INTRODUCTION. 33 
face the bank book, where on the right side of the 
page was a credit balance of $800. The debt was paid. 
The tiles were laid, or a lot of them were laid at any 
rate, the barns were built, the home was paid for 
“and there was actually money in the bank! The 
writer feels that there are many happy days ahead 
of him, but never again expects to experience the 
relief, the thankfulness, the joy that came to him 
when his first victory was won for Woodland Farm, 
and the brothers fully shared the feeling. 
The writer jumped into his old buggy and drove 
home, his face wreathed in smiles and his heart 
singing a-joyous song. As he neared his home the 
thought came: ‘‘Why, I will have some fun with 
the sweetheart. I will make believe the thing has 
ended badly. I will tell her some sort of story to 
deceive her, just at first; afterward I will undeceive 
her.’?’ But when he drew near the little cottage she 
stood there in the open door waiting for him to come, 
looking out at him, all unconscious, yet on her face 
was revealed all that the thing meant to her, and his 
heart became suddenly very tender and it came over 
him with a shock of understanding. ‘‘ Why, I never 
dreamed that the girl cared like this. Did she per- 
haps wonder whether the home would be sold, the 
place where she had planted flowers and vines, the 
place where her babies were born? Where she had 
been so brave, so strong, so patient and helpful all 
these years, and yet cared so much as this?’’ So 
all his foolish stories were put aside and he told her 
the glad truth. 
