THE FULL CORN 393 



for others and blocked his own passage in 191 1. It is 

 a concession that should not be required of any 

 neighbour after the first week in October. The 

 point is to hustle round and make your threshing 

 arrangements the moment the binder comes in from 

 the harvest-field. 



In some way or another I had offended my stooker, 

 or he visited the gangs stationed round about us, 

 and began to regret the fact that he had asked to 

 stay on with me at a dollar a day when other men 

 were earning two dollars and two-fifty a day on the 

 outfits. None was more staggered than I at his 

 suggestion to remain on after stooking. He told 

 me that my cooking suited him, but that was in the 

 month of custard and stewed plums; when we 

 came down to solid joints a change came over the 

 spirit of his dream, and he didn't hesitate to abuse 

 even as he had praised ; but he was backsetting 

 the hill field, which is the most difficult piece of 

 ploughing on the farm, and every furrow was 

 perfectly turned and not a horse turned a hair or 

 ever looked tired. 



One Sunday afternoon I was digging potatoes 

 in preparation for my visitors and he came 

 across. 



" If my work ain't suiting you any longer, why, 

 hand out the dollars." 



" It suits me perfectly," I answered. " I haven't 

 the smallest intention of breaking our two months' 

 contract." 



The threshers came in that week and he worked 

 well enough, but evidently society was distracting 

 and not exactly elevating. He forsook the armour 

 of silence and I paid him oif, leaving the hill field 



