She thought with pity of her sisters, mill-hands in West Adams still, or married to mill-hands, men who got drunk on the sly and didn’t work regular, and wanted a full half of all they made for themselves.  ’Gene and his mother were always scolding about the money they could have had if they’d kept that wood-land on the mountain.  They’d ought to ha’ been really poor the way she had been, so’s you didn’t know where the next meal was coming from, or how the rent was going to be paid.  She had been awfully lucky to get ’Gene, who let her decide how much money ought to be spent on the children’s clothes and hers, and never said a thing, or scolded or bothered.  He was kind of funny, ’Gene was, always so sober and solemn, and it was a sort of bother to have him so crazy about her still.  That had been all right when they were engaged, and first married.  She had liked it all right then, although it always seemed sort of foolish to her.  But men were that way!  Only now, when there were three children and another one coming, and the house to be kept nice, and the work done up right, and the farmwork and everything going so good, and so much on her mind, why, it seemed as though they’d ought to have other things to think about beside kissings and huggings.  Not that ’Gene didn’t do his share of the work.  He was a fine farmer, as good as anybody in the valley.  But he never could settle down, and be comfortable and quiet with her, like it was natural for old married folks to do.  If she went by him, close, so her arm touched him, why then, if nobody was there he’d grab at her and kiss her and rumple her hair, and set her all back in her work.  With all she had to do and think of, and she did her work as good as anybody if she did say it who shouldn’t, she had her day planned before she turned her feet out of bed in the morning.  And she liked to have things go the way she planned them.  She liked ’Gene all right, only she had her work to get done.

She churned meditatively, looking off towards the mountain where the Eagle Rocks heaved themselves up stiff and straight and high.  ’Gene’s mother came to the door, asked if the butter was coming all right, looked at her, and said, “My!  Nelly, you get better looking every day you live,” and went back to her bread-baking.

Nelly went on with her reflections about ’Gene.  It was more than just that he bothered her and put her back with her work.  She really didn’t think it was just exactly nice and refined to be so crazy about anybody as that.  Well, there was a streak in the Powerses that wasn’t refined.  ’Gene’s mother! gracious!  When she got going, laughing and carrying-on, what wouldn’t she say, right out before anybody!  And dancing still like a young girl!  And that hateful old Mrs. Hewitt, just after they’d moved back to Ashley, didn’t she have to go and tell her about ’Gene’s being born too soon after his father and mother were married?  ’Gene took