OF AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT 5 



year, he built neat, sound, and strong to face the 

 fury of the prairie winds. 



" That's Johnnie all right," said the old man, 

 " and I guess them others is the men Dick McGusty 

 has hired on to stook. Now you get along and tell 

 Rolan' Dennison to come on in here with his binder 

 as soon as he's got his own wheat down, and I guess 

 we'll get it all down inside next week." He went 

 off to meet the little party with a reassuring air 

 about the shoulders — a Canadian never gives away 

 the negative side of a situation, but hope and confi- 

 dence may sit astride and stalk abroad. 



" He may continue his guessin'," said my brother 

 scornfully. " I should like to catch myself asking 

 favours of a stranger — and an Englishman too ! He 

 has been over here four years. Drives a fine team. 

 But I expect he has just got them on time like 

 everybody else." 



I recognized the driver of the wagon as my pre- 

 decessor's son from a picture in the parlour, and the 

 man at his side as being the butcher's assistant at 

 Fort Qu'Appelle. The third gentleman — a veritable 

 son of Anak — towered over them both in height, 

 in breadth, in depth. 



Dick McGusty had sent the butcher's assistant 

 on approval. The terms were to be a dollar and a 

 half a day and his board. The " son of Anak " was 

 an old hand ; he had left him to make his own terms. 



I thought six shillings and threepence a day with 

 board too much for the outdoor labour of an 

 amateur, and said so. 



" You had better be careful," warned my brother 

 Lai, drawing me aside. " Farmers pay the most help- 

 less greenhorns any money at harvest-time. Any fool 



