1 8 WHEAT AND WOMAN 



we hadn't finished before his own oats were down. 

 " I would come to-morrow," he said, " because, 

 there is no mistake about it, your wheat is ahead of 

 you, especially on the high ground. But I'm in the 

 same place with my oats, which are shelling almost 

 as freely. However, I expect we shall both be 

 through by Saturday." And we should have been 

 only there came a violent storm. 



My predecessor departed in the morning with 

 his first instalment of a thousand dollars, which I 

 felt quite sure he received with much surprise and 

 some regret. " I don't want to worry you," he 

 said at parting, " but I shall be glad when you can 

 let me have the money for the stock and the cord- 

 wood. 'Tisn't much, but I've bought a house and 

 two lots down at the Fort, and a thousand dollars 

 won't go far." 



It was a matter of about a hundred and fifty 

 dollars, and it included two milch cows and two 

 bull calves at ninety dollars, a sow at ten dollars, 

 and nine pigs at two and a half dollars each. Besides 

 these, there was quite a good stock of fuel of the 

 dimensions known as cord-wood, a kitchen table, a 

 heater and its attendant drum. I undertook to pay 

 the amount within a few days. 



" And you should have bought my son's team," 

 he added ; " they would have done you well, 

 knowing the place and the work. That second team 

 of yours is too light for the others." 



" You should have sold me a mare," I answered ; 

 " if you couldn't part with even one brood mare, I 

 don't see why I should buy your son's elderly 

 geldings." But events proved that it would have 

 been a wiser deal. 



