SEED— PASSING OF A PRAIRIE FIRE 375 



burned off the stubble of the preceding year's 

 breaking crop and sowed that. Wheat-seeding was 

 then finished. Afterwards we ploughed eighteen 

 acres of stubble belonging to the summer-fallow 

 crop of the preceding year, and sowed oats. Rain 

 arrived to delay the barley-seeding, and it was not 

 in the land until June 15, which, in spite of all 

 proverbs, is fully ten days too late unless one is 

 prepared for a very grave risk of frozen grain. 



In the last week of April, on a day of snow and 

 wind and my birthday, Nancy brought me the 

 dearest of gifts in the form of a second colt, whom I 

 named Jupiter, because in spite of all orthodox 

 arrangements for his paternity he had selected his 

 sire by some means or another, and it always 

 remained a mystery. He was a beautiful bay colt, 

 and took two first prizes on his only appearance in 

 the show-ring. Felicity nearly lost her self-pos- 

 session between delight and jealousy at his coming. 

 When I half dragged, half carried him into the 

 stable from the huge snow-covered straw-pile where 

 he had come into the world, she came too, and when 

 shut out from the place which sheltered mother and 

 son she returned at regular intervals to kick in 

 impatient and jealous anger at their door. All 

 through the summer she insisted on sharing the 

 milk, and one had to be always most tactful about 

 giving her the largest and first share of attention. 

 But left alone they were devoted friends, and 

 Jupiter grew up with all the dear ways of Ricky 

 and a quite unaccountable likeness to him, and 

 every beast of every species seemed to find in him a 

 prince of playmates. 



The three steers and Julia had thriven well 



