Debts of Honor. 25 



a-wooing, as young men will the wide world over — and find- 

 ing the dove he thoujrht best suited to his nature, he cooed, 

 and the dove cooed back — as doves will the wide world 

 over — and so both settled undor one roof tree. It was 

 something of a responsibility that young man took upon 

 himself when he deliberately set about drawing a young 

 girl from out a path. She walked contentedly in until 

 he taught her differently, teaching her to keep step to step 

 with him for all time to come. But the first winter passed 

 like a slant of sunshine, and spring oame and the plow 

 was asked to run its furrow; and the days were asked to 

 hold more than they could hold, and so ran over into other 

 days; and after the plowing came the planting, and be- 

 tween times, for catch- up- work, the vegitable garden. 

 " John you'll not forget the poesy bed, Annie said leaning 

 from the window to watch the beet beds nearing the well 

 curb, and John looking at the picture his dove made framed 

 in sunshine, said : " You can't eat poesies, Annie." 



But he made the bed for her, and though it was much too 

 small for all the seeds Annie had in waiting, and small 

 indeed compared to the beet and turnip beds, Annie made 

 the best of it, and laughed as she said excusingly, " John's 

 so fond of his vegetables." The next year Annie called again 

 from over the garden beds: "John, you'll remember and 

 give me a flower bed?" And John answered: '"Yes, it 

 you'll give it back in time for a second sowing of turnips." 

 But Annie knew her husband too well to take this, save in 

 jest. But as she saw how very small the bed reserved for 

 her use was — smaller than last year — and so narrow, 

 showing where the spade had cut down on each side of it 

 to make more room for the turnips and beets, it some how 

 made her think of a grave, but as she murmured again, 

 " John's so fond of his vegetables,' she called a smile to 

 her lips, and made it stay there ever after her eyes grew 

 sad. Again spring came, and this time Annie did not call 

 to John, but, in a further room she hummed a tune, and as 

 she touched the cradle thought: " John'll not forget the 

 flower bed, seeing I've always had it." But upon going to 

 the window later, she found that John had forgottou, the 



