 
 were motionless. Ridgeby told of Mandy 
 Spear s adventure with Miss Latey. 
 116 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ""I am afraid that Sister Latey has very little 
 of the Christian spirit in her soul," the min 
 ister said solemnly, tipping back against the 
 house and putting the tips of his fingers to 
 gether. 
 
 " I b lieve she s possessed of th devil/ Mrs. 
 Ridgeby broke in. 
 
 " I am verily afraid that you are right, as 
 usual, Sister Ridgeby," the minister assented, 
 nodding his head. 
 
 " Now I believe Miss Latey s got her good 
 pints jes as well s any body else, only we don t 
 happen t see em," Ridgeby put in char 
 itably. 
 
 " Pints, pints," snapped his wife. " I shud 
 think she did have pints, an she haint happy 
 less she s stickin somebody with em neither." 
 
 " Now I tell yeh what tis, Elder," Ridgeby 
 said slowly. " It s too bad bout Miss Latey. 
 Why she an ? I ust t be young folks t gether. 
 Don t seem like it could be th same girl." He 
 stopped a moment and looked up into the wal 
 nut trees. A rough tenderness came into his 
 voice when he spoke again. 
 117 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Purty girl she ust t be in them days, gone 
 on over fifty years now. She uz light com 
 plected an* her skin uz smooth an white. Her 
 cheeks uz as red as an early pippin. A robin s 
 chirp want no sweeter n her voice, and when 
 she laughed she showed two rows o purty 
 teeth at were as white s fresh milk. A great 
 big dimple ust t play hide an seek round her 
 mouth. She had great, long brown hair at fell 
 in a ripple way t her waist, an her great blue 
 eyes were jes shinin with fun an mischief." 
 Ridgeby stopped and looked up into the wal 
 nut trees again. 
 
 " She uz a little body, but as plump as a 
 butter ball. Th boys uz all sweet on her, an 
 I didn t blame em a bit. Fact is I ust t spark 
 er m self a little fore I met Em ly." Ridgeby 
 gazed quizzically at his spouse. 
 
 " An I b lieve yer sorry yeh didn t marry 
 her stead o me," she answered with affected 
 asperity. 
 
 " Oh, Pshaw, now Em ly, yeh know taint no 
 sech thing. Don t s pose I d a stood no show 
 nohow. She uz allus givin me some sort of a 
 118 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 dig, and La, how she does hate me now. We 
 did ust t go round a good deal t gether. I re 
 member onct when a feller come through here 
 we went an ? had our daggertypes taken. I 
 shudn t be surprised ef hern uz kickin round 
 th house yet sommers. I s pose th one I gin 
 her went int th stove fifty years ago." 
 
 " I know her s did anyhow," laughed his 
 wife. 
 
 " Folks said as how we must be engaged, 
 but, La, there want nahthin in it," Ridgeby 
 went on after a minute. " Purty soon Em ly s 
 pa moved in on th farm next t mine an I 
 fell smack in love with her, an Miss Latey 
 went t goin with somebody else. Si Hawkins 
 seems like. I never seen much of her after 
 that. She didn t go out much anymore. Her 
 pa s health want very good and I guess she 
 stayed home with him." 
 
 Ridgeby s eyes had a vacant look in them 
 and he seemed to be talking more to himself 
 than to his auditors. He paid but little atten 
 tion to them. 
 
 " It want long after me an Em ly uz mar- 
 119 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ried when Miss Latey s pa died, an she took 
 down sick right after it. I guess she over did 
 takin care o th ole man. She was low for 
 quite a spell an folks scarcely thought she d 
 come through it, but she did after a while. But 
 her sickness left her changed a good deal. Her 
 purty hair all come out an it never come in 
 heavy agen, an her cheeks stayed pale an sal 
 low, an th mischief uz all gone out of er eyes. 
 She never uz like she was before, an when her 
 good looks went her temper come in, an what 
 a change! Yeh d never think it uz th same 
 girl. Some folks thought as how ther must a 
 been a love scrape mixed up in it, but I didn t 
 know nahthin bout it. Come t think bout it 
 Si Hawkins did light out bout that time and 
 never come back no more. That may have had 
 somepin t do with it. 
 
 " Jess as soon as she got up she sold what 
 little prop ty th ole man left an went t keepin 
 store. Th fust thing we knew she uz jes uz 
 she is now, an ugly cross ole maid. I I 
 can t help feelin kinder sorry fer her." 
 
 T2O 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Ridgeby brushed what might have been a 
 tear out of his eyes and changed the subject. 
 
 Abner turned to Lilt. 
 
 " Coin t th dance down t Thompson s, 
 Tuesday night, Lilt?" 
 
 " Guess I will. You an Sibley goin ? " 
 
 " Course. Who yeh goin to take? " 
 
 " Had guessed I d take one o th Graham 
 girls over, but changed m mind. Newt an I 
 er goin it alone. I want t give him a knock 
 down t all th folks, an couldn t do much with 
 a girl taggin . Help me out, won t yeh ? Newt 
 don t know nobody an I want t get him in." 
 
 Abner scowled. 
 
 " Guess me an Sib s got all we can tend t , 
 ain t we Sib? Anyhow I m kinder keerful 
 who I give knockdowns t . Yeh can t be too 
 perticular yeh know. * 
 
 Sibley looked quickly at Newton. He was 
 gazing away toward the west and did not seem 
 to have heard Abner s words. Lilt frowned 
 and changed the subject. 
 
 " How s Simpkins makin it, Ab? " 
 
 121 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Ain t doin much. Dad s got t put im off 
 next week. Kind o tough." 
 
 Lilt s voice became full of a surprised dis 
 gust. 
 
 " Yeh don t mean t say that th ole man s 
 goin t" put im out jes fore harvest? " 
 
 " Time s up. Dad foreclosed las fall yeh 
 know," Abner returned carelessly. 
 
 " Why, he cud pret near raise th mortgage 
 ef yeh d only wait till after harvest," Lilt ex 
 claimed. " He an his wife have worked like 
 nailers, an pret near killed <emselves. They ve 
 got a whoopin big crop, too." 
 
 " Yes," said Abner, " I us lookin it over las 
 night. Dad ll make a good thing out o that 
 crop. Wheat s headed out so heavy t stalks 
 bend almost down t th ground. Corn s doin 
 mighty well, too ! " 
 
 "How s th ole woman?" Lilt asked to 
 cover up his rising anger. 
 
 " Pret bad off I guess. Can t live more n 
 a month. Dad uz lucky in this deal. He s got 
 a man t go right in next week. Simpkins 
 122 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wanted him t wait a little but Dad couldn t 
 figure no way out." 
 
 " Where re they goin ? " Lilt growled it. 
 
 " Dunno," Abner answered carelessly. 
 " Dad s got a good man t go in. He harvests 
 th crop fer a tenth. Dad s had his eyes on that 
 north medder o Thompson s fer some time. 
 Guess he ll make miff out o this deal t buy it. 
 Thompson s holdin it pret stiff, but guess he ll 
 come down." 
 
 " What does Simpkins get out o th crop? " 
 Lilt asked. " Two thirds? " 
 
 " Two thirds? " exclaimed Abner. " Well, 
 I guess Simpkins don t get no two thirds of our 
 crop/ 
 
 Newton turned away from the sunset. 
 
 " Do you mean to say," he asked slowly, 
 " That you and your father are going to take a 
 farm away from a man when with three weeks 
 longer time he could redeem it; that you are 
 going to steal a crop which a man has slaved 
 months to bring forth, for which he has toiled 
 and laboured and to which he has given his 
 123 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 very life; that you are going to take the prod 
 uct of this man s sweat, for which you have not 
 given a moment s thought or as much as raised 
 a finger to produce, and give the producer 
 nothing ; that you are also going to turn a dying 
 woman into the road that you may make a few 
 dollars?" 
 
 " Law s law," Abner exclaimed doggedly. 
 " We can t go behind that." 
 
 "If you are going to do these things," con 
 tinued Newton, a little warmer, " You and your 
 father are a set of the " 
 
 He caught an expression on Sibley s face. 
 It was an appeal. 
 
 " Of the most punctilious business men I 
 
 ever met." 
 
 He got up and walked toward the barn. 
 Lilt followed him. 
 
 There was a sneer on Abner s face. On Sib- 
 ley s a look such as a buried heart-ache gives. 
 
 124 
 
Chapter IX 
 
 TUESDAY night came. There was to 
 be a dance in Thompson s new barn. 
 Lilt and Newton hurried through 
 their chores. Just as they finished Abner drove 
 up in his democrat wagon and took Sibley in. 
 He could have taken Newton and Lilt on the 
 rear seat but he did not suggest the idea. He 
 was in his working clothes. 
 
 When the milking was finished Lilt and 
 Newton started for Thompson s on horseback. 
 They did not stop for saddles but rode the plow 
 horses bareback. 
 
 A heavy rain had fallen during the day and 
 the roads were heavy with mud. The night was 
 pitchy dark. Black clouds, scurrying low, 
 threatened to renew the downpour. The air 
 was chilly and damp. A fog was settling 
 down. Lilt carried a lantern. The dismal 
 light it threw was all but lost in the heavy dark 
 ness. The horses followed the road mechanic 
 ally. Neither Newton nor Lilt had much to 
 125 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 say. There was something depressing in the 
 atmosphere. A light twinkled at them down 
 the road. 
 
 " That s Simpkins s place," said Lilt, as they 
 came nearer to it. " He must be in a pret bad 
 way. Ain t Hawkins a mean cuss t put im 
 out? He worked like a nailer in hopes he cud 
 save th farm an now he loses th farm an th 
 crop, too. A feller might uz well die an be 
 done with it when he gets into Old George 
 Hawkins s hands. I b lieve he d skin flints for 
 a cent and try em out for th fat." 
 
 " I don t see how the fiend can sleep at 
 night," exclaimed Newton warmly. 
 
 "Don t b lieve he does," Lilt returned. 
 " He s too mean t spend time, even sleepin ." 
 
 "What s Simpkins going to do?" Newton 
 asked. 
 
 " Dunno. I saw him t other day. He was 
 lookin mighty glum, an didn t have much t 
 say." 
 
 As they were passing Simpkins s house they 
 heard a feeble cry that sounded like that of a 
 126 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 child. The cry came again a little louder. 
 Newton thought it came from the side of the 
 road and he checked his horse. Lilt stopped 
 also and holding his lantern over his head 
 peered into the darkness. Again the cry. With 
 it came a woman s whispered " Sh ! " Lilt 
 uttered an exclamation and sprang to the 
 ground. Newton followed him. 
 
 The pale light from the lantern fell upon a 
 rude bed set up by the fence. It bore a woman 
 with a child by her side. Sitting on the ground 
 with his head buried in his hands was a man. 
 
 " Is that you, Simpkins? " Lilt cried. 
 
 There was no answer for a moment. Then 
 the man s voice broke into the night. It was 
 husky and hard, sullen and hopeless. 
 
 " Yes, it s me." 
 
 A stronger light from the lantern fell upon 
 the bed. The woman turned feebly toward it, 
 blinking her eyes. The child hushed its cry. 
 The woman s face was ydlow and sunken. The 
 bones protruded as though the skin was 
 stretched over a skull. The teeth looked 
 127 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ghastly. Her eyes were staring and had the 
 lustre of fever in them. A claw-like hand 
 rested on the baby s cheek. The woman 
 coughed. It seemed that the effort would 
 shake her in pieces. The man did not look up, 
 but pulled his head deeper in his rounded shoul 
 ders. 
 
 "What s the matter?" Lilt asked after a 
 moment. 
 
 Simpkins answered without moving. 
 
 " Put out." 
 
 " Damnation ! " a second later. " What re 
 you goin t do? " 
 
 " Die." 
 
 The woman coughed again. The child 
 wailed. Lilt drew himself up. 
 
 " Not jes yet. Did Hawkins put yeh out 
 here? Couldn t he even let yeh stay in the 
 house?" 
 
 " We re here, hain t we? " 
 
 Again the woman coughed. She tried to 
 draw the thin coverlid closer about her. The 
 fog was sinking down denser and it began to 
 drizzle. 
 
 128 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Didn t he give yeh no show tall?" Lilt 
 asked. 
 
 " He said we cud go t th pore house. He 
 uz payin taxes t s port that, n at uz all he 
 cud do fer paupers." 
 
 " Why didn t yeh come t somebody an tell 
 em somepin ? " Lilt asked a little sharply. 
 " We haint all Hawkinses, by a long chalk." 
 
 " What s th use. Better die like we re goin 
 t ." 
 
 " What d ye want to die for? " 
 
 "What dlwanttolivefer?" 
 
 " While there s life there s hope, yeh know." 
 
 " Not fer me. There haint nahthin fer me, 
 cept trouble. God knows there s miff o 
 that." 
 
 There came a sob in the man s voice. He 
 looked up. His black bearded face had a look 
 of dogged hopelessness on it. His eyes were 
 heavy and dull. 
 
 " What d yeh talk hope t me fer? " he con 
 tinued sullenly. " Have I got anything t hope 
 fer? See how I ve worked. There was th 
 grasshoppers three years ago, then come th 
 129 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 dry spell, then las year everything failed. 
 Tween it all I cudn t meet th mortgage. I 
 felt pretty blue, but I didn t think it wuz s bad. 
 I thought ef I had a big crop this year I cud 
 pay up an save m self. We worked like tigers, 
 me an th woman. Lize killed herself workin 
 s hard. It made me sick seein her playin out 
 so, but she would stick to it, an was countin 
 on how we cud both rest like next year. Jes 
 look at er now. She ll have a good rest. Our 
 work counted though. Crop uz a comin in 
 good shape. I never see wheat n corn grow 
 so. We were feelin mighty peart like an* had 
 tuk up heart wonderfully, when here, jes uz I 
 begin cuttin , Hawkins gets th farm in his 
 own name, comes in, claims all th crops, an 
 turns th woman an me out in th road t die, 
 er go t th pore house. We won t go there, so 
 we ll die. Th Simpkinses allus wuz pore, but 
 none of em uz ever paupers." 
 
 Newton had been a silent onlooker up to this 
 time. Then he broke out. His voice was low 
 and hard. 
 
 130 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Why didn t you kill Hawkins?" he asked 
 slowly. 
 
 "What s th use?" 
 
 Simpkins was too far sunk in hopelessness 
 even to be vindictive. 
 
 " Who s in th house? " Lilt asked suddenly. 
 
 " Hi Simms." 
 
 " Hawkins an him makes a good team. 
 Won t he let yeh stay there til mornin ? " 
 
 " We ain t askin no favours." 
 
 " Stay here, Newt," said Lilt, " While I go 
 up t th house an see Simms. Guess he ll be 
 willin t take em in over night, enyhow." 
 
 Simpkins put his head down into his hands 
 again. 
 
 " Yeh needn t do it," he said. " None of us 
 11 ever set foot on th place agen. We re beat 
 out an gin out." 
 
 " Somepin s got t be done," Lilt exclaimed. 
 
 " Yeh can t do nahthin . Yeh d better drive 
 on. Coin t th dance down t Thompson s ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Ab Hawkins 11 prob ly be down there 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 shakin his laigs jes z though he hadn t turned 
 nobody out here t die/ 
 
 "Was it Abner who turned you out?" 
 Newton asked. 
 
 " He an th j ole man come t gether." 
 
 " I was going to give him a thrashing the 
 other day," Newton exclaimed hotly. " I wish 
 now I had done it." 
 
 Simpkins did not repfly. The woman 
 coughed again and turned wearily towards 
 them. 
 
 " Yeh might uz well drive on," she said 
 feebly. " Tain t no use worryin none bout 
 us. I ll be gone I guess fore mornin . Th 
 baby an I can t las long in this fowg. Seems 
 like I cud feel it way int my bones. We re 
 much obleeged t yeh but yeh can t help us 
 none." 
 
 "What had we best do, Newt?" Lilt 
 asked. 
 
 " Take them back to Ridgeby s, of course," 
 
 Newton answered briskly. " I don t intend to 
 
 leave this woman here to die, which she will 
 
 do very shortly if she is not taken care of at 
 
 132 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 once. Ridgeby and his wife will be glad to take 
 them in." 
 
 "That s right," Lilt returned heartily. 
 " Aunt Em ly d have a fit ef she knowed they 
 uz out here. She allus did like Mis Simpkins, 
 an I ve hearn her say th baby uz th prettiest 
 young un in th county. What say, Simp- 
 kins?" 
 
 " We won t go." 
 
 " Won t go? Why not? " Lilt exclaimed. 
 
 " Hain t Ridgeby s girl goin t marry Ab 
 Hawkins? I don t want nahthin t do with 
 th hull tribe." 
 
 " Look here," said Newton firmly. " We are 
 not going to let your wife and baby stay out 
 here to die just because Sibley Ridgeby wants 
 to make a fool of herself. There will be a 
 hearty welcome for you up there and you must 
 
 g." 
 
 " We hain t askin no favours." 
 
 " It s no favour. It is only humanity. I am 
 going to carry your wife and Lilt will take the 
 child. You may lead the horses. Now, come 
 
 133 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Newton leaned over the bed. The child 
 wailed again. The woman waved a feeble 
 dissent. Newton was gathering- the bedclothes 
 around her preparatory to lifting her into his 
 arms when Simpkins got up. He pushed New 
 ton roughly to one side. 
 
 " Guess she d ruther ha me kerry her, 
 wouldn t yeh, Lize? " 
 
 " Yes, Joel." 
 
 Newton fell back. Simpkins lifted the frail 
 form of his wife, bedclothes and all. 
 
 " Are yeh easy, Lize? " 
 
 " Yes, Joel." 
 
 She stifled a cough. 
 
 " Oop s a daisy ! " cried Lilt, tossing the 
 child on his shoulder. He turned into the road 
 and led the way with the lantern. 
 
 " You had better mount one of the horses 
 and carry your wife that way," Newton said to 
 Simpkins. 
 
 " She s easier this way." His voice was just 
 as sullen and hopeless as before. 
 
 " Possibly," Newton returned. " But it will 
 be harder on you." 
 
 134 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Never min me." 
 
 Simpkins struck full into the middle of the 
 road. The black mud clung to his boots and 
 weighted him down. He bent his head and 
 plodded stolidly forward. Newton brought up 
 the rear with the horses. 
 
 It was fully a mile back to Ridgeby s up hill 
 and down dale. In places the mud was over 
 their ankles. No one spoke. If Simpkins s 
 arms ached he did not let even a sigh betray it. 
 He even stifled his pantings. Now and then 
 the woman coughed. Only once was there a 
 word. 
 
 "Ain t I heavy, Joel?" the woman asked, 
 sighing. 
 
 " No, Lize." 
 
 By the time they reached the house Simpkins 
 was staggering beneath his load. Newton 
 shouted to Ridgeby. The old man came to the 
 door. 
 
 " What s th matter? " he asked. 
 
 The situation was explained to him. His 
 wife came and peered over his shoulder. 
 
 "Waal! Waal! Come right in," Ridgeby 
 135 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 exclaimed, heartily. " Don t stay out there in th 
 fowg. Can t offer yeh much, Simpkins, but 
 yer mighty welcome t what little we ve got. 
 Consarn Hawkins for th meanes man I ever 
 hearn of. Take yer wife right into th front 
 room there. Better heat up a little water, Em ly, 
 Mis Simpkins might want somepin hot." 
 
 " Please don t let us make no trouble, Mis 
 Ridgeby," wheezed the sick woman. 
 
 "No trouble tall," bustled Mrs. Ridgeby. 
 " Reuben go fetch a bucket o water. Better 
 bring in a armful o wood while yer at it, too. 
 I m fraid it s a little chilly for th baby. Aint 
 she a purty little thing? " 
 
 Simpkins sat down in a chair and looked 
 stolidly at the floor. He was holding his hands 
 in a helpless fashion. 
 
 Lilt changed his boots. 
 
 " Well, Newt," he said, giving his boots a 
 stomp to settle them, " Guess you n me c n go 
 an have our dance now can t we? " 
 
 " I don t believe I feel much like dancing," 
 Newton returned. 
 
 136 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Guess we d better go. I promised one o th 
 Graham girls I d be there sure pop, an I know 
 you ve got three dances promised from Sibley." 
 
 " Well, come on." 
 
 The eyes of the woman followed them grate 
 fully. Simpkins continued gazing at the floor. 
 
 137 
 
Chapter X 
 
 THEY could hear the fiddles screeching 
 out on the muggy air long before they 
 reached Thompson s. 
 
 " Tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle-dee- 
 dee," sang Lilt, humming the rhythm of the air. 
 " Money Musk, by Jiminy ! Gee up, Dan ! 
 Come on Newt, th twitches s a gettin int my 
 laigs already. Tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle, tee-dee- 
 dle-dee-dee-dee ! Gee up/ 
 
 He pushed his horse into a clumsy trot. 
 Newton caught something of his spirit and 
 urged his own beast into a faster pace. 
 
 As they drew nearer other sounds became 
 mixed with the music. Loud laughter in shrill 
 treble and heavy bass, calls, shrieks, the pound 
 ing of many feet on the floor. Then they could 
 hear, echoing above the tangled din, the hoarse 
 voice of the caller. They came to Thompson s 
 gate. A group of men was standing before it. 
 
 " What s up, Lilt ? " cried some one. 
 " Somepin s wrong when you re late t a dance." 
 
 138 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Where s Sue Graham?" bawled Charley 
 Burrit. 
 
 " She went back on Lilt long ago," laughed 
 Hugh Jenkins. " Haint had nahthin t do 
 with him sence he got his hair cut." 
 
 They all laughed loudly. Lilt joined in with 
 them. 
 
 " Don t you fellers bother none bout me. 
 Yeh ve got all yeh c n do lookin after yer own 
 beaus," he returned good-naturedly. " Ef yeh 
 think I m foot loose I may be lookin crost eyed 
 at some of em." 
 
 They dismounted and hitched their horses 
 with a long line of others. 
 
 " Better come cross th road an have some- 
 pin ," Jake Anson invited. " Yeh want t liven 
 up a little." 
 
 Lilt declined with the excuse that he was not 
 drinking that week. 
 
 A travelling vender of beer in original pack 
 ages had set up a stand on the farther side of 
 the road. A continual string of men filed out 
 of the barn and crossed to the improvised 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 bar. Newton saw Abner Hawkins with the 
 crowd. 
 
 Lilt and Newton made their way into the 
 barn. It was lighted by a multitude of lanterns. 
 The place was filled with merry makers. The 
 greater part of the men were in their working 
 clothes, just as they had left the fields, with 
 overalls tucked in boots, and supported by 
 straps and strings. Here and there stood a 
 more pretentious beau, resplendent and uncom 
 fortable in a suit of " boughten clothes " and a 
 turn down collar. Many of the girls wore 
 calico dresses. All of them were simply clad, 
 with perhaps a gay ribbon for decoration. But 
 strong, supple forms, rosy cheeks and the 
 bloom of perfect health decked them to a sur 
 feit. In one corner was a group that held itself 
 aloof from the rest. They looked on at the 
 merriment but seemed to think themselves 
 above mixing with it. They were better clad 
 than the great crowd, but they did not look so 
 natural. They were specimens of the pretend 
 ing aristocracy. 
 
 A platform had been fitted up at the far end 
 140 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 of the barn by putting planks across empty 
 pork barrels. Upon this the orchestra was sta 
 tioned. It consisted of two riddles and a flute. 
 The leading fiddle was played or rather worked 
 by a stoop-shouldered, scraggy-haired old man, 
 who bobbed his head backward and forward 
 as he thrummed the strings. His son, a gosling 
 of twenty, played the other. The flute was at 
 the mercy of a great broad-shouldered Swede 
 who played neither by note, nor by ear, but by 
 main strength. The music they discoursed was 
 not classical. It may at times have been dis 
 cordant. But there was a hearty dash to it, a 
 swinging rhythm, that set every foot into un 
 conscious motion. As Lilt said, " It put the 
 twitches into his laigs." 
 
 Lilt and Newton were at once surrounded 
 by a jostling crowd. Lilt proved to be a gen 
 eral favourite, especially with the girls. He 
 did have rather a gallant way about him. His 
 rough clothes sat upon him with a natural 
 grace. His eyes lighted up. His face was 
 aglow. 
 
 Newton was introduced to everyone within 
 141 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 hearing. Lilt raised his voice until it echoed all 
 over the barn. 
 
 " This is Newt Mills, th bes wras ler I ever 
 run against. Shake hands with him." 
 
 Everyone came forward, the girls rather 
 timidly, the men with a question as to his 
 wrestling abilities. Inside of five minutes New 
 ton had engaged to wrestle half of the men in 
 the crowd at his earliest convenience. The 
 fiddles set up a warning cry. The hoarse voice 
 of the caller croaked above the din. 
 
 " All set fer a quadrille." 
 
 There was a general scramble for partners. 
 Lilt caught Sue Graham around the waist and 
 bore her off amid a shout to the centre of the 
 barn. Newton looked around for Sibley. He 
 caught sight of her at last at the far end of 
 the barn. She was looking toward him and 
 smiled when their eyes met. Then he saw Ab- 
 ner Hawkins coming through the door and 
 starting toward her. Newton darted through 
 the crowd and gained her side a few paces in 
 front of Abner. 
 
 142 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " May I have this dance, Miss Sibley? " he 
 asked. 
 
 He scarcely waited for an answer, but taking 
 her arm led her out on the floor. Abner stopped 
 and glared after them. A scowl came over 
 his face. He started to jump forward but 
 checked himself and retreated to the wall where 
 he stood glowering at the dancers. 
 
 The sets were soon formed. 
 
 " Two more couple. Two more couple," 
 shouted the caller. " Two more couple. One 
 more couple. All set." 
 
 The fiddles gave a preliminary flourish, the 
 flute uttered a shrill shriek and the dance began. 
 Newton caught Sibley s hand and held it. A 
 thrill ran over him as he did so. He pressed 
 the hand tightly. He did not dare look toward 
 her. If he had done so he would have seen a 
 faint blush creeping up her throat and slowly 
 suffusing her face. 
 
 " Tee-dee-dle, Tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle-dee- 
 dee," sang the fiddles. " First four forward and 
 back. Tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle-dee^ 
 
 143 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 dee." Forward again. Ladies change. Tee- 
 dee-dle, tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle-dee-dee. Swing 
 yer pardners. Lively now boys. Tee-dee-dle, 
 tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle-dee-dee. Tee-dee-dle, 
 tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle, tee-dee-dle-dee-dee. 
 Grand right an left. Hurry long there now, 
 floor s strong. Let out yer laigs. Tee-dee-dle, 
 tee-dee-dle " 
 
 The dance romped on. Everyone put as 
 much motion into the steps as possible. Newton 
 and Sibley danced more quietly than the others 
 but they enjoyed it fully as much. The rude 
 music carried Newton out of himself. He for 
 got that Sibley was to marry Abner Hawkins. 
 Sibley did think of it, but she tried to forget it. 
 
 Anson Thompson saw Abner leaning against 
 the wall scowling darkly. He shouted with a 
 laugh. 
 
 "Hullo Ab! What s matter? Mad cause 
 Another feller s got yer girl ? " 
 
 There came a general shout, 
 
 " Yeh want t look out er that new hand o 
 Ridgeby s 11 cut yeh out." 
 144 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The men roared. The girls giggled. There 
 came a pause in the dance. The fiddles were 
 still for a moment. 
 
 " Yeh don t want t let Sib get way fr m yen 
 that easy," bawled Luke Smith. Sibley heard 
 it. Her face turned scarlet. 
 
 " I wouldn t let a feller cut me out that way," 
 jeered Amy Thompson. 
 
 Abner turned sullenly away and disappeared 
 out the door. He was followed by a general 
 roar. He turned around with a scowl. 
 
 The dance started again. Newton stole a 
 look at Sibley. There was a pucker of irritation 
 in her forehead, and a slight flush on her 
 cheeks. He pressed her hand again. She cov 
 ered her confusion by dancing harder than be 
 fore. The dance came to an end. The fiddles 
 died in a screech. There was quiet for a sec 
 ond, and the champing of the horses in the 
 stables could be heard. Then the general buzz 
 arose again. 
 
 "Shan t we go outside for a moment?" 
 Newton asked as he led Sibley toward the door. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Don t you want to get away from this 
 noise?" 
 
 " I don t dare to," she whispered back. 
 " You had better leave me." 
 
 Her voice was strained. Just then Abner 
 entered the door and started toward them. His 
 face was flushed. 
 
 " I ll take Sib. Go mind yer own business," 
 he growled, as he came up. He pulled Sibley 
 rudely by the arm. 
 
 Newton was about to protest when Sibley 
 turned away from him. 
 
 " Come on Abner," she said quietly. 
 
 Newton looked after her, but she did not 
 turn back. 
 
 " Ab didn t get left that time," Jake Anson 
 shouted. 
 
 " Sib s too sweet t lose," laughed Tod Blake. 
 
 " Ab s apt t get what he goes after," grinned 
 Jim Simpson, the wit. There was a general 
 groan. 
 
 Newton wondered how Sibley bore the rude 
 chaff so quietly. Another dance was called. 
 146 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Newton had Amy Thompson for a partner. 
 She accepted his arm with a simper. He went 
 through the dance mechanically. The girl was 
 very disappointed in him and thought him a 
 very dull partner. He let the next dance go by 
 and from a corner watched Sibley and Abner. 
 Once she caught him looking at her. She 
 dropped her eyes at once and looked away. At 
 the end of the dance Abner left Sibley to visit 
 the bar again. Newton hastened to her side. 
 
 " You promised me three dances, Miss Sib 
 ley. The next is a waltz. May I have it ? " 
 
 " I am afraid to dance with you again/ she 
 said, looking toward the floor. " I am afraid 
 that Abner will make trouble if I do. You can 
 see how he has been drinking. He was furious 
 because I danced with you before." 
 
 " He can make all the trouble with me that 
 he wants to," Newton exclaimed warmly. 
 
 " But please consider my position," she 
 pleaded. 
 
 "Don t you want to dance with me?" he 
 asked earnestly, sinking his voice. 
 147 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Y-Yes." 
 
 " Come on, then." 
 
 The music started. Before Sibley scarcely 
 knew what she was doing she was whirled 
 away. Newton forgot the awkward crowd 
 swaying around him, forgot the rude scraping 
 of the fiddles. He only remembered that he 
 was holding Sibley s hand, that his arm was 
 about Sibley s waist that his breath was min 
 gling with hers. But he came to himself in a 
 moment. There came a choking sensation in 
 his throat. Sibley was to marry Abner 
 Hawkins. 
 
 He looked about him. The fiddles were 
 scraping harder than ever, but Sibley and he 
 were alone on the floor. One by one the danc 
 ers had stopped to watch them. A rude voice 
 broke out. 
 
 " Where s Ab Hawkins now? " 
 
 Sibley gave a start and looked around 
 quickly. 
 
 " Why, we are the only ones dancing," she 
 exclaimed quickly. 
 
 148 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Newton led her to a seat on the improvised 
 benches and the dancing became general again. 
 Abner came pushing his way roughly through 
 the crowd. His eyes were watery and blood 
 shot. Newton caught a look from Sibley. 
 
 " Will you kindly take care of Miss 
 Ridgeby," he asked quietly of Abner as he 
 came up. " I think I have robbed you of part 
 of a dance." Abner glared after him as he 
 turned away. 
 
 Newton did not go near Sibley again during 
 the evening. Now and then he would catch 
 her eyes but she would always look away as 
 though she did not see him. He pushed him 
 self into the midst of the frolic. He danced 
 with Amy Thompson again. She changed her 
 mind about his being a dull partner. Later in 
 the evening Lilt came up to him and drew him 
 aside mysteriously. 
 
 " Say Newt," he whispered, " Th folkes er 
 dead set on seein yeh wras le with Ab Haw 
 kins. In this section people ud ruther see a 
 wras ling match thun dance eny night. They ve 
 149 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 hearn o yer scrape with Hi Simms an I haint 
 been shamed t tell em bout how yeh throwed 
 me, an they want t see it. Ab s been doin a 
 heap o talkin round bout how he knows he 
 cud throw yeh with one han , an I want yeh 
 t take im down." 
 
 " If it will contribute to the amusement of the 
 crowd to see me wrestle I have no particular 
 objections to doing it," Newton replied. " I 
 would rather have it with any one than Abner 
 Hawkins, however." 
 
 " Don t think you will have eny trouble 
 throwin him. I c n do it easy nuff m self." 
 
 " It isn t that," Newton returned. " But I am 
 afraid that trouble of some kind may grow out 
 of it." 
 
 " I shuldn t be s prised m self ef there uz 
 somepin of a rumpus," Lilt replied with a grin. 
 " But I didn t think at yeh d mind that much. 
 Ab s been drinkin , pret hard, an so ve some 
 of his cronies. Ef they see im getting th 
 worst of it they may pitch in. I ll stan behind 
 yeh an see fair play. I guess we c n hold our 
 
 own." 
 
 150 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He sank his voice to an eager whisper. 
 
 " Th fact is, Newt, I m jes akin fer a tussle 
 o some kin . Ef I don t have a chance t blow 
 off onct in bout so often I d bust, an I m jes 
 bout bustin right now." 
 
 Newton looked serious. 
 
 " I don t want to get into a rough and tumble 
 fight here," he said. Then he rubbed his chin 
 thoughtfully. " I do owe Abner Hawkins a 
 thrashing though. Make any arrangements 
 you want to." 
 
 Lilt turned away. A moment later the caller 
 announced that the next dance would be 
 omitted and that Newton Mills, Hiram 
 Ridgeby s new hand, would " wras le " three 
 throws with Abner Hawkins, " nex t Lilt 
 Murdock th bes wras ler in Hawkins county." 
 
 A loud clapping of hands followed the an 
 nouncement and there was a general move to 
 get away from the centre of the floor. Newton 
 was looking toward Sibley. He saw a shiver 
 run over her and an expression of pain sweep 
 over her face. He was sorry then that he had 
 promised to wrestle with Abner. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The crowd parted in front of him. He ad 
 vanced to the centre of the barn. Abner came 
 up with a swagger. A circle was quickly formed 
 around them. Both threw off their coats and 
 made ready for the struggle. They stood facing 
 each other. Abner s face was sullen and dark 
 ened with a frown. Newton was smiling, but 
 it was a hard smile. The sympathy of the men 
 seemed to be with Abner, that of the girls was 
 inclined toward Newton. 
 
 " All s fair/ exclaimed Abner with a scowl. 
 
 " All s fair," assented Newton quietly. 
 
 " Get after him Ab," shouted Jake Anson. 
 " Get after him," repeated the men. 
 
 Abner made a sudden dive for Newton s feet, 
 expecting to catch him around the ankles. He 
 found himself lying flat on his face with no 
 opponent before him. As he plunged down 
 Newton had lightly leaped completely over 
 him. He stood smiling quietly while Abner 
 got up. 
 
 " Got left that time, didn t yeh Ab/ laughed 
 Lilt. "Tryitagen." 
 
 Abner did try it again. After circling cau- 
 152 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 tiously about his opponent for a moment and 
 making several feints he suddenly shot down 
 towards his feet again. That time he caught 
 them. He gave them a pull. Newton was 
 falling. The men cheered; a startled cry of 
 disappointment came from the girls. But 
 Newton did not fall. He alighted on his hands. 
 He seemed able to handle himself as well upon 
 them as upon his feet. Abner tried to twist 
 him around, tried to throw him over. He 
 strained and tugged and panted. The drop of a 
 pin could have been heard. Abner summoned 
 up his strength for a grand effort. Then some 
 way he lost his balance and fell to the floor 
 full on his back. Newton had suddenly sup 
 ported himself on his head and catching Abner 
 by the knees had given him a twist that sent 
 him down. It was done so neatly that there 
 was a general cheer. 
 
 Abner sprang to his feet and made a furious 
 dash forward. Newton was not so easy with 
 him that time. A sudden fury entered his 
 heart. He caught Abner round the waist and 
 raised him above his head, thought an instant 
 153 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 of that woman he had found dying in a fence 
 corner, and hurled him with all his might to the 
 floor. The barn shook. The girls gave vent to 
 a startled "Oh." 
 
 Abner got up slowly. He was dazed. He 
 recovered himself in a moment. Blood began to 
 flow from his nose. A look of hate came over 
 his face. He gave a snarl. 
 
 " Come on, fellows ! " he shouted. 
 
 Several roughs started out from the crowd. 
 Newton braced himself. A feeling of infinite 
 strength came over him, coupled with a desire 
 to vent it. There was a general scramble on 
 the part of the crowd to get away. Abner with 
 an oath sprang toward Newton. Mills gathered 
 himself together to receive him, when a face, 
 scared and white came before him. It was 
 Sibley s. 
 
 " Run ! " she cried. The tone was one of 
 agonised entreaty. 
 
 Abner caught her rudely by the arm and 
 pulled her to one side. Newton was on him like 
 a cat. Two blows sent Abner reeling to 
 154 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 the floor, stunned, unable to rise. Lilt sprang 
 forward and seizing Sibley around the waist 
 bore her out of danger. 
 
 Those coming to Abner s assistance halted 
 when they saw the fate of their leader. Newton 
 did not wait, but sprang at them before they 
 recovered themselves. One found company 
 with Abner on the floor, another fell back dazed 
 by a blow in the neck. Then the five remaining 
 closed on Newton. He struck out wildly. Lilt 
 leaped forward, caught a man with each 
 brawny hand and knocked their heads together. 
 Then he caught another. Newton had just 
 knocked the last of his assailants down when 
 there was a general interference. Then he 
 sank to the floor. A great red blotch stained 
 his shirt. An open pocket knife with blood on 
 the blade was lying by his side. 
 
 Sibley caught her breath. She almost cried 
 aloud. She started to push her way toward 
 him when she checked herself and turned her 
 white face toward the door. She did not look 
 back until she was outside it. 
 155 
 
Chapter XI 
 
 IT was the general opinion among the 
 neighbours that Hi Simms thought 
 more of the number of his cattle and 
 his spreading acres than he did of his wife 
 and children. Not that anyone ever ventured 
 the opinion where it was likely to reach the ears 
 of Hi Simms himself, for there was something 
 about his character to inspire a respect which 
 was nearer akin to fear. His years of struggle 
 with the obstinate soil had not only given his 
 physical frame a hardness as of iron, they had 
 also given his heart something of the temper 
 of steel. His form was gnarled and twisted 
 and his face was bronzed by the hot Iowa suns. 
 His deep-set eyes shaded by shaggy overhang 
 ing eyebrows glittered cold as ice. His hard, 
 square jaw added to the harshness of his fea 
 tures. 
 
 Hi Simms was the embodiment of toil; of 
 treadmill toil that knows not the meaning of 
 
 156 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 rest; of toil that puts pleasures among the un 
 known; of toil that murders love. He was 
 born in toil, bred in toil and toil was all he 
 knew. He spared not himself. He spared no 
 one around him. 
 
 Hi Simms had a wife. It might be thought 
 from this that the light of romance had once 
 entered his life but to Hi Simms marriage was 
 simply an economical arrangement. When by 
 unceasing industry he had attained a farm and 
 a mortgage he found a housekeeper a necessity. 
 A servant would demand wages. A wife would 
 be cheaper. So he married Jane Smalley. 
 Jane married Hi because she was the eldest of 
 the children and it was time that she had a 
 house of her own. Hi Simms was looked upon 
 as a man with prospects who could take care 
 of a woman, so Jane s parents favoured the 
 match. Jane had always been taught to do as 
 she was told. So she became Hi Simms s wife. 
 
 Hi Simms s wife was at the pump wiping 
 the pails preparatory to milking. A little tow- 
 headed youngster was hanging to her skirts. 
 157 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He was crying. Two more were quarrelling in 
 the chip pile, and still another a thin, scrawny, 
 mite of a girl, could be seen through the open 
 doorway with a babe in her arms. The mother 
 seemed oblivious to the turmoil about her and 
 was keeping her eyes bent steadily upon the 
 milk pails. 
 
 She was a small woman and stoop shoul 
 dered. Her thin, bony hands were red and 
 misshapen. Her bent body was clad in a faded 
 calico gown. It had one redeeming feature. It 
 was clean. Her thin, iron-gray hair was twisted 
 into a little hard ball on the back of her head. 
 Her face was the face of hopelessness. The 
 features were plain. A smile might have light 
 ened them perhaps, but it was years since she 
 had smiled. Her feet were bare. 
 
 Any one who knew Jane Simms would have 
 seen at once that she was in an unusual mood. 
 Ordinarily she would have worked more rap 
 idly and would have scolded the children. She 
 would also have been talking to herself. It 
 had been so Jong since she had much of anyone 
 
 158 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 to talk to that she had fallen into this habit. 
 But this evening she was neither talking to her 
 self, nor was she scolding the children, nor was 
 she working with her usual hopeless energy. 
 
 Suddenly the childish turmoil ceased. The 
 tow-headed youngster buried himself deeper 
 into his mother s skirts. The quarrelling chil 
 dren stopped their wrangle and sat still among 
 the chips. The girl in the kitchen strove to 
 quiet the babe she was carrying and partially 
 succeeded. The master of the place was coming 
 out from the barn. Jane Simms was just 
 scouring the bottom of the last pail as he came 
 up. He was going right on to the water barrel 
 by the corner of the house without a word as 
 he had done a thousand times before. There 
 was a revolution between him and that barrel. 
 Jane Simms set the pail she was wiping by the 
 side of the pump. 
 
 " Hi Simms ! " she called. 
 
 The tone must have startled him, but he kept 
 right on toward the water barrel. 
 
 "Hi Simms!" 
 
 159 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 There was an emphasis in the tone that boded 
 trouble, but he did not look back. He rolled his 
 sleeves high up and was just about to plunge 
 his arms deep down into the water when he was 
 arrested by a voice so commanding, so shrill 
 with pent up anger bursting into sound, that 
 involuntarily he obeyed it. 
 
 "HiSimms! Stop!!!" 
 
 He turned his head around. His wife was 
 standing on the small wooden platform sur 
 rounding the pump with her hands resting on 
 her hips. 
 
 " Hi Simms, I m agoin t Sister Marcey s in 
 Illinois." 
 
 "Oh, yeh be, be yeh?" 
 
 " Yes I be." 
 
 "What fer?" 
 
 " I ve staid an slaved on this farm till I m 
 beat out an I be nt agoin t do it no longer. 
 I ve cooked for all yer men folks an never said 
 nahthin . I ve milked all these cows an 
 churned th butter at you sold. I ve worn 
 clothes a nigger wouldn t wear, an lived in 
 1 60 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 this shanty that haint fitten fer a beast t live in, 
 an what s worse n th barns yer cattle s got. I 
 haint been way fr m th place but onct an at 
 uz when ma died an yeh grumbled a hull lot 
 bout it then. I m sick an tired o th hull 
 thing. I m goin away and yeh can t stop me." 
 
 Simms turned squarely around and leaned 
 against the barrel. His face darkened into a 
 frown. 
 
 "Coin be yeh. Well go. There haint 
 nahthin hindren." 
 
 " Yes, Hi Simms I m agoin . My min s 
 made up. Yeh ken get long th bes way yeh 
 can till yeh get ready t hire a nigger." 
 
 "How bout th brats?" 
 
 " Leave em ; they re yourn." 
 
 The tow-headed youngster started to 
 whimper. 
 
 " Shet up ! " snarled Simms. 
 
 The mother said nothing. 
 
 " How er yeh goin ," he asked after a pause. 
 
 " Walk, ef there haint no other way." 
 
 " Huh ! Better run, yeh ll get there quicker," 
 161 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Yes, Hi Simms, I ll walk an run too, an 
 I ll stop t every house tween here an Mar- 
 cey s an tell em I m Hi Simms s wife an a 
 beggar." 
 
 " Tell em too, yeh run way fr m yer brats." 
 
 " Yes, I ll tell em I run way fr m th brats, 
 cause their father uz such a hog they want 
 nahthin but pigs an I d got tired livin in th 
 pen." 
 
 Simms was dumbfounded. He had come to 
 look upon his wife as a machine. A thing to 
 wash and cook and milk ; an automaton wound 
 up and warranted to run for life. He did not 
 know how to take this sudden vagary. It filled 
 him with the same harshness the stubbornness 
 of one of his oxen would have done, except that 
 he would have beaten his ox. He was a little 
 more humane towards his wife. He looked at 
 her for a moment. Then he asked : 
 
 " When er yeh goin ?" 
 
 " T morrer." 
 
 " All right. I m sat sfied." 
 
 Simms turned back to the water barrel as 
 though he considered the question settled. His 
 162 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wife looked at him for a moment as though 
 watching for some signs of softening. She 
 saw none. Indeed she did not expect any. She 
 gritted her teeth, then walked slowly towards 
 the house, leaving the shining pails resting by 
 the side of the pump. She did not enter the 
 door but continued out past the rickety gate and 
 seated herself by the side of the road. 
 
 After Simms had wiped his face and arms 
 on the harsh towel that hung on a nail by the 
 kitchen door he entered the house. The stove 
 was cold. There were no preparations being 
 made for supper. The scrawny girl was still 
 walking up and down the room with the babe 
 in her arms. The other children were huddled 
 around the door. There was a scared expression 
 on their faces. 
 
 Simms took off his plow boots, heavy with 
 the mud that still clung to them, and stood 
 them behind the stove. He put his bare feet 
 upon a chair and lighting his pipe looked out 
 the window to where his wife was sitting by the 
 side of the road. Her perverseness angered 
 him. 
 
 163 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " What s got hit yer ma? " he asked of the 
 girl. 
 
 " Dunno," she answered, in a frightened 
 voice. 
 
 " Go an tell her I want my supper, an* I 
 want it durned quick." 
 
 The girl walked sullenly out the door and 
 going carefully down the rough path that the 
 sleeping babe might not be wakened she de 
 livered the message in all its coarse harshness 
 to her mother. 
 
 Jane Simms did not turn towards her, but 
 bent her eyes away to the west where the 
 setting sun was lighting up a low hanging bank 
 of clouds to a deep crimson. 
 
 " Yeh tell Hi Simms at what he gets t eat 
 in that house he cooks hisself," she answered 
 after a moment. " I haint his nigger no longer." 
 
 The girl stared at her and carried the mes 
 sage to her father. 
 
 His face darkened deeper when he heard it. 
 
 " Go back an tell her I don t want her clut- 
 terin up th front yard an th quicker she gets 
 out o sight th better. An tell her too there 
 164 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 haint no need o her comin whimperin round, 
 nuther. She s made her bed an she c n lay in 
 it." 
 
 His voice was dry and hard. Every word 
 seemed an oath. 
 
 Again the girl made her way back to her 
 mother and delivered the message nearly word 
 for word. 
 
 Silently Jane Simms arose and crossing the 
 road sat down on the other side. 
 
 " Give me th brat," she said holding out 
 her arms. " The rest o yeh ll have t get long 
 th best yeh ken. I haint yer ma no longer." 
 
 The girl handed the babe to her mother. It 
 was asleep and the woman laid it on the ground 
 beside her. 
 
 " What s th matter, maw ? " the girl asked. 
 " What s got int yeh an paw ? Haint yeh 
 goin t live t our house no more ? " 
 
 Jane Simms shook her head. 
 
 " Go back to yeh pa. I m goin away." 
 
 The girl turned and had crossed the road 
 again when her mother called her back. 
 
 " I want t kiss yeh, Viry," she said, and 
 
 165 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 she pulled the girl down and kissed the pinched 
 cheeks. It was almost the first time she had 
 kissed her since she was a baby. 
 
 " I haint been a very good ma t yeh, Viry," 
 she said. There was a quaver in her voice. She 
 held the thin hand of the girl in her own. 
 
 " I haint been a very good ma t yeh, Viry, 
 but I done th best I could. I d a liked t sent 
 yeh to school like other young uns, but yer pa 
 wouldn t give me no money t buy yeh clothes 
 an yeh couldn t go th way yeh was. I I dunno 
 what ll become o yeh, Viry, an th rest o th 
 young uns, but I can t stand it no longer, an 
 I m goin away. Yeh won t see me no more. 
 
 " Lemme kiss yeh agin, Viry. There. An 
 onct fer th twins, an onct fer Tommy. Now 
 go back t yer pa, an be, be a good girl Viry." 
 
 She turned quickly and busied herself with 
 the babe which had begun to stir restlessly. 
 She was winking her eyes as though there were 
 tears in them. 
 
 The girl went back to her father. Her 
 mother s display of affection was something 
 166 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 new to her. She could not remember of having 
 ever been kissed before. She would have liked 
 to stay with her mother but she did not dare. 
 
 " Oh, paw," said the girl as she reentered 
 the house, " What s th matter with maw, she 
 kissed me? " 
 
 "Kissed yeh, did she. Huh! Where s the 
 brat?" 
 
 "Maw tuk it." 
 
 "Huh!" 
 
 For awhile Simms smoked in silence, then 
 he arose and knocking the ashes out of his pipe 
 went into the kitchen. He found the shelves 
 empty. After awhile he found some beef in 
 brine in the cellar and building a fire in the 
 stove he cooked some of it. It was salt and 
 burned and he could not eat it. Then the chil 
 dren came in. They were hungry and wanted 
 their supper. When they found none they began 
 to cry. Simms pointed to the skillet of beef and 
 told them to eat that or go hungry. Then re 
 membering that the cows had not been milked 
 he put on his boots and taking the pails from 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 the side of the pump went into the barnyard. It 
 was hard work milking after his long hours of 
 toil in the fields and he was a long time at it. 
 
 The house was dark when he went back to it. 
 It seemed strange not to see a light in the 
 kitchen window. He set the pails down by the 
 side of the door and went in. He lighted a 
 lamp and looked about him. The children 
 had cried themselves to sleep. The little tow- 
 headed youngster had curled himself up in a 
 chair. His mouth was smeared round with 
 grease and his dirty face was stained with 
 tears. The twins had forgotten their quarrels 
 and were asleep on the floor in each other s 
 arms. He had nearly stumbled over them as 
 he came in. The older girl was riot to be seen. 
 She was old enough to go to bed by herself. 
 
 Simms sat dow r n in a chair and began to 
 smoke. The room seemed very dreary. He 
 turned the lamp up a little higher, but it smoked 
 and he had to turn it down again. His pipe 
 would not draw well. The cat behind the stove 
 looked discontented. He pulled harder at his 
 1 68 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 pipe and puffed it up to a glow. He glanced 
 at the twins. They looked very dirty. He 
 noticed for the first time that their clothes 
 were made from flour sacks. He wondered 
 why his wife had not gotten them better clothes. 
 He was hungry, then he remembered that the 
 children were probably hungry, too. He was a 
 little bit sorry for them and cursed his wife s 
 stubbornness. 
 
 He took up his weekly paper and tried to 
 read, but the letters looked all upside down. 
 The room seemed lonely. Something was miss 
 ing from it. The little hard bottomed rocker 
 looked strange. It was there that his wife al 
 ways sat. He almost wondered if it seemed 
 lonely in the room because she was not there. 
 He never talked to her but she was always 
 with him during the short evenings. He could 
 look at her if he wanted to. 
 
 " What makes th woman s* stubborn," he 
 mused. 
 
 The children slept on. He thought they 
 might be cold and getting a shawl he spread it 
 169 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 over them. He took off his coat and threw it 
 over the child in the chair. He had never 
 thought of the children before. He wondered 
 what he was going to do with them now that 
 she was gone. He would have to hire a wo 
 man to come in and take care of them and do 
 the cooking. He tried to think how it would 
 seem to have some one else besides his wife 
 sitting in the little rocker. 
 
 His pipe went out. As he got up to fill it 
 he glanced out the window where by the dim 
 moonlight he could see his wife sitting by the 
 side of the road. The sight angered him. 
 
 " Damn the woman," he muttered. 
 
 When he had lighted his pipe again he sat 
 down and putting his feet upon a chair went on 
 smoking. 
 
 The clock struck ten. Its solemn voice 
 echoed in the room. It seemed to be calling 
 someone. The tow-headed youngster stirred 
 in his sleep but was still again in a moment. 
 
 Simms smoked more and more slowly. He 
 found his thoughts going back to his wedding 
 170 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 day. He had never thought of it since. He had 
 never felt the sweet pangs of love but he knew 
 that he had liked Jane Smalley better than any 
 of the other girls of the neighbourhood. There 
 was no nonsense about her. He had felt a little 
 bit proud of her on their wedding day. She 
 had looked almost pretty in her simple cambric 
 gown. She was much different now. He won 
 dered what made her so thin and bent. 
 
 He was getting a bit restless so he arose and 
 began walking up and down the room. He 
 walked past the window two or three times and 
 then involuntarily he stopped and looked out. 
 He was impatient with himself for doing so but 
 somehow he could not help it. The moon had 
 risen higher and it was quite light outside. He 
 could see his wife very plainly. She was hold 
 ing the babe in her arms and rocking monoto 
 nously to and fro. He wondered if it was not 
 cold out there. He opened the door a very little. 
 A damp chilling draft blew in. He wondered 
 why she stayed out there. He decided that if 
 she came in he would forgive her. He stood 
 171 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 some little time waiting for her to come but she 
 still sat there rocking to and fro. He even 
 knocked lightly on the pane, but she did not 
 hear. He wished she would come back. 
 
 The wish grew as he looked out at her thin 
 worn form. It seemed a part of him. He could 
 almost feel the cold and dampness himself. He 
 wondered if she would come back if he asked 
 her to, but he could not do that. It was not his 
 fault that she was so foolish. But he decided 
 that he would go out and speak to her anyway, 
 perhaps he had been a little harsh. 
 
 He opened the door and went out. He for 
 got his boots and his hat. She did not seem 
 to see him as he came up. 
 
 " Jane, yeh re a fool." 
 
 The woman said nothing, but continued 
 rocking the babe in her arms. Simms s voice 
 was as harsh as ever. 
 
 " Jane yeh re a fool, an* durn it all, I m a 
 fool too. Ef yeh re s set on goin t yer sister 
 Marcey s I don t see uz ther s nahthin hindrin . 
 Th farm s half yourn." 
 172 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 She looked up at him. It may be that the 
 strange thing glittering on her cheeks was a 
 tear. 
 
 " An say," he went on hastily, " th corn s 
 done uncommon well an ef yeh ll wait till after 
 plowin p raps I ll go with yeh. An well, 
 durn it all, we ll take th brats too ef yeh want 
 t ." 
 
 173 
 
Chapter XII 
 
 IT was Sunday at the Hawkins homestead. 
 The softly blowing winds hummed an 
 thems in the corn fields and whispered 
 creeds and prayers about the wheat heads. A 
 robin chirped a psalm from its perch on the 
 wood pile. The pigeons cooed matins from the 
 stable roof. A blue jay, pluming its wings 
 on a chicken coop, lightly shrilled a litany, and 
 was answered by its mate in the orchard. 
 
 An old man, bent and twisted with rheuma 
 tism, came out from the straw thatched stable 
 and turned toward the house. He moved with 
 a shuffle and kept his eyes bent toward the 
 ground. His cold, keen grey eyes were peering 
 here and there as though in hopes of finding 
 something. The sun was flaming over his left 
 shoulder. Above his head a great mare s tail 
 was fanned out across the heavens. All about 
 him the birds and bees and beasts were worship 
 ping Nature s God. But George Hawkins cared 
 nothing for Nature, and but very little for its 
 174 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 God. He stopped and turned something with 
 his coarse boot. Then stooping stiffly he picked 
 up a piece of snarled dirty string. His 
 weazened face lighted as though he had come 
 upon a treasure. He stood still, balancing on 
 one foot until he had unsnarled it, then he 
 rolled it up very carefully and shuffled on 
 toward the house. 
 
 As he came up to the kitchen door he met 
 Abner coming out. He was wearing his best 
 clothes and was carrying a harness over his 
 arm. The old man s face drew down in a frown. 
 He reached out and nervously clutched the 
 harness. 
 
 " Yer a goin t spile them new clothes, Ab 
 ner," he exclaimed querulously. " Yeh ve only 
 worn em a year. Seems t me yer gettin 
 mighty dandyish wantin t put em on all th 
 time." 
 
 His voice was shrill and had a quaver in it. 
 There was a frown on Abner s face when he 
 came out the door. It deepened. He spoke 
 roughly. 
 
 175 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Aw, shet up, an quit yer naggin . Yeh ll 
 drive me crazy with yer eternal snufflin . Th 
 clothes er mine an I ll wear em t plow in ef 
 I feel like it." 
 
 He started to push on. The old man stopped 
 him. 
 
 " What yeh goin t do with at harness." 
 
 " Hitch up." 
 
 "Where yeh goin ?" 
 
 " Over t th Grahams." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 Abner scowled deeper yet. 
 
 " Aw let up," he exclaimed with an oath. " I 
 guess I m over twenty-one an haint tied down 
 t leadin strings no longer." 
 
 The old man nervously twisted the string in 
 his stiff fingers. 
 
 " Well, yeh c n jes put at harness back 
 where yeh found it. Th ole one s in th stable." 
 
 Abner bit his lips. 
 
 " I aint agoin t drive over there with that 
 ole harness. It s all comin t pieces an looks 
 uz though it belonged t a lot o paupers." 
 176 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "It s good miff fer me," scolded the old 
 man. " N I guess it s good nuff for you, least 
 wise yeh ll have t put up with it. Yer gettin 
 t be th most stravagant feller I ever see. 
 Yeh d ha me in th porehouse ef I didn t watch 
 out, an it s agoin t be stopped." 
 
 " What s the use o bein so Damned stingy, 
 Dad," Abner growled, sulkily. "Folks ud 
 think yeh was starvin t death t hear yeh talk. 
 I m gettin sick of it." 
 
 The old man bristled up. 
 
 " Yeh take that harness back where yeh 
 foun it. I guess I m runnin this farm yet, an 
 it s goin t be run econom cal." 
 
 Abner turned back with an oath. The old 
 man followed him into the kitchen and very 
 carefully placed in a table drawer the string 
 he had picked up. 
 
 His old wife was sitting in a straight backed 
 chair by the window. Her red, misshapen 
 hands were folded in her lap. She was gazing 
 vacantly out the window to where the blue jay 
 was flirting his tail from the chicken coop. She 
 177 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 was hollow chested and pale, and had the worn 
 hectic look of a consumptive. Now and then 
 she would give utterance to a hacking cough 
 which she vainly attempted to stifle. Then 
 she was taken with a paroxysm of coughing. 
 When it left her she was completely exhausted 
 and she pressed her hands over her sunken 
 breast and sighed. 
 
 " Seems like my cough s gittin worse," she 
 said feebly when she regained her breath. 
 
 Hawkins did not answer her. He was tak 
 ing off his boots and putting on a pair of 
 ragged carpet slippers. 
 
 " I hope taint nahthin ser us," she added 
 appealingly. 
 
 A frown was her only reply. Hawkins 
 rubbed some home grown tobacco between his 
 palms and pressed it into a worn cob pipe. 
 His wife summoned up more courage and 
 spoke pleadingly. 
 
 " I b lieve ef yeh d git me sum sirrup nex 
 time yeh go t town it ud help me some. Seems 
 like I cudn t stan this cough much longer. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 It s jes wearin me all out. Some way I can t 
 do my work like I ust t . I git tired right off." 
 
 Hawkins settled himself comfortably in a 
 chair and closed his eyes. 
 
 " Won t yeh git me some sirrup, Pa? " 
 
 He opened his eyes with a frown. His 
 teeth came together with a snap. He spoke 
 testily. 
 
 " Seems like yeh re allus wantin med cine. 
 Ef I d get yeh all th truck yeh ask fer I d keep 
 m self pore. Here I am tryin t con mize 
 all I kin an you want t spen all I c n save 
 buyin med cines at don t do nobody no good. 
 I don t think there s nahthin th matter with 
 yeh any how. Fur s I c n see yeh look jes s 
 well s yeh ever did. It s all in yeh re imagina 
 tion an I don t think it s my duty t humour 
 yeh in it ! " 
 
 He shut his eyes again. His wife sighed 
 feebly and looked out at the bluejay. 
 
 There was a knock at the door. The old man 
 gave a snarl of irritation and shuffling forward 
 opened it. He found Hi Simms there. 
 179 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I want t see yeh," said Simms shortly. 
 He turned and led the way to the wood-pile. 
 Hawkins shambled after him. 
 
 "How re yeh gettin long, Hi?" the old 
 man asked as he leaned against the pile. 
 
 " Begin cuttin next week, guess. I want t 
 tell yeh somepin ." 
 
 " All right. What d ye think th corn 11 
 yield, fifty bushels ?" 
 
 " Mor n that, guess." Simms shifted about 
 uneasily. " Miss Simpkins an th brat died 
 las night," he said suddenly. 
 
 " Huh ! How re things looking bout th 
 place?" 
 
 " All right. Th brat died right after th ole 
 woman did." 
 
 " Too bad. Wist yeh d begin cuttin soon s 
 yeh can. I stand in need o some cash. Made 
 Thompson a las offer for that medder o his 
 an guess he ll take me up." 
 
 " Seems like they caught more cold out in 
 th fowg that night," Simms continued looking 
 at the ground. 
 
 180 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " How s th wheat doin ." 
 
 " Pret well. Simpkins s in a pret bad way. 
 Folks say he s likely t lose his mind." 
 
 For the first time the old man betrayed an 
 interest in the fate of the Simpkinses. 
 
 " Good Ian ! " he exclaimed. " It s a good 
 thing I foreclus. Ef he d agone insane there 
 might a been trouble. Had t been a gardeen 
 pinted an no tellin how much bother. Might 
 a los th crop, too." 
 
 " Ef I d a known they didn t have no place 
 t go that night I d a let em stayed in th house. 
 Ther want no hurry bout gettin out fer s we se 
 concerned," Simms said uneasily. 
 
 " I tried t do th best I cud afford t by em," 
 the old man said virtuously. " But Simpkins 
 uz so pig headed he wouldn t do nahthin! I 
 offered t let im stay in th house fer a rea- 
 son ble rent, but he wouldn t do that neither. He 
 cud a gone t th county farm, but he wouldn t 
 do that neither. I did th best I cud." 
 
 Simms backed up against the wood pile. 
 
 " Say," he growled with a frown, " I don t 
 181 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 like this thing, Hawkins. I haint no brute no 
 more. Th neighbours er feelin pret hard bout 
 this thing an* say that you didn t do jes right, 
 puttin em out way yeh did." 
 
 The old man straightened up. A flash came 
 into his sunken eyes. 
 
 " Th neighbours c n go to thunder," he ex 
 claimed sharply. " I guess I c n do uz I please 
 with my own. I didn t do nahthin without th 
 sanction o th law. I haint a askin no favours 
 o none o th neighbours an they don t need t 
 trouble any bout my affairs, an ef yeh hear 
 eny more talk yeh tell em so too." 
 
 He turned and shambled back toward the 
 house. Simms opened his mouth as though to 
 call him, but he closed it again and leaping the 
 fence walked away across the fields. Just as 
 Hawkins reached his door Lilt Murdock came 
 around the corner of the house. 
 
 " I want t see yeh, Hawkins," he shouted. 
 
 Lilt spoke sharply. There was a gleam in 
 his eyes and an expression on his face fairly 
 fierce. 
 
 182 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "What d yeh want?" the old man asked, 
 testily. 
 
 " I want yeh t understand first of all," Lilt 
 exclaimed, " That I haint here from none o 
 my choosin . Ridgeby uz bound at I shud come 
 an give yeh warnin so I come. Ef I d a had 
 my way I wouldn t a come near yeh, leastways 
 not till everything uz fixed." 
 
 The vehemence with which Lilt spoke 
 startled the old man. His eyes opened. 
 
 "W-why, w-w-what s th matter?" he 
 asked, the quaver in his voice increasing. 
 
 " Mis Simpkins an th baby died las night." 
 
 " Yes, yes," faltered the old man. " Simms 
 uz jes a tellin me. Too bad. Too bad. 
 Course I ll come t th funeral. I allus did like 
 Mis Simpkins an allus did what I cud fer em." 
 
 Lilt folded his arms and glared at him. 
 
 "Well you d better not come near t th 
 funeral. Th closter yeh lay still th better 
 it ll be fer your old bones. Folks er gettin 
 pretty well worked up over this thing an there s 
 apt t be trouble." 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Hawkins began to tremble. 
 
 " Why Why, I haint done nahthin ." 
 
 " Nahthin ! Nahthin," cried Lilt, reaching 
 out as though to clutch him. " Why yeh ole 
 wretch yeh murdered em, an there s them in 
 this county at ud like t see yeh hang fer it, 
 an they re talkin o doin it, too." 
 
 The old man turned pale. He felt his knees 
 growing weak under him. He caught at the 
 door post for support. 
 
 "Why what d yeh mean?" he asked. His 
 voice was faint and husky. 
 
 " Why, didn t yeh rob Simpkins of all he had 
 in th world," asked Lilt. " An en turn him an 
 his family out in th road t die. What d I 
 mean? I mean jes what I said, at you mur 
 dered Mis Simpkins an the baby. An ef yeh 
 don t go t Hell fer it may I never go t 
 Heaven." 
 
 The old man s face became livid. He tottered 
 to the door and sank down on the step. 
 
 " I I didn t mean t do n-nahthin ," he 
 whimpered. " I did jes what th law lows." 
 184 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Th law ! Th law ! " screamed Lilt. " Damn 
 th law, when it gets into th hands o skunks 
 like you. It s justice we re talkin bout. An 
 ef I don t miss my guess you ll see a little jus 
 tice done fore mornin ." 
 
 " Why, I cud a tuk th farm six months ago," 
 "said Hawkins faintly. " But I tried t be easy 
 on em." 
 
 "Tried t be easy on em," sneered Lilt. 
 " What was yeh waitin fer but t have Simp- 
 kins get th crop all ready t cut." 
 
 " I didn t mean it that way." 
 
 " Yes you did." 
 
 " Mis Simpkins uz sick a long time fore 
 that." 
 
 " Yes she killed herself workin in th fields 
 in hopes they cud save nuff that way t make 
 sure on th mortgage. Th cold she caught in 
 th road that night yeh turned em out uz what 
 finished her though. She d a died that night 
 ef we hadn t taken em in at Ridgeby s." 
 
 " They cud agone t th pore house," said the 
 old man doggedly. 
 
 185 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Pore house, huh!" 
 
 " I didn t turn em out, nohow/ Hawkins 
 continued. " They cud a stayed for a reason- 
 ble rent, but I never seen s bull headed a man 
 uz Simpkins. Ef I remember it I said they 
 cud stay uz long uz they wanted t . I know I 
 told em there want no hurry bout gettin out." 
 
 " Simpkins says diff runt." 
 
 "Come t think of it I remember tellin em 
 they cud have th house rent free durin th 
 winter an cud have what corn they wanted t 
 feed th cow. I m sure bout it now at I come 
 t think bout it. I m sure I did." 
 
 The pallor began to leave the old man s face 
 and he brightened up considerably. 
 
 " I mus say at yeh ve got a mighty con 
 venient mem ry," frowned Lilt. " It s jes like 
 yer conscience." 
 
 " I m sure they cudn t blame me none," 
 Hawkins exclaimed with an air of relief, as he 
 got up from the door-step. " I m sure I did all 
 at a Christian cud be expected t do! I even 
 offered Simpkins work, but he uz too shif les 
 t take it. He never did mount t much." 
 186 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Look here, you old Geezer," shouted Lilt, 
 wrathfully shaking his fist in the old man s 
 face. " I allus thought yeh was the meanes 
 cuss in Hawkins county, but darned if yeh 
 haint the worst specimen in th State o loway. 
 I ve got a good min t punch yeh a few times 
 an go home without tellin yeh what I cum fer." 
 
 " Well, what d yeh cum fer? " the old man 
 asked querulously. 
 
 " I cum up here t tell yeh at uz soon uz 
 th neighbours hearn at Mis Simpkins an th 
 baby uz dead they got s riled up over it at 
 they re talkin o gettin up a crowd an comin 
 over here an givin yeh a coat o tar an feath 
 ers. Some of em wants t hang yeh an be 
 done with it. I m one o that kind." 
 
 Hawkins sank down again. His face 
 blanched. His teeth began to chatter. 
 
 " Ef they come round here I ll have th law 
 on em," he whimpered. " I ll have th law on 
 em. I m an hones cit zen, an hain t done 
 nahthin , an I ll have th law on em." 
 
 He spoke feebly. His eyes were filled with 
 fright. 
 
 187 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Ridgeby sent me up here to warn yeh," 
 Lilt continued. " Ridgeby said himself yeh 
 ought t be dealt with, but he allus was chicken 
 hearted." 
 
 " Ridgeby d better not be talkin that way 
 bout me," Hawkins chattered. "Why, I ve 
 done him favours." 
 
 Yeh never done him uz big a favour uz he s 
 doin you right now," Lilt answered hotly. 
 
 " Why, I ve loaned him money when he 
 needed it mighty bad," whined the old man. 
 
 " Yes, yeh loaned it t him fer eight per cent, 
 intrust, an took a mor gage on th bes farm in 
 th state," sneered Lilt. " I s pose yeh ll be 
 turnin him out t die next." 
 
 " No, I ll be easy on him," Hawkins an 
 swered, rubbing his eyes. " I feel kinder like 
 kin t Ridgeby seein Abner s goin t marry 
 Sibley." 
 
 " I wouldn t let that idee worry me none," 
 Lilt said, as he turned away. " I don t b lieve 
 yeh ll ever have Sibley Ridgeby fer a daughter- 
 in-law." 
 
 188 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The old man watched Lilt until he disap 
 peared down the road. Then he tried to get 
 upon his feet, but he sank down again. His 
 fright had overcome him. He sat staring 
 vacantly ahead of him. Lilt had said that he 
 was a murderer and that a mob was coming 
 to lynch him. He trembled. But he knew that 
 he had done nothing wrong. He had done less 
 than the law would have allowed. He was 
 sure he had told Simpkins that he could stay in 
 the house as long as he wanted to. Yes, he 
 was sure he had. He had intended to do so 
 anyway. They could not blame him for what 
 had happened. Mis Simpkins and the baby 
 would have died anyway. He had acted like a 
 Christian. Yes, he was sure he had acted like 
 a Christian. 
 
 With an effort he got feebly upon his 
 feet. He was startled by a piping voice at his 
 side. 
 
 " They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died," it called. " Yes, they laid down jes like 
 little dogs an died." 
 
 189 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 His thin blood started into activity at the 
 words. He felt it boiling in his brain. 
 
 " They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died." Then a merry laugh. 
 
 The old man turned fiercely. Crazy Bet was 
 already disappearing down the lane. He gazed 
 wrathfully after her. 
 
 " They laid down jes like little dogs an 
 died." 
 
 The laugh that came after it sounded in his 
 ears wild and shrill, like the ghastly, ghoulish 
 shriekings of demons in Hell. 
 
 He tottered to the stable and with trembling 
 hands hitched up a team and drove rapidly 
 down the road. That maniacal laugh still rang 
 in his ears. 
 
 190 
 
Chapter XIII 
 
 NEWTON S wound healed slowly. It 
 had proved to be much more serious 
 than had at first been supposed. The 
 heavy blade of the knife had pierced the inner 
 membrane of the lungs, narrowly missing the 
 heart. The painful ride back to Ridgeby s had 
 resulted in a great loss of blood, and the long 
 time that elapsed until the arrival of the village 
 doctor had aggravated the hurt. Sibley s care 
 and her mother s simple dressing had warded 
 off the most serious complications. Sibley s 
 mind had been in a tumult on the evening that 
 Newton was hurt. When she saw him fall her 
 first impulse had been to rush to him. It seemed 
 that every instinct in her being was urging her 
 to his side. She had almost obeyed them. But 
 she remembered that she was to marry Abner 
 Hawkins and that the increasing temptation 
 might not overpower her she had rushed from 
 the barn and started on a feverish walk for 
 home. She had covered but a small part of 
 191 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 the distance when she was overtaken by the 
 wagon in which Newton had been placed to 
 take him home. Lilt was driving it, walking 
 the horses slowly and peering eagerly ahead 
 into the darkness in the endeavour to avoid as 
 many of the rough places as possible. She had 
 climbed into the wagon, and seating herself on 
 the box floor had held Newton s head all the 
 way. It had been a wonderful relief to her 
 to find that he was not dead. During the long 
 drive and through the tedious wait until the 
 doctor came she had been in a fever of sus 
 pense. Would he live ? The thought throbbed 
 in her brain until it seemed to her that her head 
 must split. Yet she wondered why she cared 
 so much. He was only her father s hired hand, 
 and besides she was going to marry Abner 
 Hawkins. When the doctor said that he would 
 live her heart gave a bound and she almost 
 shouted. She stole away to her room and 
 cried. 
 
 For over a month now he had lain white and 
 wan, unable to little more than move his hands 
 192 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 for fear of starting a hemorrhage. Mrs. Simp- 
 kins and the baby had died and been laid 
 away with simple rites in the cross roads grave 
 yard. Simpkins himself had wandered away, 
 no one knew whither. The heat of anger 
 against old George Hawkins had gone with 
 him, and the county had settled down to 
 its wonted routine. Two of those concerned 
 in the assault on Newton disappeared right 
 after it and the rest denied any knowledge 
 of the stabbing. Law, in the country districts, 
 is clumsy at the best and the matter was 
 dropped. 
 
 Sibley devoted herself to Newton. Her 
 mother relieved her of all care in the house 
 work and she spent her entire time by his bed 
 side. At first it was an arduous task. As long 
 as his life hung in the balance she scarcely slept. 
 The others offered to relieve her but she per 
 sistently refused their good offices. The crim 
 son faded from her cheeks, the blue of her eyes 
 became shaded by dark rings, she was not so 
 plump as she had been, but she refused to resign 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 her place to another. In vain her mother wor 
 ried and Ridgeby fussed, Old Reuben s cackled 
 advice was lost, Lilt s repeated requests to be 
 allowed to share her watch were declined. 
 
 Newton was too weak to talk; besides, the 
 physician had forbidden it. The slightest ex 
 ertion might tear the wound open again and 
 start a flow of blood that would prove fatal. 
 But he followed Sibley with his eyes. As long 
 as he was awake he kept them bent upon her. 
 It seemed to put nature into the room to see her 
 there. In her eyes he saw the blue of the skies, 
 in her smile the sweet sunshine, in her voice, 
 when she now and then hummed a song, he 
 heard the sighing of the wheat fields. He saw 
 all of these in Sibley now as before he had seen 
 Sibley in all of them. Once he tried to speak 
 to her, but she stopped the words with her 
 hand. He expended his strength in kissing it. 
 She chided him with a smile, but the suspicion 
 of a blush came upon her cheeks. Newton tried 
 again to speak but that time she did not put her 
 fingers to his lips but to her own. He frowned 
 his disappointment. 
 
 194 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 It was three days after he was hurt before he 
 came to consciousness, but all that time he had 
 heard Sibley s frightened voice, as she entreated 
 him to run, ringing in his ears. Sometimes it 
 was as the singing of countless birds, again it 
 was the silvery chime of many bells in tune. 
 Again it was the rippling of waves, or it swelled 
 into the rolling music of the spheres. Various 
 forms it took ; but it was always Sibley s voice. 
 
 The first thing of which he was aware when 
 he crept back to consciousness was the touch of 
 a soft hand upon his forehead. How cool it 
 was and how lightly it rested upon his brow. 
 He wondered whose it was and he started to 
 open his eyes. As he did so he felt the flutter 
 of a breath on his cheek. He raised his lids 
 and found himself looking deep into Sibley s 
 eyes. She drew quickly back. Had he been 
 fully conscious he would have seen that a blush 
 crimsoned her cheeks a deeper red. He closed 
 his eyes. In a few moments he felt the hand 
 sweep lightly over his forehead again and, as 
 he did not stir, rest there. He kept his eyes 
 shut and sank to sleep. 
 
 195 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Now he was getting better. His iron consti 
 tution had triumphed and he was slowly re 
 gaining his strength. It was a pleasure to feel 
 the life coming into his limbs again. He held 
 up his great arms. How powerful they had 
 been a month ago. How feeble they were now. 
 Before he could have twisted a horse-shoe out 
 of shape, now a child could have held him down. 
 
 It made him happy to feel the strength com 
 ing back again, but there was something that 
 took the delight out of it and sometimes made 
 him wish that he could always remain weak and 
 speechless. The more he improved in health 
 the less he saw of Sibley. She relaxed her 
 sleepless watch as soon as it was assured that 
 all danger was passed and she gave her place 
 up more and more to her mother. Her interest 
 in him seemed to pale in an inverse ratio as he 
 regained his health. What little services she 
 did him now were done in a perfunctory way 
 and she escaped as soon thereafter as she 
 could. Now and then she would sit by his 
 bed for an hour or so in the afternoon and 
 196 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 read to him, but if he essayed to draw her 
 attention away from her book and attempt 
 to have her talk with him she left him ab 
 ruptly. At length he saw her scarcely at 
 all. If he wished anything and called it was 
 always her mother who came, or even Reuben. 
 If it was in the evening Ridgeby and Lilt would 
 wait on him. Lilt did not make a bad nurse. 
 He would sit by Newton s side for two or three 
 hours in the evenings and read to him in his 
 clumsy fashion, or tell him the news of the 
 county as he heard it from the other hired 
 hands. Lilt took Newton s injury considerably 
 to heart. He considered himself largely re 
 sponsible for it as Newton would not have been 
 drawn into the melee had he not been so 
 " bustin " for a fight. He never tired of de 
 scribing how Newton bore himself. Knight of 
 Old never had a more faithful minstrel to sing 
 his prowess. 
 
 Newton knew one afternoon, from the 
 sounds in the kitchen, that Sibley was alone. 
 He could hear her singing " Bon Ami " as she 
 197 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wiped the dinner dishes. Her mother had 
 gone to a neighbour s and Reuben had been 
 sent to the village on an errand. Newton could 
 not resist the temptation to call her. A mo 
 ment later she opened the door and looked in. 
 
 " Can t you come in ? I m lonesome," he 
 pleaded. 
 
 " Haven t you your thoughts for company? " 
 she asked carelessly. 
 
 " No, they are out there with you. They 
 won t stay in here." 
 
 She laughed lightly. 
 
 " I can t say that they fill the room up very 
 much. I m afraid that you will have to con 
 tinue being lonesome. I can t leave my work 
 just now." 
 
 The expression on his face became more 
 earnest. 
 
 " Come in just for a moment," he pleaded. 
 " I want to talk to you." 
 
 She hesitated, then went up to the bed. 
 
 " What do you want ? " she asked in a matter 
 of fact tone that did not at all fit in with his 
 mood. 
 
 198 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I want to thank you for all you have done 
 for me, Miss Sibley," he said earnestly. " I 
 have not said anything before because I did not 
 know how to say it. I can not say it now as 
 well as I would like. But I would not have you 
 think me ungrateful." 
 
 " Oh, is that all you wanted? " she laughed 
 carelessly. " Did you bring me in here away 
 from my work just to tell me that? Well I m 
 too busy to stay and listen to it. Mother will 
 be back pretty soon and you can tell it to her. 
 She is the one that has taken care of you. I 
 have done very little except to help her now 
 and then." 
 
 She started to turn away. Newton caught 
 her by the dress and held her. She turned back 
 with a slight frown upon her face. Newton 
 saw it and it hurt him. 
 
 " Frown if you want to," he said. " But, I 
 will hold you here until I tell you what I want 
 to. I haven t very much strength left but I 
 will use what I have." 
 
 She smiled carelessly. 
 
 " Well go on and talk if you want to, I 
 199 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 can t stop that," she said with a laugh, that was 
 intended to disarm him. 
 
 "You are the one who has taken care of 
 me," he said, seriously. " Can t I see how pale 
 you are, can t I see that you are thin and worn ? 
 Don t I know what caused it? It was taking 
 care of me when I was likely either to live or 
 die with the odds on the wrong side. I knew 
 that you were with me all the time. I could not 
 see you but I felt that you were there. I believe 
 that I should have died had you left me. That 
 I am alive now is owing to you and now you 
 don t want me even to thank you. You are 
 offsetting all your kindnesses with cruelty." 
 
 Sibley tried to keep the careless look on her 
 face but failed. The light smile died away and 
 she bit her lips nervously. She looked toward 
 the door. 
 
 " What I did was very little. You magnify 
 it. I could not have done less for anyone," she 
 said slowly. " I could not leave you to die. I 
 would not do that even to a dog." 
 
 " I do not delude myself with the idea that 
 you did it simply because it was I," he returned 
 200 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 with a note of bitterness in his tone. " I know 
 that you would do as much for a tramp picked 
 up in the road. In fact that was what you were 
 kind to in me, a tramp that Ridgeby picked up 
 in the road. But because I know that you 
 would have done the same to anyone does not 
 release me from my debt of gratitude. I hope 
 that nothing will ever arise in your life that will 
 give me the opportunity to repay it, but if there 
 should I shall not fail to do it." 
 
 " You owe me nothing," Sibley said seriously 
 without looking at him. " You must remem 
 ber that it was I who was largely responsible 
 for your hurt. If you had died I should have 
 felt that I had murdered you." 
 
 " You responsible for my hurt ? " he ex 
 claimed. " Pray how is that ? " 
 
 There came a quaver in Sibley s voice when 
 she replied. She was also winking hard to 
 keep back the tears. 
 
 " My coquetry aroused Abner s jealousy to 
 
 such an extent that he was beside himself. He 
 
 swore to me that he would find some way to 
 
 revenge himself on you. When you were 
 
 201 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 wrestling I was in an agony for I did not know 
 what he might do. I feared that something 
 would happen. It was all my fault. If I had 
 confined myself to Abner s care as I should have 
 done nothing would have happened and you 
 would be strong and well instead of lying here 
 helpless. I should have been heartless indeed 
 not to give you some small care after what I had 
 done. It was my coquetry that did it." 
 
 Newton caught his breath. That was a shot 
 that cut him to the quick. He had forgotten 
 that Sibley was to marry Abner Hawkins. The 
 thought came to him with a force that it had 
 never possessed before. He looked up at her. 
 She had never looked so pretty to him. She 
 to marry Abner Hawkins? He wondered if 
 those were tears welling up to his eyes. His 
 face became very sober. Hers caught the ex 
 pression as a mirror and became very sober too. 
 
 " Did you dance with me that night," he 
 asked slowly, " simply out of a spirit of co 
 quetry?" 
 
 She clutched nervously at her apron. Her 
 
 face paled. 
 
 202 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Perhaps not exactly that," she said after 
 a moment. " But the result was the same. I 
 should not have done it." 
 
 He looked at her earnestly for a moment. 
 
 " Are you sorry that you did ? " he asked. 
 
 " Of course I am," she answered. " See what 
 has happened." 
 
 " I don t care what has happened," he cried 
 impatiently. " I would pay the same price 
 again for the same pleasure." 
 
 Sibley s face lighted for a moment. Then it 
 darkened again. When she replied it was with 
 a forced voice. She tried to pull away. 
 
 " Now you are talking nonsense," she said. 
 
 " Nonsense or no nonsense," he cried des 
 perately, holding her back. " If ever again 
 I have the opportunity of purchasing so great 
 a pleasure from you I will pay as great a price." 
 
 " No you will not," she replied firmly." 
 
 "I won t?" 
 
 " No, for I will not let you." 
 
 "What do you mean?" he asked with a 
 drawn breath. 
 
 She hesitated for a moment as though trying 
 203 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 to gain complete control of herself before she 
 answered him. 
 
 " I mean that from this time on we must 
 not be even friends. Abner s jealousy is so 
 great that I cannot have even a friend. I have 
 no right to anger him." 
 
 Newton raised himself on his elbow. 
 
 " Must I give you up entirely," he cried 
 wildly, " to that man, that savage, that boor, 
 that dog, that low born whelp " 
 
 Sibley s face became pale as the dress she 
 wore. She gave a quick gasp. Then she drew 
 herself up and stopped his tirade with a gesture. 
 
 " Remember," she said firmly, " that what 
 ever he is, I am his promised wife." 
 
 She pulled away from him and hurried out 
 of the room closing the door with a slam behind 
 her. Newton sank back exhausted. Sibley 
 stumbled to her room and stifled a flood of 
 tears in a pillow. 
 
 204 
 
Chapter XIV 
 
 DURING the next three days Newton 
 did not see Sibley. He did not even 
 hear her voice. It was her usual cus 
 tom to sing about her work, but she did not sing 
 any more. He had to content himself with 
 listening to the sound of her footsteps. 
 
 He was gazing gloomily up at the ceiling 
 weaving Sibley s face in the shadows when Lilt 
 tramped in. He had just finished the chores for 
 the night. He carefully closed the door behind 
 him and stood awkwardly clinging to the knob. 
 He shuffled uneasily about on his feet. 
 
 " Say, Newt," he exclaimed in a half whisper, 
 " Didn t yeh lay in a white shirt a while ago ? " 
 
 Newton replied that he did. 
 
 " Well say," Lilt continued as though fear 
 ing he might be overheard, " Would yeh min 
 lendin me th loan of it fer a spell t night? " 
 
 " Why, of course not," Newton laughed 
 back. "What s up?" 
 
 " Sh ! " Lilt cautioned nervously, his face 
 205 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 flushing. " Don t talk s darned loud or they ll 
 hear yeh," pointing with his thumb over his 
 shoulder. " Where s th shirt ? " 
 
 "Hanging up in the closet. What s the 
 matter, Lilt?" 
 
 " Nawthin . Only thought I might slick up 
 a bit. May go over t th Grahams s after a 
 while, 
 
 " Haint been over there in some time," he 
 added as he brought the shirt out from the 
 closet. " Got any objections t my changin in 
 here?" 
 
 " No, go ahead. What s in the wind any 
 way?" 
 
 Lilt became too much occupied in making the 
 change of garments to heed the question. A 
 quizzical smile came over Newton s face. 
 
 " You had better fess up/ Lilt. This busi 
 ness of your putting on a white shirt must 
 mean something serious." 
 
 Lilt s face was buried in the depths of the 
 shirt as he pulled it over his head. 
 
 " Yeh haven t got a collar, too, have yeh? " 
 he asked when his head appeared in sight. 
 206 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Newton laughed uproariously. He confessed 
 that he possessed such a thing and that it was 
 at his service. Lilt s face became very crimson. 
 
 "What yeh laughin at?" he growled. 
 " Yeh ll bust at lung o yourn ef yeh think it s 
 s danged funny." 
 
 " Oh come, own up Lilt," shouted Newton. 
 "What are you going after, a wife?" 
 
 " Don t talk s danged loud," Lilt whispered 
 desperately. " Folks 11 hear yeh. Where s th 
 collar." 
 
 " In the drawer. Who s the girl, Sue Gra 
 ham?" 
 
 " None o yer danged business. Got a 
 necktie?" 
 
 " Look here," Newton exclaimed with mock 
 seriousness. " I m willing you should wear my 
 clothes, but I demand to know where they are 
 going. I think I ought to be informed what 
 sort of an affair I am aiding and abetting." 
 
 "Well I m a bettin yeh don t find out 
 nahthin bout it. Where s th tie? " 
 
 " In that box. You had better let me ar 
 range it for you." 
 
 207 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Lilt brought it out and knelt sheepishly by 
 the bed while Newton deftly tied it in a neat 
 bow. 
 
 " Yeh must be ust t tyin them things," Lilt 
 said in admiration as he surveyed it in the 
 glass. 
 
 " You look like a city gallant," Newton re 
 turned without noticing the question. " You 
 will find a pair of cuffs in the drawer. You 
 might as well go the whole hog. You won t 
 tell me anything? " 
 
 " Not a danged thing," Lilt growled as he 
 awkwardly put on the cuffs. " Wist I had some 
 way o shinin up them boots. They look mighty 
 scrumpish. There haint no way o doing it 
 now." He looked down at his great boots re 
 proachfully. 
 
 Lilt took hold of the door knob and started 
 to turn it. Then he changed his mind. 
 
 " Guest I d better git out th winder," he said 
 starting toward it. " Sibley s got eyes like a 
 minx an is a horrible tease. Shet up yer 
 laughin , taint s danged funny as yeh think it 
 
 is." 
 
 208 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Newton mastered himself with a struggle. 
 As Lilt threw up the window he drew down his 
 face. 
 
 " Come back here a moment, Lilt," he said. 
 " I want to speak to you." 
 
 Lilt looked over his shoulder. Newton held 
 out his hand. Lilt came awkwardly toward 
 the bed and grasped the hand gingerly. New 
 ton felt another laugh breaking out, but he 
 stifled it. 
 
 " You can t hide it, Lilt, so where is the use 
 in trying. I know what you are up to. Those 
 clothes " A grin spread over his face that 
 threatened to explode. " Good luck to you. 
 She will say yes all right, I think. Don t take 
 no for an answer. Keep a stiff upper lip 
 and don t get down-hearted whatever hap 
 pens." 
 
 Newton pressed Lilt s hand warmly. Lilt s 
 flushed attempt to answer him ended in a stam 
 mer. He turned back to the window and clam 
 bered out. 
 
 " Say," he whispered back, " Don t yeh say 
 nahthin t th folks." 
 
 209 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He took a few steps, then stopped. He stood 
 still a moment then returned to the window. 
 
 " Say Newt," he whispered hoarsely, " It s 
 mighty good o yeh t wish me luck, an don t 
 yeh let Ab Hawkins bother yeh a mite. I m 
 much obliged fer th clothes." He turned 
 away hastily. 
 
 The laughter in Newton s heart died with 
 the words and he sank back on his pillow with a 
 sigh. 
 
 Lilt made his way carefully to the stable and 
 putting a bridle on one of the horses led him 
 carefully down the lane, casting anxious 
 glances toward the house. When he was well 
 out of hearing he mounted and started his horse 
 on a trot down the road. He tried to whistle 
 but the notes died on his lips. He did not feel 
 like making a noise. There was an uncertain 
 feeling about his heart that made him think it 
 was likely to pop up in his mouth every min 
 ute and a shaky feeling in his legs that took all 
 the whistle out of him. He squirmed about 
 uneasily. He felt awkward in Newton s 
 210 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 stiff linen. He almost wished he had left it 
 off. 
 
 He reached Graham s gate. He started to 
 turn in but his heart failed him and he rode 
 on down the road. He went on for about a 
 quarter of a mile when he turned his horse 
 back and rode past the gate about the same dis 
 tance in the other direction. Then he faced 
 round again. He came up to the gate. 
 
 " I haint goin t let no girl scare me out," he 
 muttered and turned in. 
 
 "Hullo!" he shouted. 
 
 The door opened and Luke Graham put his 
 head out. 
 
 "Hullo!" he shouted. "That you, Lilt? 
 Drive right down t th stable. I ll be there in a 
 jiffy. Sue," he called over his shoulder, 
 " Here s Lilt." 
 
 Lilt dismounted and led his horse toward 
 the straw-thatched stable. Luke joined him in 
 a moment. After putting up the horse he led 
 the way back to the house. 
 
 There was a general clamour when they en- 
 211 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 tered. The room was filled with Grahams of 
 assorted sizes. They spied out the grandeur of 
 Lilt s dress the moment he came in. 
 
 " Hullo, Lilt. Where d yeh get th shirt? " 
 shouted Jim, the eldest. 
 
 " An* a collar an necktie, too," giggled 
 Jane. 
 
 " Hain t he swell ? " shrieked one of the little 
 Grahams. 
 
 " Ef I d a knowed yeh had on them togs out 
 there in th stable I d a rolled yeh on th floor," 
 Luke yelled. 
 
 " Oh, Sue," shouted another of the little Gra 
 hams. " Come out here an see yer beau. He s 
 drest up t kill." 
 
 Lilt turned a variety of colours. He fingered 
 the collar awkwardly. 
 
 " Guess a feller c n fix up a bit once in a 
 while," he said. " There haint no use o his 
 lookin like a rowdy all th time." 
 
 Two or three of the little Grahams tried to 
 climb on his shoulders. One of them succeeded 
 in reaching his necktie and ruined the sym- 
 212 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 metry of its arrangement, a feat which was 
 greeted with cheers by all the other Grahams. 
 Lilt shook the children off a little roughly. Ma 
 Graham came in and restored order with a few 
 slaps and shakes. The tumult subsided, Lilt 
 wished he had left the linen in Newton s drawer 
 and had climbed in with it. The drawer was 
 small but he was sure that there was room for 
 him in it without overcrowding. 
 
 Sue had disappeared as soon as Lilt s arrival 
 was announced. She came in and walked up to 
 him. She did not dare look at the others. Lilt 
 felt the blood rushing into his face again. He 
 took her hand awkwardly and held it for a 
 moment as though he did not know what to do 
 with it. Then he suddenly dropped it. 
 
 " How nice yeh look, Lilt," she said. 
 
 " You look mighty pretty yerself," he stam 
 mered back. 
 
 Lilt gazed at the girl in admiration. Her 
 
 round red cheeks flushed and she turned her 
 
 big blue eyes toward the floor. There was an 
 
 awkward pause. Graham himself came in and 
 
 213 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 taking off his boots put his feet on a 
 chair. 
 
 " How s Ridgeby gettin on/ he asked. 
 "Corn most in?" 
 
 " Pret near. Finish next week, guess. Been 
 delayed some by Newt s bein sick." Lilt re 
 turned. 
 
 "How s he gettin long?" 
 
 " Pret well. Be all right in a couple of 
 weeks, guess." 
 
 " Colt got over his lameness yet ? " 
 
 " Yep, he s all right. How s yer bay mare." 
 
 " Pret bad. Got t let her run fer th winter. 
 Win s bad. How s Mis Ridgeby?" 
 
 " Roomatiz botherin her some. She s peart 
 nuff barrin that. Got yer corn most in ? " 
 
 " Luke an Jim s just finishin up. Think 
 yeh ll get through t morrow, Jim ? " 
 
 " Guess so, ef Lilt s clothes haint upset me so 
 I can t sleep none t night." 
 
 There was a general laugh in which every 
 one joined except Lilt and the girl. 
 
 " Yeh don t have t fix up that a way jes t 
 214 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 come over here," said Ma Graham. " We re 
 jes uz glad t see yeh in common clothes." 
 
 The girl sat with her hands in her lap and 
 said nothing. 
 
 " Say Sue," Lilt exclaimed suddenly as there 
 came a lull in the conversation, " I m thirsty. 
 Let s go an get a drink out t th well." 
 
 " Jes s well send one o th young uns," put 
 in Ma Graham. " Teddy run out t th well an 
 draw a fresh bucket o water." 
 
 The boy went off reluctantly. Lilt glared 
 after him. 
 
 " Ridgeby goin t put in any winter wheat? " 
 Graham asked. 
 
 " Guess he ll plow up th secont medder an 
 put that in wheat, an seed down th ole field." 
 
 " When yeh goin t thrash? " asked Jim. 
 
 " Soon s Herrick gets round. He s pret 
 busy." 
 
 The boy came in with the water. Lilt drank 
 a dipper full. He took as long a time to it as 
 he could and managed to throw Sue a glance 
 under cover of it. 
 
 215 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Say, Sue," he asked, " Any o them ever- 
 lastin s left in th bed. All I need t fix out 
 these fixings is a bokay." 
 
 "Why didn t we think bout it before," 
 chimed in Ma Graham. " Julie run out in th 
 yard and pick a bunch for Lilt." 
 
 The girl was up and gone before Lilt could 
 interpose an objection. 
 
 " D yeh hear bout th big coon Jake Anson 
 ketched las week ? " Luke asked. 
 
 " Naw." 
 
 " He treed a whopper down in Keller s holler 
 in th cottonwood. He says it s th bigges 
 ketched yet this year." 
 
 " Jake says he seen a cat that night, too," 
 put in Jim. " It got away from him though." 
 
 " Say Sue, let s take a walk," Lilt exclaimed 
 desperately. " Come on, yeh don t need no hat." 
 
 He escaped out the door. The girl joined 
 him and closed the door behind her. 
 
 " It s too nice t stay in th house," Lilt said. 
 
 " Tis pretty nice." 
 
 " Le s walk down th road a piece." 
 
 He took her arm. It was a round arm and 
 216 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 muscular. All of the girl s charms were of the 
 strong variety. Her form was robust and well 
 knit. Her hands were large, but toil had not yet 
 ruined their shapeliness. Her face was open 
 and wore a cheerful expression. Her red cheeks 
 and big blue eyes made it pleasing. Her hair 
 was drawn back and fell in a heavy braid 
 behind. 
 
 They walked some ways without speaking. 
 The moon shone down on them from an un 
 clouded sky. The stars were brilliant. 
 
 " How s Sibley? " Sue asked at last. 
 
 " She s all right," Lilt answered mechani 
 cally. 
 
 It was some little time before either of them 
 spoke again. They did not want to talk about 
 any one else and did not dare to talk of them 
 selves. Lilt kept his eyes bent toward the moon. 
 Sue s eyes were turned toward the ground. 
 Once in a while she would steal a glance at 
 Lilt. 
 
 " How bright th moon is t night," she said 
 at last, looking up. 
 
 " Yes, I ve been lookin at it," Lilt answered. 
 217 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Wonder ef th moon s made o green cheese 
 like they say tis. Ef I thought it was b lieve 
 I d get married an go up there t live." 
 
 There was another pause. They were walk 
 ing very slowly. They hung close by the side. 
 of the road to avoid the dust. The path was 
 narrow and they were compelled to keep very 
 close together. 
 
 " Don t b lieve I ll stay with Ridgeby much 
 longer," Lilt said slowly after a while. 
 
 " Yeh ain t goin away are yeh? " she asked. 
 There was a slight tremble in her voice and she 
 looked harder at the ground. 
 
 " Don t know exactly, I ll stay with 
 Ridgeby durin th winter an light out in th 
 spring. Newt s a good feller an I guess I ll let 
 him have my place." 
 
 Sue s eyes lost sight of the ground from the 
 tears that came into them. 
 
 " I ve got a chance t stay but I don t know 
 whether I will or not." 
 
 She hung closer to his arm but did not make 
 a reply. 
 
 218 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Ain t nobody round here at cares whether 
 I stay here er not." 
 
 " P raps there is." 
 
 " I don t know who tis." 
 
 " I don t s pose yeh care but I d be real sorry 
 t have yeh go away." 
 
 " Would yeh ? " Lilt s voice was hopeful. 
 
 " Course I would. Haint we had some good 
 times t gether?" 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " So ve I." 
 
 " I don t want t go," he said slowly. 
 
 " I don t want yeh t go either." 
 
 Lilt began to forget about his white shirt 
 and collars and cuffs. He was becoming him 
 self again. 
 
 " I ve got a good chance t take th Jackson 
 place for a reason ble rent an set up fer m self. 
 I ve been thinkin some o doin it." 
 
 " Oh, that ud be nice," Sue cried joyfully. 
 " That s only half a mile fr m our place an yeh 
 could come over real often." 
 
 Lilt began to pick up courage. 
 219 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Ridgeby s been pret lib rel with me an* 
 I ve got over four hundred dollars saved up to 
 buy tools with. It s a good chance an I d like 
 t stay an take it." 
 
 " I hope yeh do." 
 
 " P raps I will Ef you want me too," he 
 added. 
 
 " Course I do." 
 
 Lilt stopped and tightening his clasp on 
 the girl s arm turned her toward him. He 
 braced back his shoulders. He looked fairly 
 handsome in the moonlight. 
 
 " Aw, Darn it," he exclaimed, " What s th 
 use o my hemmin an hawin like a scart cow ? 
 I ve got somepin to say an I m goin t say it 
 ef it takes a laig. I ain t got no idea o goin 
 away. You couldn t pull me away from this 
 county with a ten-horse team, leastways not so 
 long uz you re here no how. I want t take th 
 Jackson place an I want yeh t go in with me 
 on sheers. What d ye say?" 
 
 Sue began to tap her foot in the dust. Lflt 
 waited an instant for her to reply then he 
 hurried on. 
 
 220 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I can t do things th way they do in th 
 story books. I had a nice little speech all made 
 up an I ve forgot every las bit of it. But I 
 haint fergot at you re th prettiest girl in Haw 
 kins county an that I ve been head over heels 
 in love with yeh fer two years, so fer in, that 
 nahthin but my ears wuz stickin out. I ve 
 been scart to death at somebody else ud come 
 long an get yeh fore I uz able t do nothin . 
 I ve worked like a nailer t get a little somepin 
 t gether so I cud come t yeh like a man. I 
 haint got much now but I ve got nuff t start 
 on. An ef yeh ll marry me I ll be jes uz good 
 t yeh uz I know how. I don t s pose yeh 
 will, but ef yeh don t I ll be th worst cut 
 up feller yeh ever see. Will yeh er won t 
 yeh?" 
 
 Sue continued to pat the dust with her foot. 
 The pleading was urgent and she was tempted 
 to assent. The wind rose a little and the wheat 
 field added an appeal. The corn on the other 
 side of the road rustled an entreaty. Lilt was 
 waiting. 
 
 " Hurry up an tell me," urged Lilt. " For 
 221 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 I don t think I can keep my arms from round 
 yeh mor n a minute longer." 
 
 She looked up at him. 
 
 " Can t yeh see I m cryinV she answered. 
 " An couldn t see ef yeh did." 
 
 222 
 
Chapter XV 
 
 LILT S cheerful whistle aroused Newton 
 the next morning. He stopped on his 
 way out to the barn and opening New 
 ton s door put his head in. He grinned sheep 
 ishly, winked very broadly and closed the door 
 again. Then he went out to milk, still whistling 
 shrilly. Newton smiled. Then his face became 
 grave and he turned uneasily on his pillow. 
 
 " Lucky Lilt," he sighed. " I suppose he 
 will be married in the spring About the same 
 time as Sibley. Pshaw ! " 
 
 He threw his hands back of his head and 
 tried to listen to Lilt shouting at the cows. He 
 heard Sibley moving about the kitchen and 
 Reuben s limping shuffle. A feeling of unrest 
 came in his heart. He threw a pillow at the 
 wall. Its mate followed it. He tossed back 
 the bed clothes and got out upon the floor. He 
 found himself to be very weak, but he managed 
 to dress himself partly. Then he called Reuben 
 and with his awkward assistance completed his 
 toilet. Lilt came in with the milk pails. 
 223 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Help me out into the other room," Newton 
 called. 
 
 " Hullo, Newt. Got up, have yeh," Lilt ex 
 claimed lustily, coming to the door. " Well 
 Fm most glad t see yeh out. Most uz glad uz 
 I am" 
 
 He checked himself and stood gazing 
 awkwardly at the floor while his face took on 
 the hue of his hair. 
 
 He picked Newton up and carried him out 
 to where a chair had been fixed for him by the 
 kitchen window. Sibley s face lighted as she 
 arranged it but she busied herself about the 
 stove as Lilt carried Newton out. 
 
 " Want t wras le now? " Lilt laughed as he 
 set his load down. " B lieve I cud throw yeh 
 ef I tried hard miff." 
 
 " Wait about three weeks until I get about 
 half my strength back and I will give you a 
 tussle. I will be just about a match for you 
 then." 
 
 "Haw, Haw, Haw!" shouted Lilt as he 
 straightened up. " Yeh ain t got th big head 
 224 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ner nahthin have yeh? Yeh must think yer a 
 secont Samson." 
 
 Newton reached up and caught him by the 
 chin. 
 
 " Well/ he laughed, " I have laid hold on 
 the jaw bone of an ass." 
 
 Ridgeby came up chuckling and bobbing his 
 head. 
 
 " Got yeh that time, didn t he, Lilt? Yeh 
 haint had yer tongue hurt none have yeh ? " 
 He chuckled again. 
 
 " Ef yed take my advice," cackled Reuben 
 as he shuffled up, " Yeh wouldn t been in 
 sech a hurry t get up. I got stuck with a 
 bay net at Anteetem, an yeh can t be too keer- 
 ful." 
 
 Mrs. Ridgeby bustled about getting foot 
 stools and shawls. Only Sibley was quiet. 
 
 " We re mighty glad t see yeh out here, 
 Newton," Ridgeby said. " We ve been spiling 
 t see yeh with us agin. Sibley haint et nahthin 
 since yeh wuz hurt an we ve all been kinder 
 glum." 
 
 225 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He looked at Sibley leaning over the stove 
 and chuckled and bobbed his head. A flush 
 crept over the girl s face. Newton thought it 
 was from the heat of the fire. 
 
 " Well, Lilt, aren t you going to tell us all 
 about it now that it s settled? " Newton asked 
 while they were eating breakfast. 
 
 Lilt stammered and choked. Then he grinned 
 broadly. 
 
 " Guess twont intrest them none." 
 
 Newton thought it would. 
 
 " What s up Lilt? " asked Ridgeby. " Taint 
 nahthin ser us is it?" 
 
 Lilt blushed and hammered the table with 
 his knife. Newton could not help laughing. 
 Lilt turned on him. 
 
 " Shet up! " he shouted. " Yeh ll bust yer 
 lung." 
 
 " Taint nahthin " he said turning back, 
 " Cept that I ve decided t go in with one of th 
 Grahams an take th Jackson place in th 
 spring an run it on sheers." 
 
 Ridgeby nodded his head approvingly. 
 226 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I ll be mighty sorry t lose yeh, Lilt," he 
 said, " But I m glad t see yeh striking out 
 fer yer self. Yeh don t want t alus be workin 
 for other folks. That s a good piece o land an 
 yeh ought t do well on it." 
 
 Lilt continued to hammer the table with his 
 knife. 
 
 " Ef yeh d take my advice," Reuben started. 
 
 " Who yeh goin in with ? " asked Ridgeby. 
 
 " One o th Grahams." 
 
 "Who, Luke?" 
 
 " Naw." 
 
 "Jim?" 
 
 " Naw." 
 
 "Hank?" 
 
 " Naw." 
 
 Sibley was smiling. 
 
 " I believe I am a better guesser," she said. 
 "Isn t it Sue?" 
 
 Lilt gave the table a parting pound. 
 
 " Yeh ve guessed it." 
 
 There was an uproar. Ridgeby chuckled and 
 bobbed his head. His wife laughed. Reuben 
 227 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 cackled. Newton roared. Sibley extended her 
 hand across the table. 
 
 " Good fer you. Good fer you," chuckled 
 Ridgeby. " Why didn t yeh say yeh s goin 
 to get married an be done with it. I m mighty 
 glad of it. I guess yeh got th pick o the 
 fam ly." 
 
 " Her ma says she s th best housekeeper in 
 th county," said his wife. 
 
 " She s a good girl all the way through, 
 Lilt," said Sibley, " And will make you the 
 best kind of a wife. I think you are the luckiest 
 man in Hawkins county." 
 
 Newton could not help thinking of Abner 
 Hawkins in that connection. 
 
 " Ef yeh ll take my advice," shrilled Reuben, 
 " Yeh ll be mighty keerful." 
 
 " How re yeh goin t stock th farm ? " 
 Ridgeby asked. 
 
 " I ve saved up over four hundred dollars t 
 
 buy tools with. Don t expect t get much at 
 
 first. Be a pret hard rub fer a while but I 
 
 guess we can make it. Sue knows I haint got 
 
 228 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 much but she says she don t keer. She s willin 
 t take a streak o th lean an run her chances 
 at th fat 11 corne after awhile." 
 
 A thoughtful look came over Ridgeby s face. 
 He scratched the back of his ear. 
 
 " Tell yeh what I ve got a good notion t do, 
 Lilt," he said after a moment. " Yeh ve allus 
 worked square for me. I never had a better 
 hand, an I wish I wuz in a place where I cud 
 do somepin fer yeh. But yeh know what a 
 hard row I ve had lately so I can t do much. 
 I m goin t give yeh yer pick o two o th 
 cows an yeh can have th colt. He ll be ready 
 t break in th spring." 
 
 Lilt stammered his thanks. 
 
 " I am going to make your wife a present of 
 about twelve of my chickens," said Sibley. " I 
 have more than I can take care of." 
 
 " Yeh can take my bes clothes t get mar 
 ried in," quavered Reuben. 
 
 " Two o my calves are yourn," Mrs. 
 Ridgeby echoed. 
 
 Lilt brushed his great hands across his eyes 
 229 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 and rising hastily from his chair strode out the 
 door. Before they had recovered from their 
 astonishment they heard him driving down the 
 lane towards the fields. 
 
 " Ef he d tuk my advice he d a stayed an got 
 th hull farm," drawled Reuben. 
 
 Mrs. Ridgeby had an errand at the village 
 and Reuben hitched up the little mare and drove 
 her down. Newton was left alone with Sibley. 
 
 He sat by the window and gazed out. A row 
 of hives stood behind the house. He could see 
 the bees flying in and out. He watched Sibley 
 as she passed them on her way to feed the 
 calves. She stood and watched the creatures 
 as they eagerly sucked in the milk. Newton 
 saw her shade her eyes and look across the 
 fields. He wondered if she was looking out 
 with the hope of seeing Abner Hawkins some 
 where. In a moment she came back into the 
 kitchen. 
 
 " Aren t you afraid of the bees," he asked, 
 still looking out the window. 
 
 " Why? " Sibley asked carelessly. 
 230 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I should think you would fear they would 
 steal the honey from your lips." 
 
 A suspicion of a blush crept into her cheeks. 
 She was wiping the kitchen table and vented 
 her feelings in the rubbing. Newton drummed 
 on the window-sill. Evidently she did not in 
 tend to answer him. She gave the table a part 
 ing rub. 
 
 " I am afraid the honey would find a poor 
 market." 
 
 " Not unless the buyer could get it first hand. 
 Have you any for sale? " 
 
 Sibley was just pouring boiling water from 
 the kettle into the dishpan. She turned and 
 looked toward him. He was gazing away 
 across the swells to where he could see Lilt 
 driving out of a corn field. She set the kettle 
 back on the stove and started to roll up her 
 sleeves. Newton caught the act from a faint 
 reflection in the window glass. He turned 
 around. Sibley s arms had not lost their fasci 
 nation. He wished he were an artist that he 
 might paint them. They were ideal, round, 
 231 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 white, smooth, strong, perfectly formed. He 
 thought of those arms around Abner Hawkins 
 neck. He shivered. The shiver made him 
 reckless. 
 
 You would look like a madonna in evening 
 dress," he said. " Your arms would make a 
 sensation in a ball room, they are so pretty." 
 
 " I didn t know that the Madonna was ever 
 represented in evening dress," she returned 
 tartly, plunging her arms deeper in the suds. 
 
 Newton looked out the window again and 
 drummed on the sill. He saw Lilt driving up 
 the lane. Catching sight of Newton he swung 
 his hat around his head. Then he disappeared 
 toward the barn. 
 
 " Happy Lilt," Newton sighed. 
 
 " He ought to be," returned Sibley. " Sue 
 Graham is a good, sensible girl and not a bit 
 afraid of hard work. Her head is not filled 
 with a collection of silly notions and she is 
 ready to take her share of the struggle that is 
 ahead of them. Lilt could not have chosen a 
 better girl for a wife. Lilt is a good fellow and 
 232 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 will make her a good husband. I think he is the 
 luckiest man in the county." 
 
 " I don t." 
 
 Sibley looked at Newton over her shoulder. 
 
 "You don t? Why not?" 
 
 " Because there is still a luckier one." 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 Newton felt a lump creeping up in his throat. 
 There was a tremulous feeling about his heart. 
 
 " Abner Hawkins." 
 
 Sibley was just wiping a great platter. Per 
 haps the soap-suds made it slippery. It fell 
 from her hands and crashed on the floor. She 
 stood looking down at it while the hot blood 
 rushed into her face. Her head swam. She 
 bit her lips. Newton continued looking out 
 the window. A mist had come before his eyes. 
 Lilt was driving down the lane. Newton saw 
 him indistinctly. He was wondering what 
 made Sibley drop the platter. He did not dare 
 look around. Sibley groped for a broom and 
 swept up the pieces. Then she went on with 
 her dishes. 
 
 233 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 For half an hour Newton continued to gaze 
 out the window. The sun was shining in on 
 him. The summer was gone. The autumn 
 had robbed the sunbeams of their power. The 
 leaves were falling from the trees. They 
 rustled about on the ground and were swirled 
 up in eddies by the breeze. The wind had a 
 mourning note in its voice as it sighed through 
 the branches of the walnut trees as though it 
 was singing a requiem to the green fields, which 
 were slowly dying away in blotches of yellow 
 stubble. The musical rustle of the corn had 
 changed to a dry rattle and he could hear the 
 cows crashing through the stalks. The wheat 
 fields no longer whispered love songs to the 
 breeze. A thrasher roared its varying notes 
 somewhere in the distance. It was so far 
 away that when the sparrows, quarrelling over 
 the crumbs in the yard, chirped a little more 
 shrilly than usual, the sound was drowned. 
 
 Newton turned away from the window. Sib- 
 ley had finished the dishes and was just hang 
 ing the towel on a line behind the stove. New- 
 234 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ton watched her while she swept up the floor, 
 pushed the chairs back in their places, put a 
 touch here, straightened a picture there and 
 then rolled down her sleeves. 
 
 " What next, Busy-body? " he asked. 
 
 " Mending, Impudence," she returned, la 
 conically. She brought out a great basket 
 rilled with stockings and began work upon a 
 coarse sock of Lilt s." 
 
 " If hearts could be mended as easily as 
 stockings what a pleasant world this would be," 
 Newton said dreamily as he looked at her. 
 
 " Time is a good darner," she answered 
 carelessly. 
 
 " Yes, they say so," he returned. " But his 
 basket is so full and some of the rents so large 
 that many perish before he gets to them." 
 
 Sibley looked seriously at the hole she had 
 begun on. 
 
 " I don t think it will pay to mend that, the 
 hole is too large," she said, putting a pretty 
 ringer through it. 
 
 "That s what Time says about some of the 
 
 235 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 holes he comes across in his basket," Newton 
 replied. " So he leaves the holes." 
 
 " I wish that Lilt would take his socks off 
 before he ruins them," Sibley said in an attempt 
 to turn the conversation into more practical 
 channels. She was a little afraid of the direc 
 tion in which the present one was tending. 
 
 " It s also too bad that hearts are not taken 
 out of danger before the holes in them become 
 irreparable/ said Newton. 
 
 " The worst of it is," she replied, taking up 
 a white stocking of her mother s, " That some 
 persons are compelled by circumstances to keep 
 their hearts where they are sure to be torn, and 
 what is worse find themselves tearing the rents 
 larger with their own fingers." 
 
 Newton looked at her narrowly, but he could 
 not see her face very well. She was gazing at 
 a small hole in the toe of her mother s stocking 
 and seemed absorbed in its contemplation. He 
 looked out the window again. 
 
 " I suppose I owe you an apology," he said 
 turning abruptly toward her. 
 
 " You suppose you do ? " 
 236 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Yes, I m not quite sure whether I do or 
 not. Do I?" 
 
 " Yes, I think you do," she returned. " For 
 trying to flatter me." 
 
 " Not having done that or even tried to I can 
 not apologise for it. You know to what I am 
 referring." 
 
 She did not reply but continued with her 
 darning. 
 
 "Well?" he asked. 
 
 "Well?" she returned. 
 
 "Am I to apologise?" 
 
 "Do you want to?" 
 
 " No, not at all." 
 
 " Then your apology would not amount to 
 much." 
 
 " It would amount to as much as most apolo 
 gies do." 
 
 " Then I do not care for it." 
 
 He studied for a few moments. 
 
 " I should not have said what I did," he said 
 slowly. " I was piqued. I forget that that 
 he was to be your husband." 
 
 A tremor ran over Sibley. Newton was not 
 237 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 looking at her so he did not see it. He waited 
 for her to reply but she was silent. He stole a 
 glance at her. She was still looking at the 
 hole in her mother s stocking. 
 
 "Well," he said after a moment. "Are 
 you going to accept my apology? " 
 
 " Y-yes," she stammered. 
 
 "Am I forgiven?" 
 
 She wanted to look up at him. She wanted 
 to rush over to him and put her arms around 
 his neck and tell him that she had nothing for 
 which to forgive him; that his words instead 
 of hurting her had rilled her with a wild pleas 
 ure that had almost overpowered her. A great 
 lump came in her throat. She tried to choke 
 it down. She looked at the hole in the stocking 
 but she could not see it. She bent her head 
 further down and further. The lump kept 
 rising in her throat. Her eyes were swim 
 ming. Two great tears fell in her lap. She 
 winked her eyes hard to keep them back, but 
 they kept coming faster. She wondered how 
 she could hide them. Some one caught her 
 
 238 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 hand, and she felt an arm on her shoulder. She 
 heard Newton s voice. 
 
 " Sibley," he cried, " Forgive me for hurting 
 you so. I did not think what I was doing. I 
 was thinking only of myself. You love him 
 and I should not talk as I do." 
 
 He felt a shudder run over her. 
 
 " I ought not to hate him so," he continued, 
 " But I can t help it. It all seems wrong to me 
 and it makes me forget myself." 
 
 She pushed him away from her. 
 
 " Your wound ! Your wound ! " she cried 
 anxiously. " Get back into your chair. I am 
 afraid you will open it. Get back. Please do." 
 
 Newton held his place. 
 
 " Never mind that wound, now," Newton 
 said. " I have one that hurts me more. Your 
 tears made me forget this cut in my side and 
 remember the one in my heart." 
 
 She put her head down in her hands. 
 
 " Forgive me, Sibley," he cried. " I am 
 going away just as soon as I am strong enough 
 to walk. To-morrow, perhaps, and I will never 
 239 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 trouble you again. But I want you to say that 
 you forgive me before I go." 
 
 " Yes ; yes ! " she cried. " Go away, now, 
 now. No not now, but when you are strong. 
 You will make me forget myself. I must not 
 do that. No, I must not do that. Whatever 
 happens I must not do that." 
 
 She was sobbing. Newton looked down at 
 her helplessly. Her words were so incoherent 
 that he scarcely understood them. But he knew 
 she wanted him to go away. He felt a numb 
 ness all over him. The wind rose and seemed to 
 be adding its wails to hers. 
 
 " I ll go to-morrow, Sibley," he said after a 
 moment. " I could not stay another day. I am 
 sorry to have hurt you as I have done. It ill 
 repaid the kindnesses you have shown me. I 
 forgot myself when I did it. Perhaps when you 
 are married and the sound of childish voices 
 calling you mother has softened your heart 
 you will forgive me. I wish I could do some 
 thing to repair the hurt. I will do what little I 
 can by going away. I have been very happy 
 240 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 here. These few months have been the happiest 
 I have ever known. But I have found that 
 happiness never lasts long. It always precedes 
 a new sorrow." 
 
 Sibley sprang to her feet and rushed to her 
 room. She did not even trust herself to look at 
 him. Newton sat down again and gazed va 
 cantly out of the window. 
 
 241 
 
Chapter XVI 
 
 A RAINY Saturday. The water poured 
 down in sheets. The wind dashed 
 it against the windows as though it 
 would hurl it through the panes. The drops 
 roared on the roof and pounded on the doors. 
 Newton was sitting by the kitchen window 
 gazing disconsolately out across the fields. 
 They seemed to be dancing before his eyes. 
 The rain was slowly converting them into 
 swamps. A be-draggled chicken perched mood 
 ily on the woodpile beneath a tree. Now and 
 then it would gingerly rise up, give its feathers 
 a timid flutter and settle down again. 
 
 Newton kept his eyes bent out over the fields. 
 He was trying to master himself for an ordeal. 
 He had promised to go away that day. He 
 intended to keep his promise. The nearer the 
 time came for him to announce his departure 
 the harder he found it was going to be, even 
 though he knew that Sibley wished it. He 
 wondered why that did not make it easy. How 
 242 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 dreary it looked outside and he must go out 
 into it. To-morrow the sun might shine, but 
 not for him. He would then be far beyond the 
 influence of his sun, Sibley. He drummed on 
 the window pane and watched the chicken. 
 
 Ridgeby was sitting by the kitchen window 
 diligently figuring on the edges of old news 
 papers. A frayed blank book was open before 
 him. He held the worn stub of a pencil in his 
 stiff fingers and he bobbed his head with every 
 rude figure he made, stopping every now and 
 then to wet the lead on his tongue. There was 
 a worried look on his face that deepened as he 
 continued his calculations. At times his face 
 would lighten for a moment and he would move 
 the pencil rapidly, then it would darken again 
 and he would put down the figures slowly, as 
 though he dreaded to see the result. At times 
 he would stop figuring for a moment and gaze 
 gloomily at the wall. Then he would shake 
 his head and sigh. 
 
 Sibley was sitting near him with a book in 
 her hand. She pretended to be reading, but 
 243 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 for half an hour she had not turned a page. 
 There was a tense expression on her face and a 
 suspicious redness about her eyes that sug 
 gested weeping. She watched her father 
 closely. She seemed distressed, as though some 
 load that he was carrying was resting heavily 
 upon her shoulders as well. Now and then she 
 would glance over to where Newton was look 
 ing out the window. Then the expression on 
 her face would change to one of beseeching. 
 She would catch her breath and look back at 
 Ridgeby. 
 
 Her mother was sitting in the low rocking 
 chair by the stove mending a pair of overalls. 
 She would at times glance with a worried ex 
 pression at Ridgeby. Reuben had spread a red 
 handkerchief over his bald pate and gone to 
 sleep. He was giving utterance to low snores 
 to which no one paid any attention. Lilt was 
 out in the barn washing a harness. 
 
 " Six un six s twelve, carry one. Six un 
 six s twelve an one s thirteen, carry one. Three 
 un two s five an one s six," muttered Ridgeby. 
 Then he sighed and shook his head. 
 244 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I can t make it no way, Em ly," he said 
 gloomily without looking up. " I don t see no 
 way out." 
 
 His wife sighed. 
 
 " Well, don t worry none, Hiram," she said. 
 " Th Lord s tuk care of us fer quite a spell an 
 I don t b lieve He s goin back on us jes yet. 
 We ve seen some pretty dark places fore now, 
 Hiram, but He allus tuk us through somehow, 
 an I calculate th Lord ll provide this time. 
 We done th bes we cud an ef it s His will t 
 bring trouble on us we hadn t ought t com 
 plain none." 
 
 Ridgeby shook his head dubiously. 
 
 " We haint never had a man like ole George 
 Hawkins t deal with fore this. He d give his 
 eyes fer this farm an I guess he s goin t get 
 it." 
 
 His voice was hopeless. The intense look on 
 Sibley s face deepened. She looked toward the 
 floor. 
 
 " Won t he give us a little more time, 
 Hiram?" asked his wife. " Seems like he 
 orter." 
 
 245 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Don t believe we d better hope fer nahthin 
 like that," Ridgeby sighed. " Tain t Haw- 
 kins way t be easy with people. It s our only 
 chance, though. I ve figgered every way." 
 
 He turned to the table and went to work 
 again. 
 
 " Seven fr m ten s three. Four fr m nine s 
 five " 
 
 Newton turned suddenly around from the 
 window. 
 
 " I have one more favour to ask of you, 
 Ridgeby," he said quietly. " It will be the last, 
 I hope." 
 
 " Two t ms six s twelve. Two t ms one s 
 
 two an one s three. Two t ms five Huh! 
 
 What s that?" 
 
 " I said that I had a last favour to ask of 
 you," Newton repeated. 
 
 The pucker came out of the old man s fore 
 head. His rugged face cleared in a smile. 
 
 " Oh, favour. Course. Fire away." 
 
 " I must leave here this afternoon and wish 
 to ask Lilt to drive me down to the village. It 
 246 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 is raining so hard that I am afraid to risk the 
 walk, besides, I am scarcely strong enough for 
 it." 
 
 Newton said the words calmly. In fact, his 
 tone was one of unconcern, but there was a 
 tumult in his heart which he feared would break 
 out. 
 
 There was a dead silence. Ridgeby s pencil 
 stopped poised in the air. His wife looked up 
 from her mending in astonishment. Reuben 
 pulled the handkerchief from his head and 
 gaped at him. Sibley s cheeks turned a shade 
 paler and she kept looking toward the floor. 
 
 " May he drive me down? " Newton asked. 
 
 Ridgeby partially recovered himself. 
 
 "Why, what d yeh mean?" 
 
 " What I said," Newton returned. " I am 
 going to quit, throw up my job, going away." 
 
 " Coin away ? " Ridgeby gasped. " Why, 
 what s got int yeh?" 
 
 Newton looked out the window again. 
 
 " Something has arisen that takes me away," 
 he said slowly, " And that this afternoon. I 
 247 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 should have gone this morning but I was in 
 hopes that the rain would stop. It hasn t, so 
 I must go as it is." 
 
 "Well, I swan!" exclaimed Ridgeby. 
 " Where yehgoin ?" 
 
 " The same place I came from." 
 
 " The same place yeh came from, where s 
 that?" asked Mrs. Ridgeby, who had just re 
 covered her breath. 
 
 " Nowhere." 
 
 Newton spoke dolefully. He stole a glance 
 at Sibley. She was still gazing toward the 
 floor. 
 
 " Ef yeh d take my advice," croaked Reuben, 
 " Yeh d go t th sylum. There mus be some- 
 pin wrong in yer upper story an I know it. 
 I ve been suspicious at yeh uz crazy ever since 
 yeh come. There don t no sane man act th 
 way you do." 
 
 Newton smiled gloomily. 
 
 " Sane or not," he said, " I am going away." 
 
 "When re yeh comin back?" Ridgeby 
 asked, puzzled. 
 
 248 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Never." 
 
 Again Newton looked at Sibley. She had 
 not taken her eyes from the floor. 
 
 " Now I want t know what this means," 
 Ridgeby said, decidedly. " Here all of a sud- 
 dint, like a clap o thunder, thout givin no 
 body no warnin yeh hop up here an tell us 
 yeh re goin away. Ef that haint th queerest 
 doin s I ever see." 
 
 " An you jes out o bed," buzzed his wife. 
 
 " Better take my advice an go t th sylum," 
 Reuben wheezed. 
 
 Sibley still looked at the floor. Newton 
 gazed out the window. 
 
 " Yeh ll ketch yer death in th rain," said 
 Mrs. Ridgeby. 
 
 "What s th matter?" Ridgeby asked. 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 " You are the queerest feller I ever see," the 
 old man exclaimed in exasperation. " An th 
 queerest feller I ever expect t see. Yeh re a 
 whole bundle of mysteries." 
 
 " He ought t go t th sylum," piped Reuben. 
 249 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Yeh re jes like th ghost in the story book. 
 Nobody knows where yeh come from, yeh don t 
 say nahthin bout who yeh are ner who yer 
 folks be, ner nahthin , work here fer a while, 
 get hurt, then fore yer half well get up an 
 say yeh re goin away, an when we ask yeh 
 where yeh re goin yeh say nowhere." 
 
 " The work for the autumn is just about 
 over," Newton replied. " So I can be of but 
 very little help to you, not enough at any rate 
 to pay for the trouble my further stay would 
 cause, therefore I think it best for me to go. 
 When I decide to do a thing I always do it at 
 once, that is why I am going this afternoon. 
 I already owe you a greater debt than I shall 
 ever be able to repay and it is not right for me 
 to make the debt larger." 
 
 " Fiddlesticks ! " exclaimed Ridgeby. 
 
 " Sylum," wheezed Reuben. 
 
 " My Ian ," said Mrs. Ridgeby. 
 
 Sibley sighed. 
 
 " So I want you to allow Lilt to take me 
 down to the village." 
 
 250 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Ridgeby turned back to the table. 
 
 " Yeh dori t go a step out o this house t 
 night," he said firmly. 
 
 " Not a step," repeated his wife. 
 
 " Cept tis t th sylum," Reuben cackled. 
 
 " When yeh re decently well course yeh can 
 go ef yeh want, but till then yeh stay right 
 here." 
 
 " Well, I see that you do not know me," 
 Newton said, getting up. " I am going this 
 afternoon even if I have to walk." 
 
 Ridgeby got up from his chair. Newton had 
 never seen him look so before. The gentle ex 
 pression that usually sat upon his features gave 
 place to one of intense firmness. A pucker 
 came in his forehead. His lips were pressed 
 tightly together. 
 
 " Sit down there," he thundered. " I told 
 yeh that yeh didn t go out o this house t night 
 an when I say a thing I mean it. I don t care 
 what s th matter ner nahthin . Yeh re goin t 
 stay here till yeh get sommers near well ef we 
 have t tie yeh down in bed t hold yeh. I hain t 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 goin t be responsible fer yeh re murder an 
 that s jes what it means t let yeh go out o th 
 house fer two weeks yet. So yeh might uz 
 well make yeh re mind up t that right now." 
 
 He looked around the room. His eyes fell 
 upon Sibley. He looked from her to Newton. 
 Both seemed confused. 
 
 " Sibley," he asked sharply, " What s this 
 mean? What hev yeh been doin t Newton. 
 There s somepin wrong here an I want t know 
 what it is. This s my house an I intend t 
 know what s goin on inside it." 
 
 The old man gave a start. He straightened 
 up. The twists that years of toil had tied in 
 his back suddenly went out. He stopped stock 
 still. His eyebrows drew down. His breath 
 came heavily. An expression fairly fierce 
 came over his face. An awful suspicion had 
 flashed into his mind. It was fanned into a 
 flame and blazed forth and overpowered him. 
 
 " Tell me what this means," he cried, strid 
 ing towards Newton. " I m suspicious some- 
 pin s wrong here an it makes me afraid. Tell 
 252 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 me what it is fore I ferget myself. Tell me 
 what it is or by th Eternal I ll forget your 
 condition an make mince meat of yeh. What 
 hev yeh been doin t my girl ? " 
 
 His voice grew in strength and ended almost 
 in a shriek. Sibley was trembling. She looked 
 at her father in a helpless fashion. Her heart 
 was in her mouth. Every particle of strength 
 seemed to have left her. Newton was taken so 
 completely by surprise that he did not know 
 how to answer. 
 
 "What hev yeh been doin t my girl?" 
 Ridgeby thundered again. 
 
 " Nothing/ stammered Newton. 
 
 "Nahthin ! Nahthin ! " shouted Ridgeby 
 striding excitedly up and down the room. 
 "That s all I ve hearn sence I met yeh, 
 nahthin an nowhere. I might a known yeh 
 want right fr m th way yeh acted. Yeh al 
 ways acted uz though yeh had done somepin 
 yeh wuz ashamed of. Tell me what yeh ve 
 been a doin t my girl." 
 
 Thoughts flew fast through Newton s brain. 
 253 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He thought of no explanation which he could 
 offer except to tell the truth and that did not 
 seem right towards Sibley. He looked over at 
 her. She was still looking at the floor. 
 
 Ridgeby was beside himself. Newton s 
 silence caused the suspicion in his mind to flash 
 until it maddened him. He did not know what 
 he was doing. The room was whirling. He 
 thought he saw Newton cringing before him. 
 He raised his fist and struck wildly out. There 
 was a mad whirring in his head, then the mist 
 cleared from his brain. He gazed vacantly at 
 the floor. Newton was lying there still with 
 his eyes shut. Sibley was on her knees by his 
 side stroking his forehead and calling to him. 
 He saw her white and frightened face. He 
 sank back into a chair. 
 
 " Hiram Ridgeby, what hev yeh done ? " 
 his wife cried, springing up. 
 
 " Ef yeh d take my advice," whimpered 
 Reuben. 
 
 Lilt opened the door and halted on the 
 threshold. 
 
 254 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Why, what " he stammered. 
 
 " Help me, Lilt," Sibley cried, from the floor. 
 
 " Why, what " he stammered again. 
 
 " Never mind what/ Sibley cried. " Help 
 me get Newton up on the bed. I m afraid he s 
 killed. Mother, get water. Out of the way, 
 Reuben." 
 
 Lilt picked Newton up and carrying him into 
 his room laid him on the bed. Blood was dye 
 ing his clothing. His wound had opened again. 
 
 255 
 
Chapter XVII 
 
 SIBLEY made herself mistress of the 
 house. All the latent forces of her na 
 ture suddenly manifested themselves 
 and the others, overborne by her spirit, gave 
 the reins into her hands and did her bidding. 
 Ridgeby walked about the kitchen in a state of 
 bewilderment. He scarcely comprehended 
 what had happened. He tried to study it 
 out. 
 
 When Newton came somewhat to himself 
 Sibley shut every one else out of the room and 
 sitting down by the side of the bed began to 
 stroke his forehead. He partly regained con 
 sciousness, looked at her vacantly, then sank 
 into a half stupor. The physician for whom 
 Lilt had been sent arrived at last. Ridgeby did 
 not take his eyes from the closed door of New 
 ton s room from the time the doctor entered it 
 until he came out. Ridgeby followed him into 
 the yard. 
 
 "Is he hurt?" he asked. 
 256 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " The cut in his side has opened again. 
 How did he fall?" 
 
 "Oh, befell, did he?" 
 
 " Why yes. That s what your daughter says/ 
 
 Ridgeby stood nodding his head. 
 
 " He fell. Is he going t die? " The voice 
 was mechanical. 
 
 " I think not. He will be a long time getting 
 well but unless something unexpected happens 
 he ought to pull through." 
 
 " I haint killed him then? " Ridgeby s voice 
 was still mechanical as though he did not com 
 prehend what he was saying. The doctor stared 
 at him. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " I say I haint killed him then? " 
 
 "Killed him. What do you mean?" the 
 doctor exclaimed. " I thought he fell." 
 
 " Oh yes. He fell. He fell. Oh yes." 
 
 Ridgeby turned and walked back to the 
 
 house. The doctor shook his head and drove 
 
 down the lane. When Ridgeby got back into 
 
 the kitchen he sat down in a chair and gazed 
 
 257 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 vacantly at Newton s door until nine o clock, 
 then he got up and went to bed. Lilt slept that 
 night on a blanket by the door. Sibley found 
 him there when she opened the door in the 
 morning. Her eyes were red and dry. There 
 was a hectic flush on her cheeks. 
 
 " Have you been there all night, Lilt? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " Yes m," Lilt answered. I thought per 
 haps yeh might want somepin and ther ought 
 t be somebody handy, so I thought I d jes 
 slump down front o th door. How is e? " 
 
 " He did not come out of the stupor during 
 the night." Sibley s lip trembled. "I am 
 afraid he is going to die. The doctor wouldn t 
 promise much. What did he tell father?" 
 
 " Dunno. Ridgeby went out in th yard 
 with him. We couldn t get nahthin out o him 
 when he come back. He jes sot an stared at 
 th door like he wuz tryin t look a hole 
 through it. He seemed kind o vacant like. 
 What s th matter with im anyway?" 
 
 Sibley turned her head away. 
 
 258 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I don t know," she answered. 
 
 " What uz th trouble, anyhow, Miss Sib- 
 ley ? " Lilt asked after a pause. " Seems like 
 somepin must be wrong. How d Newton get 
 hurt?" 
 
 " He fell," Sibley answered laconically. 
 
 Lilt pulled at his hair and shook his head. 
 
 " Say Miss Sibley/ he said after a moment, 
 " Yeh go t bed an get some sleep an lemme 
 watch him jes s soon uz I milk. Yeh re nigh 
 beat out an 11 be dyin , too, fore long. I de 
 clare ef taint most worth bein sick for t have 
 you take care of a feller." 
 
 Sibley smiled the wanest kind of a smile. 
 
 " I couldn t sleep, Lilt," she answered. 
 
 He looked at her narrowly. Then he 
 scratched his head. 
 
 " This here s th most mixed up mess I ever 
 see. I can t make head ner tail out of it. I 
 hope things get straightened out someway, but 
 they re mightily snarled jes now. But yeh ll go 
 t sleep after I milk, now won t yeh. Yeh ll let 
 me do that much fer yeh?" 
 259 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Well I ll try it, Lilt," Sibley answered. 
 Then she paused a moment. Twice she started 
 to speak, then checked herself. Then she spoke 
 suddenly. " There is one thing that you can 
 do for me, Lilt, something that you must do 
 and make sure of. That is to stop Reuben s 
 tongue. Fix him some way so that he will never 
 open his mouth concerning what happened last 
 night. The truth is, Lilt, that things are as 
 you say, terribly mixed " Sibley sighed and 
 looked toward the floor " Something came 
 up which made it seem best to both Newton 
 and me that he should go away. He for one 
 reason and I for another. Father was very 
 much worried about maitters yesterday and was 
 not himself at all. Newton s announcement of 
 his departure angered him. This, coupled with 
 Newton s reticence concerning himself ever 
 since he has been here made father suspicious 
 that something was wrong and he suddenly 
 became almost insane. Newton did not fall. 
 I lied about that. Father struck him a terrible 
 blow full in the face and knocked him down. I 
 am afraid he has killed him." 
 260 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Sibley spoke rapidly, almost incoherently. A 
 shadow swept over Lilt s face. He clenched 
 his fists. 
 
 " Ther haint nahthin wrong be there/ he 
 asked savagely. " Ef I thought there was I d 
 strike him again." 
 
 Sibley caught at his arm. 
 
 " Nothing, Lilt. It was only a suspicion that 
 flashed in father s mind without the slightest 
 foundation." 
 
 Lilt s face cleared. 
 
 " Reuben must be kept still," continued Sib 
 ley. " He will have it all over the county in 
 side of three days, and then there will be no 
 stopping it, and you know how a story grows." 
 
 Lilt nodded his head. 
 
 " I ll do th bes I can, Miss Sibley. Reu 
 ben s got a tongue a mile long an when it once 
 gets t cacklin there s no stoppin it. I ll go out 
 an do up th chores an get back uz soon uz I 
 can." He caught up the milk pails and hurried 
 out. 
 
 A moment later Ridgeby came down the 
 stairs. Sibley was just disappearing into New- 
 261 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ton s room. He called to her. She looked 
 back. He held out his arms and called again. 
 She glanced at Newton, then went up to her 
 father. He caught her in his arms and drew 
 her head down on his shoulder. Tears came 
 into the old man s eyes and his voice was so 
 choked he could scarcely speak. 
 
 " Somepin s wrong Sibley, somepin s wrong," 
 he cried. " I can t see someway jes where tis 
 but I know things aint right. I haint myself 
 someway. I didn t know what I s doin las 
 night. I got an idea in my head he d wronged 
 yeh, Sibley, an it made me crazy. Taint so 
 is it? Taint so?" 
 
 Sibley was weeping. He pressed his rough, 
 work-cracked hands on her head. 
 
 " Tell me taint so, Sibley." 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 " How could you do it, father. How could 
 you do it? I thought you had killed him. He 
 may die yet. He had done nothing, father, 
 nothing." She was almost hysterical. 
 
 The tears crept faster down Ridgeby s 
 rugged cheeks. 
 
 262 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I didn t know what I wuz doin ," he said 
 hoarsely. " It seems like a dream now. Did 
 I strike him? But he acted so strange. What 
 uz it all about? Can t yeh tell yer old pa all 
 about it. There s somepin wrong an I want 
 yeh t tell me what tis." 
 
 Sibley with an effort regained control of 
 herself. 
 
 " There is nothing wrong, father. I am all 
 worn out and can t talk. Wait until I have 
 rested and then perhaps we can straighten it 
 out. But don t think there is anything wrong, 
 for there is not." 
 
 Sibley broke away from her father with a 
 kiss and went back to Newton. Ridgeby 
 stumbled out to the barn. After breakfast Lilt 
 took Sibley s place at Newton s side, but she 
 only stayed away for two hours. By ten o clock 
 she was back again. An hour later Newton 
 roused up, looked about him for a moment 
 and then sank into a quiet sleep. Sibley 
 gave a quick sigh of relief. She watched 
 him for a moment then went out into the 
 kitchen. 
 
 263 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " The danger is passed," she said. " He will 
 live." 
 
 All the morning Ridgeby had been walking 
 nervously about the room. When he heard Sib- 
 ley s whispered words he caught up his hat and 
 went out. 
 
 A little after dinner Abner Hawkins came in. 
 His coarse voice broke rudely into the stillness. 
 It awoke Newton. He recognized the voice at 
 once and obeying some sudden impulse he did 
 not open his eyes. Sibley tip-toed to the door. 
 
 "Sh!" she whispered. "You will wake 
 him." 
 
 " Wake who ? " roared Abner. 
 
 " Newton Mills." 
 
 " Oh, that feller. Well wake and be damned 
 I don t care. Come out here I want t see yeh." 
 
 " Please keep still," she whispered. 
 
 " Come here," he called rudely. 
 
 She went up to him. He caught her roughly 
 in his arms and kissed her. A shudder ran 
 over her and she shrank away from him. New 
 ton opened his eyes and feebly shook his fist 
 at the wall. 
 
 264 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Please keep still, Abner," Sibley pleaded, 
 " He is much worse and may be dying." 
 
 " Seems t me yeh re worryin bout him a 
 hull lot," Abner growled. " Spose he do 
 die. He haint nahthin but a hired hand no 
 how." 
 
 Lilt bristled up. He put a big fist beneath 
 Abner s nose. 
 
 " Say," he whispered savagely, " Let off any 
 more o that lip o yourn an I ll throw yeh out 
 th door." 
 
 Sibley was trembling from hand to foot. She 
 gave Lilt a glance of gratitude. He saw it. He 
 caught Abner by the arm. 
 
 " I haint nahthin but a hired han* m self 
 but I m a little better thun you are eny day in 
 th week, an Newt Mills is worth th two of us 
 put together, three times over." 
 
 Abner shrank back. He was afraid of Lilt. 
 
 " I want thinkin none bout you," he 
 grumbled. " I uz talkin bout tramps like 
 Newt." 
 
 " D yeh want t go out th door?" repeated 
 Lilt. " Better keep mighty mum." 
 265 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "Where s Ridgeby," Abner growled, sitting 
 down awkwardly in a chair. 
 
 Ridgeby came in the door just that minute. 
 Sibley escaped back to Newton. He continued 
 to feign sleep. 
 
 " How de Ridgeby," was Abner s greeting. 
 
 " Hello Abner. How s yer pa ? " 
 
 " He s pret well. There haint never nahthin 
 th matter with th ole man cept tis th rooma- 
 tiz. That bothers him a good deal." 
 
 "Begun t thrash yet?" 
 
 " Davidson s comin t morrer. He jes 
 finished up at Thompson s, Friday. We ll keep 
 him bout a week guess. Got th thrashin to do 
 on th Simpkins place yeh know. When yeh 
 goin t begin ? " 
 
 " Herrick s comin over week after nex , I 
 don t like Davidson very well." 
 
 "Bout s good s anybody." 
 
 " Think so. Well I m goin t change any 
 how." 
 
 " Better stick t Davidson, he s square." 
 
 " Yeh ve got an intrust in Davidson s ma 
 chine haint yeh ? " Lilt asked slyly. 
 266 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Abner coloured. 
 
 "Got a little, jes t com date Davidson 
 though/ he stammered. " Course don t make 
 no diffrunce t me who yeh have, only I d see 
 yeh got a square deal." 
 
 " Perhaps I had better have Davidson," said 
 Ridgeby. " When cud he come over? " 
 
 " Seein it s you I ll have him come over 
 right after he finishes up fer us." 
 
 " Well send him long. I ll send a note over 
 t Herrick t morrer tellin him he needn t 
 come." 
 
 " Goin to come out all right on every 
 thing? " Abner asked after a pause. 
 
 Sibley in Newton s room raised her head and 
 listened. 
 
 " Don t know," Ridgeby answered slowly. 
 " Things don t look jes uz bright uz they 
 might. Grain s sellin s cheap this year don t 
 hardly pay t raise it." 
 
 " Pa uz sayin yestiday he didn t see nahthin 
 in farmin these days." 
 
 There was another pause. Abner broke it. 
 
 " Dad s bought at medder Ian o Thomp- 
 267 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 son s. They ve been dickerin fer some time. 
 Thompson uz holdin it pretty high, but he 
 come t dad s terms. It s kinder crippled Pa, 
 too." 
 
 Sibley sat very still almost holding her 
 breath. There was another pause. 
 
 " Oh say, Ridgeby," Abner broke out sud 
 denly, " Yeh know yeh re mor gage is due on 
 th twenty-fifth, n this is th eighth. Dad 
 wanted I shud ask yeh what yeh wuz goin t 
 do bout it. He s kinder hard up an needs a 
 little money." 
 
 A look of pain swept over Sibley s face. She 
 put her head down in her hands and gave her 
 self up to listening. 
 
 " I don t know jes yet what I ll be able t do, 
 Abner," Ridgeby answered slowly. " Things 
 have been pretty hard with me lately." 
 
 " I m mighty sorry, for Dad s got t get some 
 money sommers an he uz in hopes yeh cud 
 help him out." 
 
 " I did think I d be able t pay it all up. But 
 seems like everything jes come on me t onct. 
 268 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 It s made me pretty hard up. I ll try an do 
 somepin on it and make some rangements 
 bout th rest. Yeh tell yer Pa I ll do th very 
 bes I can." 
 
 " Course Dad don t want t push yeh none." 
 
 Sibley s face brightened. 
 
 " I didn t think he d be hard on me under 
 th circumstances," Ridgeby answered. " I ll 
 do th bes I can." 
 
 " Ord narily Dad wouldn t said a word, but 
 way tis now he s jes got t have a little money 
 an he don t see no other place t get it." 
 
 Sibley s face darkened again. 
 
 " How much d yeh guess he s got t have? " 
 
 " Well he s pret hard up, otherwise he 
 wouldn t say nahthin ." 
 
 " How much d yeh think he can get long 
 with." 
 
 " He says he don t see how he s goin t get 
 through thout th hull on it. Course he don t 
 want t push yeh none." 
 
 Sibley s face blanched. 
 
 Ridgeby shook his head. 
 269 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 11 Ther ain t no way I can do it, Abner, no 
 way possible." 
 
 " Course ef yeh can t yeh can t." 
 
 " It s this way, Abner," Ridgeby said slowly. 
 " Las spring Em ly uz tuk bad with th rooma- 
 tiz an there uz a big doctor s bill. Then I 
 want well fer a spell an had t hire a han t 
 help out. Then we had the Simpkinses here 
 and Mis Simpkins an th baby died an had t 
 be buried an there uz more expense, then 
 Newton got hurt. Tween the hull thing I ve 
 jes been et up." 
 
 " Yeh can t expect us t suffer fer other 
 people," said Abner roughly. " Yeh shudn t 
 be takin everybody in an doin fer em th way 
 yeh do. Yeh owe somepin t yer creditors." 
 
 " Th burdens th Lord puts on me I m 
 bound t carry," said Ridgeby, humbly. " I ve 
 got t trust him not t make em too heavy." 
 
 " Well Dad don t want to push yeh none, but 
 
 he s jes got t have some money. That s all 
 
 there is to it. Taint his fault at yeh harbour 
 
 all th tramps in th county. He expects folks 
 
 270 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 he s com dated t pay him fore they go t run- 
 nin horspitals. He s got t have money en ef 
 yeh can t raise it he ll have t be harder on yeh 
 thim he likes t be." 
 
 Sibley s face became pale as death. She 
 started to spring to her feet but sank down 
 again. She bit her lips until the blood came. 
 
 " D yeh mean he ll take th farm," Ridgeby 
 asked blankly. 
 
 " He s got t have money." 
 
 " But he ll give me a little chance, won t he? 
 He won t put me out of a home? " 
 
 " Don t see how he can help it less yeh pay 
 up." 
 
 Ridgeby got up from his chair and tottered 
 over and put his hand on Abner s shoulder. 
 Abner looked down at the floor. 
 
 " Have a little mercy on me Abner," Ridgeby 
 pleaded. " I give yeh th dearest thing I had 
 on earth, my Sibley, an it almost bruk my 
 heart t do it. She said she wanted it that way 
 so I didn t say nahthin . Now don t turn her 
 old Ma and Pa out in th road t die as yeh did 
 271 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 th Simpkinses. Ef yeh ll only give me a little 
 time I can pull through." 
 
 " Tain t me," Abner replied stolidly. " It s 
 Dad, an he s jes got t have money." 
 
 Ridgeby brushed his hands across his eyes 
 and turned away. 
 
 " Ef it s th Lord s will I can t say nahthin ," 
 he said hoarsely. 
 
 Sibley put her head down on the bed. 
 
 " Yeh don t need t worry none," Abner 
 said with an attempt at pacification. " I won t 
 see yeh turned out of a home, Ridgeby. Yeh 
 can stay here till me an Sib s married, then 
 Dad ll prob bly give me this place. I ll see yeh 
 don t suffer none. I wist m self at Dad 
 wouldn t be s hard on yeh but he s in a bad 
 way an don t see no other way out of it. Tell 
 Sib ef she s s interested takin care o that 
 tramp she can t see me, I ll stay way tell he 
 gets well." 
 
 Abner picked up his hat and lumbered to 
 ward the door. Ridgeby was staring gloomily 
 at the wall. Lilt seemed about to spring on 
 Abner. He held himself back. 
 272 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 "I ll tell Dad what yeh said bout th 
 mor gage," Abner called back as he went out 
 the door. 
 
 Sibley raised her head an instant then she 
 threw it down on the bed again and burst into 
 a paroxysm of weeping. 
 
 " And it was all in vain," she sobbed. " All 
 in vain. All in vain." 
 
 She felt an arm stealing around her waist. 
 
 273 
 
Chapter XVIII 
 
 SIBLEY continued to sob. The arm drew 
 tighter about her. Then came Newton s 
 voice. It was feeble, but it was intense 
 and sympathetic. 
 
 "Sibley!" 
 
 A thrill ran over the girl. The pressure of 
 his arm was like an electric current. The sound 
 of his voice was soothing. It found its way 
 into her heart. She was too much overcome 
 by the shock she had experienced and its at 
 tendant grief to reason. She knew that New 
 ton was awake, that his arm was about her, 
 that his voice had whispered in her ear. In 
 stinctively she tried to pull away. The arm 
 closed tighter about her and the voice came 
 again, low tender, pleading. 
 
 "Sibley!" 
 
 She looked up at him. Her tears were flow 
 ing so fast that she could not see him clearly. 
 He was sitting bolt upright. His face was pale 
 and drawn but there was an expression of 
 dawning hope lighting it up. 
 274 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Is this the reason you were going to marry 
 Abner Hawkins ? " he asked, looking deeply 
 into her eyes. 
 
 She threw herself down on the bed again and 
 hid her face while her tears broke out afresh. 
 Newton began to stroke her forehead gently. 
 He had forgotten the wound in his side. He 
 bent closer to her. 
 
 " Tell me, Sibley," he asked again. " Is this 
 the reason you were going to marry Abner 
 Hawkins ?" 
 
 Sibley made a violent attempt to regain con 
 trol of herself. Newton continued caressing 
 her. 
 
 " Speak to me," he pleaded softly. " Have I 
 guessed rightly? " 
 
 Sibley could not look up. After a struggle 
 she nodded her head. 
 
 " And you do not love him ? " he asked with 
 an accent of hope in his voice. 
 
 Sibley shook her head. 
 
 The arm drew tighter about her waist. Sib 
 ley ceased weeping. A restfulness came over 
 her. Newton s caresses rilled her with a new 
 275 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 sense of contentment. She knew she should 
 resent them, should tear herself away from his 
 arms, should be very angry with him for what 
 he had done, but her grief had left her too 
 weak to struggle. She was half glad it was so. 
 She did not want to struggle. 
 
 Newton found himself almost afraid to ask 
 another question for fear his dawning hope 
 would set again. In his weakness he began to 
 tremble. Sibley felt it. It affected her 
 strangely. 
 
 "Is this the only reason you were going to 
 marry him ? " he asked slowly. 
 
 A shudder ran over the girl s form. Her 
 muscles seemed suddenly to become rigid. She 
 looked up. It was a strange face that Newton 
 found looking into his. There was something 
 pitifully tragic about it. 
 
 " Could there be any other reason ? " she 
 asked. " I loathe him. I despise him. I hate 
 him." 
 
 She melted again and bowed her face into 
 her hands. Newton began stroking her fore 
 head as before. 
 
 276 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " You hate him and yet you were going to 
 marry him ? " he asked slowly. 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "To save the farm?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Tell me about it." 
 
 He drew her closer to him and turned her 
 face around so he could look into her eyes. She 
 made a feeble effort to pull away from him. 
 
 " No, I will not let you go," he said. " At 
 least not yet. Tell me all about this trouble/ 
 
 A blush mantled Sibley s white cheeks. She 
 sank back and ceased to struggle. 
 
 " I thought I could save the farm," she 
 whispered. " I knew that father would be un 
 able to meet the mortgage when it came due. 
 He is so open hearted that he cares for every 
 one without a thought for himself. It was this 
 mortgage that procured the money which sent 
 me to college. It would have broken my heart 
 to think that after they had sacrificed so much 
 for me that they should lose everything on my 
 account. I am afraid it would kill father and 
 mother to lose the farm. It has been their 
 277 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 home for nearly fifty years. It would be like 
 parting with life for them to go away from it. 
 George Hawkins held the mortgage and he has 
 said that he would own this farm before he 
 died. I knew that he would have no mercy on 
 father. Abner Hawkins has always forced his 
 attentions on me since we went to the district 
 school together. I always disliked him, he was 
 so rough, so savage, so cruel. The older I 
 grew the more I disliked him until I came to 
 abhor the sight of him. He has repeatedly 
 asked me to marry him. The thought was 
 enough to chill me. But when I saw how he had 
 father in his power I gave up, gritted my teeth 
 and with my heart filled with loathing promised 
 to marry him. I thought that this way I could 
 help my father and mother. It was but a 
 small repayment for all they have done for me. 
 I did not think that Abner would see the par 
 ents of his promised wife turned into the road. 
 Merciless as I knew him and his father to be I 
 could not think them that bad. But I was mis 
 taken. My life has been thrown away 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 and it has done no good. Poor father and 
 mother." 
 
 Sibley sighed heavily. Newton looked at her 
 seriously. 
 
 " Did you know what it meant to marry that 
 man ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes," Sibley whispered, " I knew it all." 
 
 " Think of the picture," Newton said. 
 " These pretty hands, so soft and white, what 
 would they be after you had been his wife for 
 a time. Think of them worn, rough, and mis 
 shapen, with the knuckles swollen and knotted. 
 Think of those blue eyes faded with weeping. 
 You have but to look at his mother to see the 
 picture. Think of you yoked to that animal. 
 You would be the slave of a tyrant, your 
 drudgery repaid by rough words and perhaps 
 blows. Your life would be one unceasing night 
 mare. Have you thought of all this? " 
 
 " Thought of it," Sibley returned slowly, 
 " Yes, I have thought of it all and of a thou 
 sand horrors more compared to which these are 
 nothing. I have been haunted by them night 
 279 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 and day until for a time it seemed that I must 
 die to escape them. Every time that he comes 
 near me I feel as though I could kill him. I 
 have buried it all. It was wicked of me to 
 think as I did. I was doing but little when 
 mother and father had done so much. I have 
 kept all my feelings hid and have made them 
 think me happy. It was a terrible struggle at 
 times. It seemed as though my feelings must 
 get the better of me." 
 
 Newton looked at her tenderly. 
 
 " How could you make such a sacrifice? " he 
 asked. 
 
 An ecstatic smile broke over Sibley s face. 
 Newton had never seen her look more beautiful. 
 
 " How could I make such a sacrifice? " she 
 asked, looking up at him. " How could I re 
 fuse to make it? I should have hated myself 
 had I not done as I did. The tortures my con 
 science would have poured upon me would have 
 been harder to bear than the worst the sacrifice 
 can do. Think of all they have denied them 
 selves for me. If they lose the farm they have 
 280 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 given up everything. Think of what I owe 
 them. You would not have me ungrateful ? " 
 
 " But don t you know/ replied Newton 
 earnestly, " That the knowledge of this sacri 
 fice would grieve your parents ten times more 
 than would the loss of their home ? 
 
 " They will never know," Sibley returned 
 simply. 
 
 Newton smiled down upon her. 
 
 " Poor little heroine," he said caressing her, 
 " And it has all been in vain. Your plan to 
 save them has failed." 
 
 Tears sprang to Sibley s eyes again. 
 
 " Yes, it has failed." 
 
 " What are you going to do now? " 
 
 He looked closely into her eyes. They fell 
 before his gaze. Sibley gave a start. She 
 looked full up at him and made an effort to 
 spring away. 
 
 " What am I doing," she exclaimed, anx 
 iously, struggling to get away. " What a 
 selfish girl I am. In thinking of my own cares 
 I have forgotten all about you. You will kill 
 281 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 yourself this way. The physician said you must 
 keep perfectly still. I thought you were dying 
 last night. You must lie down." 
 
 Newton held her. He smiled and shook his 
 head. 
 
 " I am a long way from dying now/ he said 
 earnestly. " A little while ago I did not care 
 whether I died or not. But now I want to live 
 and I am going to live, and I want you to help 
 me live." 
 
 A blush suffused Sibley s face and she lay 
 still again. 
 
 " You know that I love you, Sibley," New 
 ton continued, " I have shown it in every mo 
 tion. I have tried very hard to hide it but I 
 could not hide my love without hiding myself. 
 My love had become me. I believe I began to 
 love you before I saw you. The day that I 
 came, as we drove into the yard I heard you 
 singing Bon Ami, an old favourite of mine. 
 I turned and caught a glimpse of you. Then it 
 was I fear that I began to love you. I tried 
 hard not to do so especially when I learned 
 282 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 that you were to marry Abner Hawkins. I 
 could never reconcile myself to that idea. I 
 could not understand how you could care for 
 him, yet you seemed happy. I tried to make 
 myself think it was nothing to me, but I soon 
 saw that it was everything. It has seemed to 
 me at times that I could kill the man. I did 
 handle him pretty roughly the night we 
 wrestled. I was well paid for it, too." 
 
 " I thought you were killed," Sibley shud 
 dered. 
 
 " When you told me you wanted me to go 
 away the wish came to me that I had been." 
 He stopped for a minute and looked down at 
 her. 
 
 "Why did you want me to go away?" he 
 asked suddenly. 
 
 A vivid blush swept over Sibley s cheeks. 
 She turned her face away. 
 
 " Why did you want me to go away? " he 
 asked again. " Did my loving you so displease 
 you that you did not even want me near you? 
 It was torture to me but it was a torture I could 
 
 283 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 not bring myself to leave. Why did you want 
 me to go away ? " 
 
 She hid her blushing face. She was still 
 for a moment. 
 
 " Because," she whispered desperately, not 
 trusting herself to look up at him, " Because I 
 feared that if you stayed my heart would fail 
 me and I could never marry Abner Hawkins." 
 
 She sprang away from him. 
 
 " There, you have made me confess it," she 
 exclaimed. " Don t torture me any more." 
 
 " Sibley, Sibley," he called, holding his arms 
 out toward her. " Come to me. Do not go 
 away. I want you. I want you forever. You 
 shall not go away from me. Come." 
 
 Sibley caught her breath. 
 
 " No, Newton," she cried faintly. " Don t 
 tempt me. It is hard enough to bear as it is. I 
 have promised myself to him." 
 
 " What ! " he exclaimed. " You don t mean 
 to say that you still intend to marry that fiend. 
 The reason for the sacrifice is gone." 
 
 " Yes," she returned sadly. " I have given 
 284 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 him my promise, what right have I to take it 
 back ? Besides I may yet be able to help father 
 and mother. Abner has promised that they 
 shall stay on the place until we are married 
 and then he will see that they are taken care O f . 
 My duty is to them first even if I cared nothing 
 for my promise. You should help me to bear it 
 rather than tempting me away from it." 
 
 " What do you suppose Abner s promise to 
 care for them is worth ? " Newton replied. 
 "When he finds himself in possession here do 
 you suppose he will scruple to turn them out 
 to die or go to the poorhouse? Even if he 
 kept them here the humiliations he would sub 
 ject them to would kill them." 
 
 " It is the only hope," Sibley replied slowly. 
 " I must at least do my part. It is the only 
 thing that can be done to save them." 
 
 " No, it is not the only hope," he said smil 
 ing wanly. " Come here a moment." 
 
 Sibley went up to him and sat down on the 
 edge of the bed. He tried to put his arms 
 around her again, but she shook her head. 
 
 285 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Don t worry another moment about your 
 father and mother, Sibley," he said. " That is 
 a load you can take off your heart entirely. 
 Your parents are not going to the poorhouse, 
 they are not coming to want. They are not 
 even going to lose the farm. I am not all in 
 gratitude. Do you suppose that after I heard 
 of their trouble that I intended to take no hand 
 in the matter. They have showered kindnesses 
 on me. It is but a little thing for me to do to 
 aid them now. I will pay the mortgage." 
 
 " You pay the mortgage," Sibley exclaimed. 
 
 "Yes, why shouldn t I?" 
 
 There was a look of puzzled astonishment on 
 Sibley s face. Newton saw it and understood 
 it. He burst out into a feeble laugh. 
 
 " I forgot that I was only a tramp that 
 Ridgeby picked up in the road. I was a tramp, 
 but not one of the vicious variety." 
 
 He laughed again. Lilt heard the sound and 
 opened the door. 
 
 "Hullo!" he called heartily. "Come to, 
 hev yeh? " 
 
 286 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Ridgeby s careworn face appeared behind 
 Lilt. It brightened as he looked in. An ex 
 pression of relief came over it. 
 " Kin I come in? " he asked. 
 Newton held out his hand. Ridgeby shuffled 
 up to the bed and bent over it. 
 
 " I don t see how I ever come t do it," he 
 began. " I hope yeh ll try t forgive me? " 
 
 "Don t talk about that now," Newton re 
 turned. " You are in trouble. I was awake 
 when Abner was here and heard all about it." 
 The careworn look deepened on Ridgeby s 
 face. He sighed. 
 
 " I don t see no way out cept t* lose th farm. 
 It s been home t us s long that it ll be like 
 dyin t go way from it. I don t see what we ll 
 do nuther. Guess th Lord 11 look after us 
 some way. Em ly an me s lived here ever 
 sence we uz married. All our children uz born 
 an died here an it uz here we got little Sib- 
 ley." His voice choked. 
 
 " Things are not so bad as they might be," 
 Newton returned quietly. " I am fortunately 
 
 287 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 in a position where I can be of some little as 
 sistance to you and in that way repay to a slight 
 extent the unnumbered kindnesses you have 
 all done me." 
 
 Ridgeby looked at him in amazement. 
 
 "If I had known about this it could have 
 been fixed before," Newton continued. " I have 
 a friend who has a little money that he wants 
 to invest in Iowa farm mortgages. He asked 
 me to look up one or two for him. I will write 
 to him at once and we can have the money here 
 by the time the other mortgage comes due. He 
 will want it a long time loan at five per cent." 
 
 Lilt threw his arms into the air with a shout. 
 Mrs. Ridgeby hastened in. 
 
 Ridgeby stood looking vacantly at Newton 
 as though unable to comprehend his words. 
 Then the strength seemed to leave his limbs. 
 He sank to his knees and buried his face in the 
 bed. Sobs and a prayer came mingled from his 
 lips. 
 
 Newton s artificial strength suddenly ebbed 
 away. His face became pale as death and he 
 288 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 sank back on the pillows with his eyes closed. 
 A look of pain swept over his face. Sibley 
 was at his side in a moment. She hurriedly 
 motioned the others out of the room. Ridgeby 
 stumbled across the threshold. He would have 
 fallen had not Lilt caught him. There were 
 tears in Mrs. Ridgeby s eyes. 
 
 " Th Lord s mighty good t us, Hiram," she 
 whispered. " I knew he want goin t desert 
 us." 
 
 Newton opened his eyes after a moment. He 
 tried to lift his arms up to Sibley, but he was 
 too weak. 
 
 " Promise me," he whispered. 
 
 " I will think," she answered. 
 
 " Kiss me." 
 
 Sibley stooped and touched his lips with hers. 
 
 289 
 
M 
 
 Chapter XIX 
 
 RS. RIDGEBY sat out by the kitchen 
 door quartering apples. A breeze 
 .from the north, courtly harbinger of 
 Old Boreas, gently fanned her gray hairs about 
 her temples and trailed them over her forehead 
 in a white wreath. She worked mechanically, 
 paring, coring and quartering the green globes 
 with a deft skill that left her eyes free to wan 
 der in at the door where they fell upon the five 
 straight-backed chairs shoved closely up by the 
 table, those five chairs that had been vacated 
 one by one years before had never known 
 another occupant. To Mrs. Ridgeby s eyes 
 the chairs were not empty and the glances 
 she threw upon them were laden with caresses. 
 Her fancy had escaped from the thrall of pres 
 ent reality and, yielding to the charm of a 
 dreamy October day, had been wafted into the 
 shadowy realm of reminiscence. The low rattle 
 of the dead leaves in the trees became the chat 
 ter of young voices. The exultant pipings of a 
 290 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 black bird overhead was tuned to the sweeter 
 music of childish laughter. The varied clatter 
 of the barn yard was transformed to the mirth 
 ful cries of children at play. Now and then 
 a half smile would play about the corners of 
 her mouth, or, again, an expression of pain 
 would sweep over her features. 
 
 Sibley was sitting near her. She had been 
 paring apples as well, but the pan now lay 
 half emptied and unnoticed in her lap. One of 
 her hands still held a knife but she did not feel 
 its touch. The other supported her chin. She 
 was looking away off across the fields to where 
 a cloud had thrown a great shadow across a 
 meadow. She watched the shadow as it crept 
 slowly along eating up the sunshine. It was 
 coming rapidly toward her. It fell upon her. 
 She half shuddered, then turned to watch the 
 bright glare that was following it up. The 
 shadow passed and the sunlight broke out even 
 brighter than before. Sibley sighed weariedly 
 and half started to take up her work again, but 
 the absent expression settled upon her face once 
 291 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 more and she forgot it. At length she got up, 
 laid the pan of apples upon the steps, and went 
 into the house. 
 
 A week had passed since bending low over 
 the bed Sibley sealed her love for Newton with 
 a kiss. The week had been one of varied emo 
 tions to each of them. To Newton it had been 
 a time of quiet happiness alternated by seasons 
 of eager discontent. A time of happiness be 
 cause Sibley had said she loved him; of dis 
 content because while she wavered in her de 
 termination to remain true to a self sacrificing 
 promise, she still refused to break it. To Sibley 
 the week had been a period of unceasing battle, 
 of battle between her heart and her conscience. 
 Her conscience urged her to marry Abner 
 Hawkins because she had given him her sacred 
 promise. Her heart cried out to her to break 
 out into the full sunshine of this new love that 
 had come upon her. She trembled between 
 these two adversaries. 
 
 Newton was lying on his back gazing up at 
 the ceiling. He was trying to resolve the laby- 
 292 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 rinth of cracks in the plastering into faces. He 
 heard Sibley s step as she entered the house. 
 He called her. 
 
 " Do you want anything? " she asked look 
 ing in at the door. 
 
 " Yes/ 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " You." 
 
 Sibley s eyes dropped. Then she looked up, 
 smiled, half started to go up to him, then turned 
 away and disappeared into her room. 
 
 Mrs. Ridgeby cored and quartered, quar 
 tered and cored. The black bird gradually 
 widened its circles, then flew off on a tangent 
 and disappeared. With him went the fancy 
 of childish voices his pipings had conjured up 
 in Mrs. Ridgeby s mind. She came out from 
 her re very and brushed the back of her hand 
 across her eyes. She sighed heavily. Ridgeby 
 came up from the barn and sat down upon the 
 steps by her side. The lines in his face had 
 deepened. He looked disconsolate. 
 
 " What s th matter, Hiram? " his wife asked 
 293 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 anxiously. " I hain t seen yeh lookin so bad in 
 a long time. Yeh ain t goin t be sick are 
 yeh? Yeh ve been workin t hard." 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 " I can t work t day somehow. I tried but 
 I had t give it up. My min won t stay on 
 work." 
 
 He looked up at the black bird, that had re 
 turned, bringing its mate with it. Then he 
 silently gazed up into the face of his wife for 
 some time. 
 
 " Em ly," he said, slowly, after awhile. 
 "D ye know what day this is?" 
 
 Mrs. Ridgeby looked at him reproachfully. 
 
 " Hain t I been a mother," she answered. 
 "Could I forget?" 
 
 " It s jest twenty-five years ago t day he 
 went away." 
 
 " Yes, twenty-five years ago t day." 
 
 " You an me s gettin pretty old, Em ly." 
 
 " We ll soon be younger now, Hiram." 
 
 " Yes, I know it." 
 
 Silence again for a few moments. 
 294 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Seems like I couldn t kerry this load much 
 longer, Em ly." Ridgeby said at length. 
 
 "Yeh don t have t kerry it all alone, 
 Hiram." 
 
 " Seems like I do. I don t deserve no help I 
 s pose in kerryin this. A minnet s anger has 
 made me a quarter of a cent ry o torture. 
 How I made yer heart ache, too, Em ly. You 
 was his mother an I sent him away." 
 
 " Yeh thought yer s doin right, Hiram. It 
 seemed hard t me but you was his father and 
 knowed best." 
 
 " It wa n t right, Em ly. It wa n t right. Th 
 Lord sent our Jim t us an made us responsi 
 ble fer his soul. I forgot it fer th moment. I 
 only thought o th disgrace he d brung on us. 
 I shud have fergive th disgrace, Em ly." 
 
 " Yeh did fergive it, Hiram. Yeh fergive it 
 almost before he was gone." 
 
 " But he never knew it, Em ly, he never 
 knew it." 
 
 " God knows it, Hiram." 
 
 " I don t know whether He does er not." 
 295 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Ridgeby s face was hopelessness itself. 
 
 " Seems like ef God knew how I ve fergive 
 Jim, he d fergive me." 
 
 "Perhaps He has fergive yeh, Hiram." 
 
 " Don t seem like he could a, Emily. If he 
 had fergive me like I fergive Jim He d stop 
 punishin me, but He hain t, Em ly. He hain t. 
 It seems like my heart uz a bein et out all th 
 time. Many s th night when yeh thought me 
 sleepin I ve been out on my knees prayin fer 
 fergiveness, but there never come no sign." 
 
 Tears began dropping from Mrs. Ridgeby s 
 eyes. They glistened on the apples like dew 
 drops. 
 
 "We ve both suffered, Hiram," she whis 
 pered. " We ve both suffered. If little Sibley 
 hadn t come t us I m fraid my heart would 
 a broke. Someway she reminded me o Jim. 
 It seemed sometimes like I d got my Jim back 
 a baby agin. Th others wuz tuk so quick I 
 b lieve I d a died ef Sibley hadn t come." 
 
 " It uz God s curse on me, Em ly. It uz 
 God s curse on me. I sent away one he give 
 us an t punish me he tuk em all." 
 296 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 There was silence again for some time. 
 
 " I wonder ef He tuk our Jim when I sent 
 him away? " Ridgeby sighed after a while. 
 
 " He must a, Hiram," Mrs. Ridgeby an 
 swered tearfully. " He must a, Jim ud a come 
 back ef He hadn t. Jim knew at we loved him. 
 He knew at yeh d fergive him an take him 
 back. Jim wa n t a bad boy, only thoughtless. 
 I know he d a come back ef he was alive. I ve 
 felt fer a long time at he was with th rest." 
 
 " It must be, it must be," Ridgeby sighed. 
 " I d a found him fore this ef it wa n t so. I 
 never stopped huntin fer him, Em ly. I never 
 said nahthin bout it fer I never thought some 
 way it ud do no good, but I did everything I 
 could t find him an bring him back t yeh. 
 But fer all I cud do I never found no trace. 
 Twice they thought they d found him, but each 
 time it uz th wrong one an my heart uz torn 
 with disappointments." 
 
 " Sometime we ll know, Hiram," his wife 
 said slowly. " Sometime, we ll know." 
 
 " When at time comes I ll know I ve been 
 fergiven," Ridgeby answered with a sigh. 
 297 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 The black bird carolled overhead. The wind 
 rose higher and shook down the leaves from 
 the trees and set them in a dance upon the 
 ground. The clatter of the barn yard became 
 quieter. Ridgeby sat and gazed gloomily away 
 across the barren fields. At last his wife laid 
 aside her pan and stooping wound her arms 
 about his neck. She drew his gray head into 
 her lap and kissed his forehead. He looked 
 up at her. The clouds slowly passed away from 
 his face. The lovelight of the honeymoon 
 shone undimmed in his eyes. 
 
 A moment later old Reuben s uncouth form 
 tumbled around the corner of the house. There 
 was a comical look of protest on his face. He 
 hobbled past the kitchen door and headed for 
 the barn. 
 
 "Ef yeh ll take my advice yeh ll run," he 
 piped. " She ll jaw yeh. Oh, I know what 
 she s comin fer. She s comin t jaw yeh." 
 
 " What s th matter? " Ridgeby asked, start 
 ing to his feet. 
 
 " She s comin ," jerking his thumb over his 
 shoulder. "I m goin t th barn. Ef yeh ll 
 298 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 take my advice yeh ll go t . She ll jaw yeh 
 good ef she catches yeh. By Gum, she ll jaw 
 yeh good." 
 
 Ridgeby turned and saw Miss Latey s slight 
 form coming slowly up the lane. She walked 
 feebly and stopped at frequent intervals as 
 though to rest. She turned in at the gate and 
 came around the house. 
 
 "Why, how d yeh do?" Mrs. Ridgeby 
 cried springing to her feet. She tried to keep the 
 note of surprise out of her voice. " Come right 
 int th kitchen. I m glad t see yeh. Yeh mus 
 take off yehr shawl an stay t tea. Yeh hain t 
 been here in a long time." 
 
 Miss Latey sat down in the chair offered her. 
 She was breathing heavily as though the ex 
 ertion of walking had fatigued her greatly. 
 
 " No, guess I never was here afore an 
 guess I ll never come again." 
 
 Her breath failed her. She had tried to 
 sit upright in the little rocker but had weariedly 
 sunk back into it. Her face was pale and worn. 
 A hectic flush burned on her cheeks. She 
 stifled a cough in her handkerchief. The prim- 
 299 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 ness had gone out of her bearing. Her eyes 
 had lost their snap. 
 
 " Yeh don t look uz well s common," Mrs. 
 Ridgeby said, sympathetically. 
 
 " I hain t, seems like th life s about gone out 
 o me. I don t think I ll last much longer." 
 
 " Well, we re all gettin on. I uz jest tellin* 
 Hiram at we d be young agin fer good fore 
 long. Better take off yer shawl an stay t tea, 
 we d be real pleased t have yeh." 
 
 " I can t stay but a minnit. I come up on 
 on business." 
 
 Ridgeby turned out the door. 
 
 " Guess yeh wimmin folks 11 have t excuse 
 me. I ll get out o th way." 
 
 Miss Latey was coughing. She feebly mo 
 tioned for him to stay. 
 
 " I ve got somepin t say t yeh, t both o 
 yeh," she stammered, turning her eyes toward 
 the floor. Ridgeby turned back. 
 
 Miss Latey stifled her cough and pressed her 
 hand over her heart as though to ease a pain 
 there. 
 
 " It s hard for me to tell yeh what I ve got 
 300 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 t ," she said clutching nervously at her dress. 
 But I m failin fast an know I hain t very long 
 t live, an* someway I don t feel like dyin with 
 it on my soul. I know I ve led a mean life 
 but I ve suffered th most fer it myself. There 
 want no sun shinin fer me an I wanted t stop 
 it shinin fer everybody else. I hope th Lord 
 11 fergive me fer it." 
 
 " Yeh kept yer self away fr m everybody t 
 much," Mrs. Ridgeby said sympathetically. 
 " Yeh r allus welcome here. I ve often won 
 dered why yeh never come. I uz afraid per 
 haps we d done somepin t yeh. Why didn t 
 yeh come? " 
 
 " I didn t go no place. I was here once. Yeh 
 didn t see me. I didn t mean yeh shud. That s 
 why I m here now. It s about yer boy Yer 
 boy Jim." 
 
 "Our Jim?" 
 
 Ridgeby tottered to his feet. An expression 
 of mingled pain and joy swept over his face. 
 
 "Our Jim? Where is he? Do you know? 
 Is he dead? Or what?" 
 
 Miss Latey was seized with a paroxysm of 
 301 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 coughing that left her speechless. Mrs. 
 Ridgeby looked at her helplessly. 
 
 " Yes yer Jim," Miss Latey gasped when she 
 caught her breath. " I don t expect yeh t fer- 
 give me. That ud be askin t much, but I ve 
 got t tell yeh anyway." 
 
 Ridgeby stood still looking at her. His jaws 
 were set and his teeth clenched. His voice was 
 husky. 
 
 " Per God s sake tell us what yeh know," he 
 cried. " Oh Jim. Our Jim." 
 
 " We all know how he disgraced yeh an* 
 how he went away," she answered, her voice 
 trembling. " But there don t nobody but me 
 know how he come back." 
 
 "How he come back?" 
 
 " Yes, he did come back. Twenty years ago 
 this winter." 
 
 " An yeh never told us. My God ! My God ! 
 Air yeh human ? " 
 
 Miss Latey coughed again. 
 
 " I don t know," she answered faintly. 
 " Yeh won t think so. I don t know what made 
 302 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 me act th way I did. Somepin made me do it. 
 I know now how awful wicked it was. I want 
 t make it uz near right now uz I can. That s 
 all I can do now." 
 
 She clutched at her dress again. 
 
 " It uz an awful night at he come back, 
 twenty years ago. It uz th night o th blizzard, 
 when Tom Johnson froze t death, perhaps yeh 
 remember it. It uz about nine o clock when 
 I heard a feeble knock at th door. First it 
 frightened me. Then it come again. I went 
 an undid th lock an opened th door. A man 
 stumbled in an fell on th floor. He had a 
 bundle in his arms. I got him up on the bed 
 somehow. I don t know how. He was nearly 
 dead. Froze, I cud see that. He looked awful, 
 like he d been sick. He wuz thin an worn 
 with his face all covered with a thick beard. 
 After awhile he opened his eyes. Then I knew 
 him. It uz Jim, your Jim. It wasn t Tom 
 Johnson they thought froze t death. It uz yer 
 Jim. He wuz tryin t get back home. I done 
 all I cud for him but he died fore mornin ." 
 303 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " An yeh never told us," Ridgeby moaned, 
 " Yeh never told us." His wife was weeping 
 silently. 
 
 Miss Latey coughed again. 
 
 " Yes, he wuz a comin home. He said he 
 knowed yeh d fergive him an take him back. 
 He said he knowed yeh loved him fer all he d 
 done, an he wuz a comin home t tell yeh 
 how sorry he wuz he d wronged yeh. He d 
 been t N York, he said, an left off his bad 
 ways an worked hard an tried t make a man 
 of himself so yeh cud be proud o him, he said, 
 stid o bein a disgrace t yeh. He didn t 
 write, he said, cause he wanted t do somepin 
 first but someway everything went wrong with 
 him. He d been merried, he said, t a dear 
 little woman who had suffered everything with 
 him an en died. He couldn t stand no more 
 after that, he said, somehow it tuk all th tuck 
 out o him. Then he tuk down sick an en he 
 started back fer home. It uz snowin when he 
 gDt t th village an looked bad in th north, 
 but he said he couldn t wait, so he started 
 34 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 out through th snow. He cudn t get no fur- 
 ther n my place. He never did get no further. 
 There wuz a little baby in th bundle. I didn t 
 know what it wuz till it cried. He d wrapped 
 it all up an en tuk off his overcoat an put that 
 round it too. His face lit up when he heard it 
 cry. Give it t me/ he said, an I picked th 
 little thing up and laid it in his arms. He 
 kissed it an pretty soon he died. Th last thing 
 he said uz Tell father I know he ll fergive 
 me, an 11 be good t my little girl. Jim s little 
 girl. " 
 
 Ridgeby heard a half sob behind him. Sib- 
 ley was standing in the doorway of her room 
 a breathless listener. 
 
 " I brought her up here an laid her on th 
 steps an went away an never said nahthin ." 
 
 Ridgeby gave a cry. He opened his arms. 
 Sibley sprang into them. 
 
 " Our little girl," he cried. " Jim s little girl. 
 Th Lord s fergive me at last. Jim s little girl. 
 Jim s little girl." 
 
 305 
 
Chapter XX 
 
 ABROAD glare of sunshine broke 
 through the window into the Ridgeby 
 kitchen and bathed the homely room in 
 a flood of light. It wrought a yellow rug 
 upon the floor and hung the walls with 
 tapestries of sunbeams and shadows. The 
 rude furniture was gilded to a royal rich 
 ness and the simple pictures were burnished 
 with glowing tints. The sunshine found a 
 reflection in the faces of everyone about 
 the place. The day before a hundred clouds 
 had been swept away from the single horizon 
 of the Ridgebys lives, and the sunshine of hap 
 piness had broken through with a delicious 
 warmth that had stolen the aches from every 
 heart. Sibley was singing blithely as she 
 dashed about the kitchen. She seemed bubbling 
 over with happiness. The crimson had come 
 back to her cheeks and the laughter to her eyes. 
 That wistful expression, that herald of an 
 aching heart, that had sat upon her features 
 306 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 like a cloud so long had lifted itself. The face 
 seemed the brighter from the contrast. She 
 was singing " Bon Ami " with a hearty good 
 will. It was the first time the notes had hung 
 upon her lips for a long time. They seemed to 
 kiss them as they fell. Mrs. Ridgeby s kindly 
 face had taken on a glow of happiness that 
 lighted her homely features to beauty. Now 
 and then she would look lovingly at Sibley as 
 though she were some long lost treasure lately 
 recovered. Whenever Ridgeby passed the win 
 dow he nodded in with a cheery face that 
 seemed to have lost the cares of a quarter of a 
 century. 
 
 Newton was sitting out upon the kitchen 
 steps. It was a position he considered a vant 
 age ground, for from there he could watch 
 Sibley all the time. He could follow her as she 
 flitted about the little kitchen and he could 
 watch her as well when her various duties 
 called her out into the yard. This was the first 
 time he had been out. He wondered himself 
 that his strength had proved equal to it, but 
 307 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 that morning a new strength seemed to have 
 come upon him. The confines of his bed took 
 on a new irksomeness. The song of the birds 
 and the glare of the sunshine seemed to be call 
 ing him out, and when he heard Sibley s voice 
 echoing a happy strain above them all he had 
 found the summons too fair to be resisted. He 
 looked rather wan sitting there in the sunshine 
 and Sibley cast anxious glances toward him. 
 Their eyes met. His asked a question. Hers 
 smiled back an answer. 
 
 Lilt was chopping wood. He had thrown 
 off his hat and coat and rolled his sleeves to the 
 elbow. He sent his axe gleaming about his 
 head with a swinging grace and buried it into 
 the logs with a sturdy " Huh ! " There was 
 a half grin upon his face. He was sending his 
 chips flying in every direction with a reckless 
 abandon. Old Reuben was building a pile with 
 mathematical preciseness. Every few moments 
 he would retire a rod or so and survey his work 
 with a squint. He was just bending stiffly to 
 gather an armful of stovelengths when a chip 
 308 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 struck him a smart clip on the ear. He 
 dropped his load and turned with a sputtered 
 complaint. 
 
 " Ef yeh ll take my advice " 
 
 Another chip hit him. He ducked his head 
 and glared wrathfully at Lilt, whom he half 
 suspected of purposely aiming the chips in his 
 direction. Lilt s face was as blank as a stone 
 wall. 
 
 " Ef yeh ll take my advice," he cackled. 
 " Yeh ll mind yer own bizness." 
 
 He stooped for his armful of wood again, 
 cocking up one eye in an attempt to keep Lilt s 
 axe in sight. Lilt winked broadly at Newton 
 and with a dextrous motion made his axe hit 
 just the end of a stick. It went whizzing past 
 Reuben s ears. The old man stumbled to his 
 feet. 
 
 " What yeh tryin t do, kill me? " he gasped. 
 " Yeh think yeh r smart don t yeh. What yeh 
 want t do is t get merried. Yeh can t get mer- 
 ried t quick. Yeh need somebody t take th 
 smart out o yeh. Yeh ll get jawed. Oh, I 
 309 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 know, yeh ll get jawed. Do yeh good, 
 too/ 
 
 Reuben limped around the. corner of the 
 house twitching his ears. Lilt roared. Just 
 then Mrs. Ridgeby came to the kitchen door. 
 She held a small basket in her hand. 
 
 "Oh, Hiram!" she called, "Hiram!" 
 
 Ridgeby was just coming out from the hen 
 house. He dropped his pan of meal and started 
 for the door. 
 
 " I ve fixed up a little basket o things, 
 Hiram," she said, gently, " At I want yeh t 
 take down t Miss Latey. I m fraid she s kind 
 o feeble an not able t do much fer herself. 
 They s some jell an things here. I know she ll 
 like em. It ll show we don t treasure nahthin 
 agin her, too." 
 
 The smile faded from Ridgeby s face. A 
 hard expression came over it. He waited a 
 moment before he answered her. 
 
 " I don t think I c n go down there," he said 
 slowly. " I don t think I can." 
 
 " Now, Hiram," his wife pleaded. 
 310 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Think how she s made us suffer. Em ly I 
 can t ferget it. When she cud s easy made us 
 happier." 
 
 " Perhaps she has made mistakes, Hiram, 
 but there hain t none of us that s free from 
 em." 
 
 " I can t call what she did a mistake. It uz 
 willful." 
 
 "Perhaps it was fer th best, Hiram. Per 
 haps it was fer th best. All things work 
 t gether, yeh know." 
 
 " Hadn t we had suff rin enough, Em ly? " 
 
 " But she tried t make it right, Hiram." 
 
 Ridgeby turned away. 
 
 " I can t do it, Em ly," he said, shaking his 
 head. " Perhaps I d orter but I can t." 
 
 " Hiram," said his wife slowly, " Please." 
 
 Ridgeby turned and looked at her. She held 
 out the basket. 
 
 " Please/ she repeated. 
 
 Ridgeby s face softened. He hesitated. 
 Then he slowly reached his hand out for the. 
 basket. 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Yeh allus was a better Christian un me/ 
 he said huskily, and started slowly down 
 through the orchard. 
 
 The dew was on the grass and it glistened in 
 the sun. A little later the sun would rise higher 
 and lick up the little jewels and the grass blades, 
 robbed of their diamond settings, would look 
 yellow and faded. The air was full of har 
 mony. The birds were twittering around him. 
 At intervals the whistle of a gopher would 
 break into the music. The wind was blowing 
 just strong enough to raise now and then a 
 chord in the cottonwoods. 
 
 Ridgeby brightened up under the influence 
 around him and quickened his pace. Whistling 
 he made his way across the fields until the little 
 red store came in sight. Then he stopped 
 whistling and walked more slowly. 
 
 " 1 wist Eiliene want s queer," he said to 
 himself as he approached the corners. He un 
 consciously used the name that belonged to the 
 girl of long ago. It was almost the first time 
 he had spoken it since the time they went to 
 spelling schools and paring bees together. He 
 312 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 repeated the name again slowly, as though 
 there was something pleasant in the sound, 
 " Eiliene." 
 
 He was called out of his reverie by the rasp 
 ings of a rude voice at his elbow. It startled 
 him. 
 
 " Hello, Ridgeby." He looked up. Abner 
 Hawkins had come up to him. 
 
 "I us jest goin over t yer place," Abner 
 said. " Glad I met yeh. Save me th trip." 
 
 " Wa-al." 
 
 " Dad wanted me t see yeh again bout th 
 mortgage. It s due yeh know, Friday." 
 
 " Wa-al what about it ? " Ridgeby asked me 
 chanically, as though he was thinking but little 
 of what Abner was saying. 
 
 " Dad says he s sorry he s in th place he is, 
 fer he d like t commodate yeh more seem 
 he an you ll be pretty near kin fore long. But 
 he s figgered every way an don t see no other 
 way out. He s got t have money an long 
 as yeh can t get it fer him he ll have t take th 
 farm. He s sorry but he s got t do it." 
 
 " Wa-al." 
 
 313 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " He says though at ef yeh ll jest deed th 
 farm over t him without his goin t th ex 
 pense o foreclosin he ll low yeh what it ud 
 cost him. Dad wants t be uz lib ral with yeh 
 uz he can." 
 
 Ridgeby chuckled. 
 
 " Wa-al, wa-al Abner yeh ought t be proud 
 o havin sech a lib rel father. He s a reg ler 
 philanthropist ain t he. He ll low me what 
 it ud cost t foreclose ef I ll jest deed th farm 
 right over t him thout no trouble." 
 
 Ridgeby chuckled again and bobbed his head. 
 
 " Seems t me that s a lib rel offer," Abner 
 said gruffly. " He don t need t do that, yeh 
 know." 
 
 " Well yeh tell yer father, Abner at he c n 
 rest easy on th mortgage," he said severely. 
 " I ve made arrangements t pay it off." 
 
 He started to turn away. 
 
 " Oh, by the way," he said, reaching awk 
 wardly down into the breast pocket of his coat 
 and bringing out a dainty envelope. " Sibley 
 said I was t give yeh this, ef I saw yeh." 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 He turned away with another chuckle, leav 
 ing Abner staring after him." 
 
 Ridgeby had nearly reached the little red 
 store when he saw Crazy Bet hurrying toward 
 him. She was beckoning to him excitedly. The 
 smile had died from her face. She caught at 
 his arm. Raising herself on her toes she 
 whispered hoarsely in his ears: 
 
 " They laid down jes like little dogs an* 
 died. Yes, they laid down jes like little dogs 
 an died." 
 
 She sprang away from him and crouched 
 trembling in a fence corner moaning : 
 
 " They laid down like little dogs an died. 
 Yes, they laid down jes like little dogs an* 
 died." 
 
 The words affected Ridgeby strangely and 
 he turned on his way half fearfully. 
 
 When he came around the corner of the 
 store he found the door closed. There were no 
 signs of life about the place. He knocked upon 
 the door and waited. It was not opened. Then 
 he knocked again and louder. Still no response. 
 315 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Miss Latey. Oh, Miss Latey," he called. 
 
 The crow of a cock away off in the distance 
 was the only answer he received. 
 
 He was just about to turn away when 
 obeying a sudden impulse, he tried the door. It 
 was not locked and he opened it and entered 
 the store. The old lady s knitting was resting 
 on the sugar barrel, but its owner was no 
 where in sight. 
 
 " Miss Latey! Oh, Miss Latey! " he called 
 again. Still no answer. 
 
 " It s mighty queer," the old man said to him 
 self, as he carefully made his way between the 
 tables upon which the meagre stock was 
 stacked. " I never knowed her t go way no 
 place. Em ly 11 be mighty put out ef she don t 
 get this basket." 
 
 He pushed his way on expecting the prim 
 form of the little proprietress to descend upon 
 him every second. He kept on until he reached 
 the little living room behind. He knocked 
 timidly upon it. A deeper silence. 
 
 He hesitated a moment, then pushed open the 
 
 316 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 door and taking off his tattered hat peered in. 
 " Eiliene! " he called, " Eiliene! " 
 
 Something of the old Eiliene there seemed to 
 be in that figure fallen by the bed. The wan 
 cheeks looked fresher than they had for a long 
 time. Perhaps the tears that stained the 
 withered cheeks had washed out some of the 
 wrinkles. The thin lips were parted in a smile, 
 and the eyes, that had so long darted fire, had 
 in them a tender look of love. They were 
 turned with a last look at a worn daguerreotype 
 that was clasped in her hand. 
 
 "Eiliene!" he called again. Bending for 
 ward he touched her cheek. It was cold. His 
 eyes fell upon the daguerreotype. He started a 
 little as he looked at the faded likeness. As he 
 straightened up a dreamy look came into his 
 eyes, his rugged face softened, he brushed his 
 hard, work cracked hands across his eyes. He 
 turned and looked out the door as though 
 fearing there might be some one to see. He 
 hesitated a moment, then bending awkwardly 
 he kissed the blue lips. 
 
 317 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Well," he said with a sigh, rising up, 
 " P raps there was a love scrape mixed up in 
 it somer s, but I m sure I didn t know nahthin 
 bout it." 
 
 He tenderly lifted the body and placed it 
 upon the bed, and gently drawing the picture 
 from the stiff fingers he put it into his pocket. 
 
 " I wondered what she did with at dagger- 
 type I gin her," he said, as he went out where 
 the birds were singing and the trees were sigh 
 ing with the rising wind. 
 
 " I guess I d better git Em ly," he added, as 
 he started slowly across the fields. 
 
 318 
 
Chapter XXI 
 
 FOR an hour Newton sat on the steps 
 watching the chips fly from Lilt s axe. 
 Once in awhile he would turn and 
 smile in at Sibley. He had but little to say. 
 There was pleasure enough in simply being 
 able to look about him and see something be 
 sides blank walls. The sunshine shed a deli 
 cious warmth about him. The yellow fields 
 seemed to be smiling at him. The leaves on 
 the ground seemed to be rustling a welcome 
 to him. The very cackling of the hens had a 
 note of good-fellowship in it. The gush of 
 life was leaping in his veins again. His heart 
 was wonderfully light. He felt as though he 
 would like to break into a song. He felt that he 
 was a victor not only in the struggle for life 
 but in the struggle for love. He could not feel 
 that should he speak again he would be met 
 with a disappointment. How he wanted to 
 speak again. He had spoken again. It was 
 with his eyes, and he felt that Sibley s eyes had 
 given him an answer. 
 
 319 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " You seem wonderfully happy, Lilt," he 
 said, after awhile, interrupting Lilt s whistle. 
 
 Lilt poised his axe for a second in the air, 
 then sent it down with a will that split an oak 
 knot in two. 
 
 " Yeh don t look very glum yerself," he re 
 turned, " For a feller at s been worryin about 
 goin t a weddin he didn t want t , yeh look 
 mighty chipper." 
 
 Newton smiled. He reached down and 
 plucked a blade of withered grass. 
 
 " When am I going to have the pleasure of 
 attending yours," he asked. " I am more in 
 terested in that just now." 
 
 Lilt looked over at him. 
 
 "What s th matter with doublin up an 
 makin it a fam ly affair," he asked. 
 
 Newton looked a trifle grave. 
 
 " All victories are not so easily won as 
 yours," he answered. 
 
 "Hump!" 
 
 Lilt stopped to rest for a moment. 
 
 " Yeh d better take th advice yeh give me. 
 320 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Take yer own med cine. Keep a stiff upper lip 
 an don t get down hearted whatever happens. 
 It did me a heap o good an may help you." 
 
 Newton looked at the ground for a moment. 
 
 " Perhaps I will, but tell me when are you 
 and Sue going to set up housekeeping? " 
 
 Reuben had come around from the front of 
 the house. He took off his hat and swung it at 
 a hornet. 
 
 " Ef he ll take my advice," he quavered, 
 " He ll get merried right away. He needs 
 somebody t take keer of him. A good jawin 
 11 do him good. Oh, I know. What he needs is 
 jawin . She ll jaw him. She ll jaw him. I 
 know. They allus does." 
 
 Lilt turned on him suddenly. 
 
 " Say, Rube," he asked, " Were you ever 
 married ? " 
 
 Reuben waved his hat at the hornet again 
 and grinned. 
 
 " Ef yeh ll take my advice yeh ll believe I 
 hev. Hain t I here?" 
 
 " What s that got t do with it? " 
 321 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Oh, yeh ll know quick enough. She ll jaw 
 yeh. They allus does. " 
 "Did she jaw you?" 
 
 " Did she jaw me. Well, I shud think they 
 did. First one I merried didn t do nahthin 
 but eat n jaw, th next didn t do nahthin but 
 jaw n eat. But th two of em want a sucum- 
 stance t th last one. Sh cud eat n jaw at th 
 same time an I lit out. Oh, I know. She ll 
 jaw yeh good. They allus does." 
 
 Reuben put his hat back on his head, grinned 
 maliciously and shambled off toward the barn. 
 Lilt laughed uproariously. 
 
 " Poor ole Rube. Yeh must a had a hard 
 time of it," he shouted. 
 
 " Are you not frightened at the prospect? " 
 Newton asked. 
 
 Lilt rested his axe on a log. 
 " Tell yeh what tis, Newt," he said, " I like 
 t hear Sue s voice s much at it ud be music 
 t hear her jaw," he grinned. " She does jaw 
 now. She thinks she s awful fierce sometimes, 
 but it sounds t me jes like th scoldings of a 
 sassy wren. It s music, that s what it is." 
 322 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I want to know when you and Sue are 
 going to be married," Newton asked again. 
 
 Lilt went to work again. 
 
 " Well we re ready any time. I ve made all 
 rangements fer th Jackson place, an Sue s 
 little fixin s are all done, but there hain t no 
 house on th farm an I hain t got no money t 
 build one. What s th use of havin a bird 
 less yeh ve got a cage t put her in. So we ve 
 bout decided we ll have t wait. I m goin t 
 stay with Ridgeby this year an try an raise a 
 crop, too. It s kind o disappointed us both, 
 but I guess it s th best way. I guess we can 
 wait." 
 
 A shadow passed over Lilt s face but it 
 passed in a moment. Newton chewed for a 
 while on the blade of grass he had pulled. He 
 seemed to be in a study. 
 
 " Lilt," he said, suddenly, looking up. " I 
 have decided to loan you the money to build you 
 a house." 
 
 Lilt s axe was high in the air. It dropped at 
 his feet. 
 
 " What s that? " he exclaimed. 
 323 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I have decided to lend you the money to 
 build you a house." 
 
 Lilt looked at him thunderstruck. 
 
 " You lend me th money t build a house," 
 he stammered. " D ye mean that ? " 
 
 " I do." 
 
 Lilt walked up to Newton and seized his 
 hand. 
 
 " Yeh re goin t lend me th money to build 
 
 a house. Why ." He hesitated. " Yeh 
 
 allus was a queer feller Newt. There was 
 never no tellin what yeh was goin t do next. 
 I can t understand this. Yeh know yeh never 
 let us think yeh was anything but " 
 
 " A tramp picked up in the road," Newton 
 finished. 
 
 " No, there didn t none of us think yeh wuz 
 a tramp. We all knowed better n that. Yeh 
 wuz above all of us, cept Sibley. There cudn t 
 nobody be bove her, less twas an angel." 
 
 " Well never mind what I am but I am going 
 to lend you the money to build you a house." 
 
 Lilt s voice was husky. 
 324 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I hain t never asked no questions," he said, 
 " An I hain t goin t ask none now. Don t 
 seem like yeh mean what yeh say, but I know 
 yeh do. I can t thank yeh much. It s kind o 
 upset me like." He stopped and looked at 
 Newton. " I know yeh don t want to be 
 thanked. I m goin t tell Sue." 
 
 He turned abruptly and stalked down 
 through the orchard. 
 
 Just then Sibley came out the door. She had 
 finished her morning s work and had dressed 
 for the day. She sat down beside him. She 
 looked up at him. Both smiled when their eyes 
 met. 
 
 Newton was sure that he had never seen 
 Sibley look prettier than she did just then. 
 There was a half blush on her face, a loving 
 light in her eyes. She looked at the ground as 
 though she was afraid to let her eyes meet his 
 again. 
 
 " Sibley," Newton said slowly, " I believe I 
 am strong enough to walk a little ways if I had 
 some one to help me." 
 
 325 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 Sibley flushed. She hesitated a moment. 
 
 " Come then/ she said, getting up. " I am 
 strong. I will help you." 
 
 They turned down the lane until they came 
 to the road. Indian summer had flung her 
 golden banners to the breeze The maple trees 
 had decked themselves in a wealth of gold and 
 crimson. The copse was glorious with colour. 
 The sun shone down lazily and the marsh mists 
 went up to meet it. A heaviness hung in the 
 air. A fairy influence seemed exerted to make 
 everything that had existence seem unreal. 
 The landscape had the appearance one would 
 expect to see through eyes lotus heavy. 
 
 They walked slowly. Newton was still very 
 weak and he leaned heavily upon Sibley s arm. 
 Neither spoke. They did not need to speak. 
 Each one felt the thoughts the other would like 
 to utter. There was a happiness in each heart 
 that found a better vent in silence than in 
 words. The charm of the day wrought its 
 subtle influence about them and distilled its 
 quiet happiness into their hearts. Each was in 
 a revery. 
 
 326 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 They were called out of it by the sounds of 
 horses feet coming up behind. They stepped 
 to the side of the road. A covered wagon 
 drove past. A swarthy, hard-faced man was 
 on the front seat. His cold eyes were 
 staring straight ahead of him. By his side 
 sat a woman with faded cheeks and pale, 
 washed-out eyes. But there was a softened 
 expression about the corners of her mouth 
 and she threw eager glances now and then at 
 her companion. She held a sleeping baby in 
 her arms. Newton recognised the driver. It 
 was Hi Simms. The wagon came to a stop. 
 Simms put his head out from the cover. 
 
 "Glad t see yeh gettin about," he said 
 gruffly. "Sorry yeh got hurt. Gee, up, Gee ! " 
 
 The wagon rumbled on. As it passed a friz 
 zled headed youngster put his head out of the 
 hole in the back of the cover. There was a 
 happy grin on his face. 
 
 " We re goin t Aunt Marcey s in Illinoy," 
 he shouted. The wagon soon disappeared up 
 the road. 
 
 Newton smiled. 
 
 327 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " I suppose that is Simms s way of telling me 
 that he has forgiven me for having whipped 
 him. I wonder what has changed him?" 
 
 " Perhaps, from the expression I saw on his 
 wife s face," Sibley answered slowly, " it was 
 love." 
 
 "Yes," Newton answered. "Perhaps it 
 was love." 
 
 They walked on a ways in silence. 
 
 " Sibley," Newton asked, after awhile, " Do 
 you remember a long time ago when we walked 
 along this road together. 
 
 Sibley bent her head. 
 
 " Yes," she answered, softly. " It seems 
 ages ago." 
 
 " Do you remember how dark the roadway 
 was that night ? " 
 
 " Yes, and so full of shadows." 
 
 " Are there any of the shadows left? " 
 
 Sibley s head bent further down as Newton 
 looked at her. They had just come to the top 
 of a little knoll. Before them the road pitched 
 down into a swale. Newton stopped. 
 
 328 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " Sibley," he said earnestly, " Look up at 
 me." 
 
 She raised her eyes, but they fell again. 
 
 " It was standing just here, Sibley/ Newton 
 whispered, " That once I wanted to tell you that 
 I loved you. I had not meant to say it, but it 
 rushed unbidden to my lips. I can yet hear 
 your cry ringing in my ears, Don t/ It 
 pierced me then to the quick. Its sound was 
 like a knell. Now I know why you said it. 
 We are in the same place, again, Love, in the 
 same place. Then it was night. Now it is 
 day. Then there were great black shadows 
 all about us. Now the sun is shining. Now, 
 if I wanted to tell you that I loved you would 
 you say Don t ? " 
 
 Sibley looked up at him. There were tears 
 glittering in her eyes. 
 
 " Would I say Don t/ she returned. " No. 
 Did I want to say it again I could not do it. 
 But, Oh, Newton, there is still one shadow 
 about us. Until yesterday it was not a shadow. 
 I stopped you before for a duty," she hesitated, 
 3 2 9 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 " only for a duty. I cared not for your 
 shadow. I did not know who I was myself. 
 I did not ask " 
 
 Newton stopped her. He turned his eyes up 
 the road. 
 
 " Wait Sibley," he said, quietly. " I know 
 what you would say. I will clear that shadow. 
 It should never have been a shadow at all. It 
 was but an idle whim. I scarcely know why I 
 pursued it." He stopped for a moment. 
 
 " Look up the road, Love," he said. " Where 
 does it come from. Look down it, where does 
 it end?" 
 
 Sibley shook her head. 
 
 " Away up that road, miles and miles from 
 here, at the very head of it stands my home. 
 It is a beautiful home. It has stood there for 
 two generations. Tall elm trees wave their 
 branches all about it. A great evergreen hedge 
 hides it from the road. The doves make their 
 nests about the eaves. The road climbs a hill a 
 little way in front of the house and disappears. 
 When I was a little fellow I used to wonder 
 330 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 where it went to. Almost the first thing I re 
 member is looking up that road and trying to 
 think what was on the other side of the hill. I 
 have sat for hours looking up its dusty length, 
 watching every turn and twist until it reached 
 the top. It always seemed to me that when it 
 reached the top it looked back at me before it 
 plunged down on the other side as though to 
 invite me go with it. I used to dream of that 
 road. I wondered if it did not lead to fairy 
 land. What was hidden away off there toward 
 the west? One day I escaped from my nurse 
 and got out into the road and followed it to the 
 top of the hill. To me then that point was the 
 end of the earth. What would I see when I came 
 to the top of the hill? Was my fairyland 
 there? Would I see castles and palaces and 
 gardens and all the shiny glories of elfland? 
 I remember yet how my heart beat as I panted 
 toward the top. When I reached it I scarcely 
 dared look ahead. I shut my eyes for a mo 
 ment, then opened them quickly. The road 
 wound its way down the hill, crossed a culvert, 
 331 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 climbed another hill, and disappeared again. 
 But the disappointment only added to the fas 
 cination of that mysterious road. Where did 
 it lead to ? Where did it end ? When I reached 
 manhood its fascination was as strong as in 
 boyhood. I had been to college, had followed 
 the roads that led to Rome, had explored all 
 the odd corners of the earth, but my old mys 
 tery was as great a mystery as ever. One day 
 I found myself alone at the old home. Father 
 and mother had gone down the road. They 
 could never come up it again. The thought 
 came to me, Did I go down the road, would I 
 ever come up it again ? I sat out under the 
 elm trees after the funeral. I had sent all the 
 relatives and friends away. I wanted to be 
 alone. I sat and looked down the road. 
 Stronger than ever the thought came to me, 
 stronger even than when I thought it must lead 
 to fairyland, Where does it lead to? Where 
 does it end ? The old impulse to follow it 
 came over me again, powerful, irresistible. I 
 went out the gate, locked it, and half mechani- 
 332 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 cally started up the hill. I followed it for days 
 and weeks, on, on, on, but it always climbed a 
 hill a little way ahead of me and disappeared. 
 I followed it past fields and factories where 
 men were working, past prisons where they 
 were suffering, past churches where they were 
 praying, past houses where they were dying. 
 That same inexplicable fascination led me on. 
 Where does it lead to? Where does it end? 
 Sometimes the sun shone on it. Again black 
 clouds lowered over it. Sometimes a gentle 
 rain fell upon it. Again the black dust blew up 
 from it in clouds. Sometimes I passed a wed 
 ding party upon it. Sometimes a funeral. I 
 followed it on and on until it has led me to, 
 
 . 5> 
 
 Newton stopped and looked down at Sibley. 
 He opened his arms. With a sigh Sibley felt 
 them closing about her. 
 
 " To Heaven." 
 
 A feathery cloud that had been sailing in the 
 azure above them passed over the face of the 
 sun. A shadow fell upon them. Sibley half 
 333 
 
The ROAD to RIDGEBY S 
 
 shuddered. Newton, looking away across the 
 fields, saw a man s head come in sight above a 
 swale. Though it was far away Newton knew 
 it was Abner Hawkins. In a moment he dis 
 appeared and the cloud sailing lazily on its way 
 passed from the sun and the light fell upon 
 them again. 
 
 THE END 
 
 334 
 
A New American Novel of the Civil War. 
 
 THE GRAPES OF WRATH, 
 
 A Tale of North and South. 
 
 BY MARY HARRIOTT NORRIS, 
 Author of The Gray House of the Quarries, etc. 
 
 1 2mo, cloth, decorative, with six full-page illustrations 
 
 by H. T. CARPENTER. $1.50 
 
 A really great American novel of the Civil War, which will appeal 
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 The title is, of course, suggested by Mrs. Howe s line, 
 
 " He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." 
 The story is developed from the fortunes, amid the vicissitudes of 
 war, of an old New Jersey family, one son of which had settled in 
 Virginia, becoming a general in Lee s army. There is little fight 
 ing and no cheap heroics in the book, but it gives a clearer picture 
 and a more intimate and impressive understanding of what the 
 great struggle really meant to Unionist and to Confederate alike 
 than many a military history. 
 
 MONONIA. A Love Story of 48, 
 
 BY JUSTIN MCCARTHY, M.P., 
 
 Author of A History of Our Own Times, Dear Lady Disdain, etc. 
 I2mo, green cloth and gold. $1.50 
 
 Mr. McCarthy has written several successful novels ; but none, 
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 It is pre-eminently an old-fashioned novel, befitting the times which 
 it describes, and written with the delicate touch of sentiment 
 characteristic of Mr. McCarthy s fiction. The book takes its 
 name from the heroine, a charming type of the gentle-born Irish 
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 Ireland s freedom, and the dire failures that culminated at Ballin- 
 gary are told in a manner which will give an intimate insight into 
 the history of the Young Ireland movement. If the book cannot 
 be considered autobiographical, the reader will not forget that the 
 author was contemporary with the events described, and will have 
 little difficulty in perceiving that many of the principal characters 
 are strongly suggestive of the Irish leaders of that day, which 
 gives the book scarcely less value than an avowed autobiography. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on receipt of price. 
 
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Two Notable Novels by Emma Rayner. 
 
 VISITING THE SIN 
 
 A Tale of Mountain Life in Kentucky and Tennessee. 
 
 I2mo, cloth, with cover designed by T. W. BALL. 448 pages. $1 .50 
 The struggle between the heroine s love and her determination to 
 visit the sin upon the son of the supposed murderer of her father 
 forms the basis of the story. All of the characters are vividly 
 drawn, and the action of the story is wonderfully dramatic and 
 lifelike. The period is about 1875. 
 
 " A powerful, well-sustained story, the interest in which does not flag from 
 the first chapter to the last." Philadelphia North American. 
 
 " Unusually powerful. The dramatic plot is intricate, but not obscure." The 
 Congregationalist. 
 
 " A graphic and readable piece of fiction, which will stand with the best of its 
 time concerning humble American characters." Providence Journal. 
 
 "Far ahead of most of these latter-day Southern novels." Southern Star. 
 " The people in the story are persistently real." Christian Advocate. 
 
 FREE TO SERVE 
 
 A Tale of Colonial New York. 
 
 I2mo, cloth, with a cover designed by MAXFIELD PARRISH. 
 
 434 pages. $1.50 
 
 " One of the very best stories of the Colonial period yet written." Philadel 
 phia Bulletin. 
 
 " We have here a thorough-going romance of American life in the first days of 
 the eighteenth century. It is a story written for the story s sake, and right 
 well written, too. Indians, Dutch, Frenchmen, Puritans, all play a part. The 
 scenes are vivid, the incidents novel and many." The Independent. 
 
 14 The writing is cleverly done, and the old-fashioned atmosphere of old Knick 
 erbocker days is reproduced with such a touch of verity as to seem an actual 
 chronicle recorded by one who lived in those days." Saturday Evening Post, 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 " The supreme test of a long book is the reading of it, and when one reaches 
 the end of Free to Serve, he acknowledges freely that it is the best book that 
 be has taken up for a long time." Boston Herald. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on receipt of price. 
 
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Two Remarkable Volumes of Stories. 
 
 ANTING - ANTING STORIES, 
 
 And Other Strange Tales of the Filipinos. 
 
 BY SARGENT KAYME. 
 
 With cover design by WILLIAM MATHER CROCKER. 
 I2mo., cloth. , $1.25 
 
 The sub-title to this volume gives a suggestion of the nature of 
 the stories of which it is composed, but no title can give an ade 
 quate idea of their wonderful variety and charm. It is hardly 
 exaggeration to say that Mr. Kayme s treatment of the life of 
 the Filipinos opens to our literature a new field, almost as fresh 
 and as original as did Mr. Kipling s Indian Stories when they 
 first appeared. Like Mr. Kipling, he shows his perfect familiarity 
 with the country and people he describes ; and he knows how to 
 tell a good story straight away and simply without any sacrifice 
 of dramatic effect or power. 
 
 The curious title to the volume furnishes the motive for some of 
 the most striking of the stories. A nting-A nting is a Filipino word, 
 used to denote anything worn as an amulet, with a supposed power 
 to protect the life of the wearer. Often a thing of no intrinsic value, 
 the belief in its efficacy is yet so real that its owner often braves 
 death with a confidence so sublime as to command admiration, if 
 not respect. 
 
 WHEN EVE WAS NOT CREATED, 
 
 And Other Stories. 
 
 BY HERVEY WHITE, author of Differences and Quicksand 
 1 2mo., cloth, with a cover design by MARION L. PEABODY. $1 .25 
 
 Remarkable stories of a type and style of subjective symbolism 
 altogether new to American literature. In the title story Svend, 
 as a type expressive of the suppression of the artistic sense in 
 love, where, the eye being satisfied with the object, the heart, the 
 soul, the mind of the man, yet goes hungry and unsatisfied, will fix 
 himself in the reader s mind as one of the strongest characters of 
 fiction. The other stories are scarcely less noteworthy, and the 
 book as a whole will add greatly to the author s already high 
 reputation as a writer. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on receipt of price. 
 
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A Remarkable Study of Social Life in America. 
 
 DIFFERENCES 
 
 BY HERVEY WHITE. 
 
 I2mo, cloth, decorative, 320 pages. $1.50 
 
 " It is treating the poor as a class and employing any method of 
 handling them that I object to. ... Why can t they be treated as 
 individuals, the same as other people? What would the rich think 
 of my impertinence if I went about the world treating them in a 
 peculiar manner, as if they were not real people, at all, but only 
 the rich, in my knowledge? " Hester Carr, in Differences. 
 
 " Differences is an extraordinary book. . . . The labor question is its primary 
 concern, and the caste barrier which modern conditions have erected be 
 tween the man who works and the man who merely lives. This is no new 
 theme, yet Differences is new, and its place in thoughtful literature 
 awaits it. The only argument presented by Mr. White is contained in the 
 picture he spreads before us. It is real, and set out with bold, firm strokes, 
 and there is no attempt to be merely artistic. Genevieve Radclilfe, the rich 
 society girl, who goes to work charity with the poor, and John Wade, the 
 workman, whose situation involves all the tragedy of metropolitan poverty, 
 are human, if they be not typical. They embody the differences, and, if 
 they do not point the way to equality, it is because American civilization 
 is not yet ripe for them. Withal, the book is not a tract. It is worth a 
 thousand such. Informed throughout with a tender simplicity, a sense 
 of the beauty of common things, and a sincerity that brooks no question, 
 it carries equal appeal to the student of economics and to the lover of 
 human feeling." Philadelphia, North American. 
 
 " There is no end of philosophy in books about the poor and how to reach 
 them and send rays of sunshine into their world; but few books get at the 
 real Differences that exist between the wealthy classes and the poor as 
 does Mr. Hervey White. . . . Difference* is vitally interesting, both as a story 
 and as a moral lesson. ... It is written with wholesome enthusiasm and an 
 intelligent survey of real facts." Boston Herald. 
 
 " The method employed by Mr. Hervey White in Differences is not like that 
 of any author I have ever read in the English language. It resembles strongly 
 the work of the best Russian novelists, it seems to me, and particularly that 
 of Dostoievsky, and yet it is in no sense an imitation of those writers : it is 
 apparently like thetn merely because the author s motives and ways of 
 thought and observation are like them. ... I have never before read any such 
 treatment in the English language of the life and thought of laboring people. " 
 Joseph Edgar Chamberlin, in Boston Transcript. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on receipt of price. 
 
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A Powerful Realistic Novel of American Life. 
 
 QUICKSAND 
 
 BY HERVEY WHITE. 
 
 I2mo, cloth, decorative, 328 pages. $1.50 
 
 Quicksand is a strong argument against a certain condition which 
 the author believes exists too generally in American society, and 
 is, in effect, an appeal for the freedom of the individual in family 
 life. It is a powerful tragedy, developing very naturally out of 
 the effects of the interference of parents in the lives of their chil 
 dren, and of brothers and sisters in the affairs of each other. It 
 becomes therefore, not only the story of an individual, but the 
 life history of an entire family, the members of which are portrayed 
 with astonishing vividness and realism. The hero of the book 
 also illustrates, in his sufferings and failures, the unfortunate 
 effects of a too narrow orthodoxy in religion, coupled with his 
 family s interference with his growth out of this environment. 
 Offsetting the tragedy of the story is * Hiram," the " hired man 
 of the family in its earlier New England days, in whom, par 
 ticularly, the reader s interest will centre. Patient, kindly, faithful, 
 and uncomplaining, he is indeed the real " hero " of the tale, the 
 only one free from the unfortunate environments of the other 
 characters, yet forced indirectly to suffer also because of them. 
 It is the every-day life of the every-day family that is drawn; and 
 this fact, together with the boldness and fidelity of the drawing, 
 gives the story its power and impressiveness. 
 
 " Hervey White is the most forceful writer who has appeared in America for 
 a long generation." Chicago Evening Post. 
 
 " We cannot remember another book in which lives, thoughts, emotions, souls, 
 and principles of action have been analyzed with such convincing power. Mr. 
 Hervey White has great literary skill. He has here made his mark, and he has 
 come to stay. . . . He is the American George Gissing, and as such some day 
 he will have to be taken into account." .Boston Herald. 
 
 "It should insure Mr. White a permanent place in the critical regard of his 
 fellow-countrymen. . . . Few characters as strong as that of Elizabeth Hinckley 
 have ever been drawn by an American author, and she will remain in the mind 
 of the most assiduous novel reader, secure of a place far above that held by 
 most of the puny creations of the day." Chicago Tribune. 
 
 It is wrought of enduring qualities. Few novels are so sustained on an ele 
 vated plane of interest." Philadelphia Item. 
 
 "It is a novel that takes hold of one, and is not the sort of book that, once 
 begun, can be laid down without being finished." Indianapolis News. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers on receipt of price. 
 
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ITS STORY 
 
 By MAX BENNETT THRASHER 
 
 With an Introduction by BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 
 
 I2mo, cloth, decorative, 248 pages, 50 Illustrations, $1.00 
 ^ ^ _ i^^__ 
 
 "THE TUSKEGEE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL 
 1 INSTITUTE, at Tuskegee, Alabama, is one of the most 
 uniquely interesting institutions in America. Begun, twenty years ago, 
 in two abandoned, tumble-down houses, with thirty untaught Negro 
 men and women for its first students, it has become one of the famous 
 schools of the country, with more than a thousand students each 
 year. Students and teachers are all of the Negro race. The Prin 
 cipal of the school, Mr. Booker T. Washington, is the best-known 
 man of his race in the world to-day. 
 
 In " Tuskegee : Its Story and its Work," the story of the school is 
 told in a very interesting way. The author has shown how Mr. Wash 
 ington s early life was a preparation for his work. He has given a 
 history of the Institute from its foundation, explained the practical 
 methods by which it gives industrial training, and then he has gone on 
 to show some of the results which the institution has accomplished. 
 The human element is carried through the whole so thoroughly that 
 one reads the book for entertainment as well as for instruction. 
 
 COMMENTS. 
 
 " All who are interested in the proper solution of the problem in the South should 
 feel deeply grateful to Mr. Thrasher for the task which he has undertaken and performed 
 so well. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON. 
 
 " Should be carefully and thoughtfully read bv every friend of the colored race in 
 the North as well as in the South." New York Times. 
 
 "The book is of the utmost value to all those who desire and hope for the develop 
 ment of the Negro race in America." Louisville Courier-Journal. 
 
 " Almost every question one could raise in regard to the school and its work, from 
 Who was Booker Washington? to What do people whose opinion is worth having think 
 of Tuskegee? is answered in this book." New Bedford Standard, 
 
 For sale at all Bookstores, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price, by 
 the publishers, 
 
 SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY, BOSTON,