2i8 WHEAT AND WOMAN 



possible occasion when storm has dispersed th^m, 

 since in spite of the special care provided in its 

 natural envelope the grain will soften even if it 

 doesn't discolour or burst into growth. For two 

 days I restooked rather grimly, passing from row 

 to row without daring to look more than twice 

 a day at all the rows behind. I finished at four 

 o'clock on Saturday, and went into the cottage and 

 flopped upon my bed and remained there some 

 hours over Sabbath sunrise, so the cows must have 

 had another night off. 



Nature grew tired of her vagaries, and the avenging 

 brightness of the fall set in. The Qu'Appelle 

 valley lay like an irregular trail of blazing gold 

 beneath the Indian Summer sun, and on either side 

 the grey-green, sun-tanned tint of the prairie 

 seemed to gaze with a little weariness, and just a 

 little wistfully at colour. Colour that had but to 

 come and lay in laziest loveliness by the lake-side 

 watching the sky to draw throbs of worship from 

 those who passed through the valley. Colour 

 that had done nothing, whilst the prairie-land 

 which had thought, and energised, and brought 

 forth richest offerings for man, and had grown 

 weary sharing the burden of toil seemed to become 

 a little more faded, and was almost disregarded — 

 except in its special gift patches of amber stooks — 

 because Beauty chose to save her supreme gift for 

 the hills and coulees of the lake-side. Colour, 

 " the soul's bridegroom," was in the happy valley 

 drawing all that was glad, and sad, and best worth 

 having from the soul of man ! And in the Indian 

 Summer even the monster wind goes off for a holiday, 

 or goes to sleep, so there is none to whisper to the 



