"I suppose you have a headache; you deserve it," she said. "I"m tired and don"t want to hear your excuses now."
"I really haven"t begun to make excuses," Charnock answered.
"Then don"t begin. It"s late, and you have got to start for the bluff at sun-up and haul those fence-posts home. The job has been hanging on too long and must be finished to-morrow."
"It will be finished before dinner," Charnock replied. "As a matter of fact, I brought in most of the posts to-day."
Sadie"s look softened, but she did not mean to be gracious yet.
"I reckoned you"d be loafing round the house and finding fault," she said and left him.
When she had gone Charnock smiled. Sadie would, no doubt, come round to-morrow, and it was lucky she knew nothing about the cheque he had given Wilkinson; but he wondered where she had been. Now he came to think of it, Wilkinson had said nothing abut the cheque when they met at the railroad settlement; but after all there was perhaps no reason he should do so.
About seven o"clock one evening a fortnight later, Festing threw down the cant-pole he had been using to move a big birch log, and lighting his pipe, stopped and looked about. A shallow creek flowed through a ravine at the edge of the tall wheat, and below the spot where he stood its channel was spanned by the stringers of an unfinished bridge. The creek had shrunk to a thread of water, but Festing, who had been wading about its bed, was wet and splashed with mire. Moreover he had torn his threadbare overalls and his hot face was smeared where he had rubbed off the mosquitoes with dirty hands.
The evening was hot, he felt tired and moody, and his depression was not relieved when he glanced at the wheat. There was no wind now, but the breeze had been fresh, and the ears of grain that were beginning to emerge from their sheaths dropped in a sickly manner. The stalks had a ragged look and fine sand lay among the roots. The crop was damaged, particularly along its exposed edge, although it might recover if there was rain. Festing, studying the sky, saw no hope of this. The soft blue to the east and the luminous green it melted into, with the harsh red glare of the sinking sun, threatened dry and boisterous weather. Unless a change came soon, the wheat would be spoiled.
It was obvious that he had sown too large a crop, and the work this implied had overtaxed his strength. He had felt the strain for some time, and now things were going against him it got worse. Hope might have braced him, but the thought of failure was depressing. For all that, there were economies he must practise at the cost of extra labor, and bridging the creek would lessen the cost of transport and enable him to sell one of his teams. He was late for supper, but wanted to finish part of the work before he went home.
By and by he saw Helen stop at the edge of the ravine. Her face was hot, as if she had been walking fast, and she looked vexed.
"You have kept us waiting half an hour and don"t seem ready yet," she said.
"I"m not ready," Festing replied, and stopped abruptly. "Very sorry; I forgot all about it," he resumed.
Helen made a gesture of annoyance. She had invited some of their neighbors to supper and had spent the day preparing the feast. Things, however, had gone wrong; the stove had got too hot and spoiled her choicest dishes.
"You forgot!" she exclaimed. "It really isn"t often I trouble you with guests."
"That"s lucky, because I haven"t much time for entertaining people. I"m overworked just now."
Helen hesitated because she was afraid she might say too much. She admired his persevering industry, but had begun to feel that he was slipping away from her and devoting himself to his farm. Sometimes she indulged an angry jealousy, and then tried to persuade herself it was illogical.
"Then why give yourself another task by building the bridge?" she asked.
"I tried to explain that. I can get the thing done with less trouble when the creek is nearly dry, and if we had to use the ford when hauling out the grain, it would mean starting with a light load or keeping a team of horses there. When I"ve built the bridge and graded back the road we can take the full number of bags across, and that makes for economy. It looks as if I"ll have to be severely economical soon."
Helen colored. She thought he did not mean to vex her, but he had ventured on dangerous ground.
"You know that what is mine is yours," she said.
"In a way, it is, but I put all my capital into the stock and crop, and must try to get it back. I can"t ask my wife for money if I loaf about and lose my own."
"You don"t loaf," Helen rejoined. "But if you lose your crop from causes you can"t prevent happening, there is no reason you shouldn"t accept my help."
"I know you"re generous and would give me all you had but--"
Helen shook her head. "You don"t see the matter in the right way yet; but we"ll let it go. Get your jacket and come back at once."
"Must I come?" Festing asked irresolutely.
"Isn"t it obvious?"
"I don"t think so. Can"t you tell the folks I"d forgotten and started something I must finish?"
"I can"t," said Helen sharply. "It hurts to know you had forgotten. The farm is lonely and I haven"t many friends; but I can"t tell outsiders how little that matters to you."
"I"m sorry," Festing answered with some embarra.s.sment. "Still I think you"re exaggerating; n.o.body would look at it like that. Our neighbors know one has to stay with one"s work."
"Bob finds time to go about with his wife."
"He does," said Festing dryly. "Driving about is easier than farming, and Bob has no scruples about living on his wife"s money. I expect that was his object when he married her. There"s another thing I forgot; he"s coming to-night."
"He and Sadie have been at the house some time."
Festing made a sign of resignation. "I could stand the others better.
They know what we may have to face, but nothing bothers Bob, and it"s hard to play up to his confounded cheerfulness when you"re not in the mood. Then I suppose I"ve got to put on different clothes?"
Helen forced a smile. When they first came to the homestead, Stephen had changed his clothes for supper and afterwards devoted himself to her amus.e.m.e.nt, sometimes playing chess, and sometimes listening while she sang. Then, as the days got longer, he had gradually grown careless, contenting himself with changing his jacket and half an hour"s talk, until at length he sat down to the meal in dusty overalls and hurried off afterwards. Helen had tried to make excuses for him, but felt hurt all the same. Stephen was getting slovenly and neglecting her.
"It"s plain that you must take off those muddy overalls," she said.
They went back, and supper was delayed while Festing changed. He forced himself to be polite when he joined his guests, but it cost him something, and the dishes Helen had carefully prepared were spoiled.
On the whole, he felt grateful to Sadie and Bob, who kept the others in good-humor and relieved him from the necessity of leading the talk; but he was glad when they left.
When the rigs melted into the shadowy plain he stood on the veranda and yawned.
"Well," he remarked, "that"s over, and it will be some time before they need come back. I hope none of them will think they have to ask us out in return."
"You gave them a very plain hint," Helen said bitterly.
Festing did not answer and went into the house. He felt he had not been tactful, but he was very tired, and if he ventured an explanation might make things worse. Besides, he must get up at four o"clock next morning.
Helen sat still for some time, looking out on the prairie. She was beginning to feel daunted by its loneliness. Except for Sadie Charnock, visitors seldom came to the farm. Her neighbors lived at some distance, but she had hoped to plan a round of small reunions that would break the monotony. Stephen, however, had shown her that she could expect no help from him, and had actually forgotten her first party. She felt wounded; it was hard to think that so long as he had work to do she must resign herself to being left alone.
CHAPTER XVII
FESTING USES FORCE
A week or so after the supper party Festing started for the settlement with some pieces of a binder in his wagon. He had bought the machine second-hand, and meant to replace certain worn parts before harvest began, although he doubted if this was worth while. The drought was ripening the grain prematurely and some of it was spoiled, but he must try to save as much as possible. Reaching the edge of the wheat, he stopped the team irresolutely, half tempted to turn back, because it seemed unlikely that the old binder need be used.
The wind had fallen; the mosquitoes were about and bit his face and neck. Everything was strangely quiet, it was very hot, and ma.s.ses of leaden cloud darkened the horizon. Festing, however, had given up hoping for rain, which would not make much difference if it came now.
The front of the wide belt of grain was ragged and bitten into hollows by the driving sand. The torn stalks drooped and slanted away from the wind, while others that had fallen lay about their roots. Farther in, the damage was less, but the ears were half-filled and shriveled. The field was parti-colored, for the dull, dark green had changed to a dingy, sapless hue, and the riper patches had a sickly yellow tinge instead of a coppery gleam.
Festing"s face hardened. If he thrashed out half the number of bushels he had expected, he would be lucky. He had staked all he had on the chances of the weather and had lost. It was his first failure and came as a rude shock to his self-confidence. He felt shaken and disgusted with himself, for it looked as if he had been a rash fool. Still, if rain came now, he might save enough to obviate the necessity of using Helen"s money. She would give him all he asked for, but this was a matter about which he felt strongly, and she knew his point of view.