1 84 WHEAT AND WOMAN 



a cheque for the week's work in the morning, but 

 remembering that he was very poor and would 

 probably walk to South Qu'Appelle, I collected all 

 my small change and borrowed a little more from 

 Roddy McMahon to make up a dollar in cash, in 

 case he wanted to buy anything on the road, and I 

 asked Roddy McMahon to take it out for me. 



" Best stay another week anyway, Pat," I heard 

 him say. " It will be another five dollars for you, 

 and I guess it will be more. She's that stuck on her 

 flower garden." 



" It's not you nor her that should be advisin' me 

 about five dollars, Roddy. I'm thinking I've more 

 in the pocket of my old coat than you've ever seen, 

 and more than she'll make on her farm for many a 

 day." 



Roddy McMahon returned in the most subdued 

 frame of mind I have ever seen him in. "I knew 

 there was something wrong," said he, " when a chap 

 like that feeds on a five-cent bag of biscuit and looks 

 to put in the night in an old barn with the horses. 

 He dragged out his roll of dollar bills right there. 

 * Roddy,' he says, ' I ain't much good at 'rithmetic, 

 just see if it counts out all right. Should be a 

 thousand dollars.' And every dollar of it was in the 

 roll all right." 



" But why did he come and work ? " I asked. 

 " After all, he has worked splendidly." 



" Yes ; and I guess he would have stuck to the 

 job if it wasn't for something you said." 



" Something I said ! What can you mean ? " I 

 asked. 



" You mind that day you was having dinner with 

 us and telling us about Old Country ways you said. 



