1S5Q.'] Kate Oiihorne. 233 



The Col., always treating his hired men as members of his family, 

 showed him to a small but neat and comfortable room, back of the spare 

 bed-chamber; where depositing his stick and bundle, Quirk then, 

 accompanied by the Farmer, joined the hands in the field, and commenced 

 his work as j)er contract. 



The summer months passed quickly on. By his activity and superior 

 intelligence, which gradually developed itself to the common hands 

 around him, Dick Quirk had quietly taken the lead in all affairs of 

 the field; the hands willingly followed his cheerful steps, and really 

 loved him for his kind words, and mirth-moving quips and quirks. It 

 seemed, indeed, as he said, that ' when the jokes went round kinder 

 lively, the work went round kinder lively, tew.' And often, as farmer 

 Osborne, whom Quirk still called Colonel, was riding o'er the prairies, 

 hunting up and salting his stock, he would hear the ringing echo of a 

 hearty laugh resounding from some distant field, when a smile would 

 come like a sunbeam across his brown but manly face, and he would 

 mutter his thoughts aloud — ' There is that Dick at his quirks again— 

 that's all right— what a funny dog he is though— but he has° never 

 practised any ' bamboozlement ' on me since he sent me to drive that 

 • four-legged critter ' out of the wheat - patch ; ' what a yankee he is to 

 be sure ; to call a forty acre field, a 'patch ! " The Col. could never 

 forget that derogatory diminutive as applied to his premium wheat-field. 

 Xever before had the work of the farm gone on so entirely to Farmer 

 Osborne's satisfaction ; never before had his hands cultivated the corn 

 so thoroughly ; never had the hay been so well cured nor better stacked ; 

 never had the wheat been so nicely cut, and so handsomely housed,' 

 never had his stock looked so healthful and so slick; never had his 

 hands been so cheerful and contented. And when thinking over his 

 promising prospects, the Col. would mutter aloud, ' That Didc Quirk is 

 one of the best farmers I ever saw— always has a sensible reason for 

 everything he does ; sometimes from botany, sometimes from chemistry, 

 and other things, I don't know the names of; I think he must have been 

 a schoolmaster— that's all right— pity he talks with that confounded 

 yankee-brogue, though I think that's wearing off; I wish the poor fellow 

 had a farm of his own hereabouts— he would be a prize to our neigbor- 

 hood— zangs, Fve a notion to lend him the money to buy a thousand acres 

 or two.' And never had the farmer's home been more cheerful ; Kate's 

 housekeeping was matchless ; she did not ride on horseback so much— 

 ' 'twas so warm ; ' she did not go to the post-office so often— 'twas so far ; 

 her flower garden was never before so brilliantly beautiful— she had ' one 

 of the hired men ' to help her ; and never before had Kate been so happy, 



