Confronted with Kate and her ultimatum, George arose and walked down to the road; he began pacing back and forth in the moonlight, struggling to regain command of himself.  He had no money.  He had no prospect of any until Aunt Ollie died and left him her farm.  He was, as he expressed it, “up against it” there.  Now he was “up against it” with Kate.  What she decided upon and proposed to do was all he could do.  She might shave prices, and cut, and skimp, and haggle to buy material, and put up her building at the least possible expense.  She might sit over books and figure herself blind.  He would be driving over the country, visiting with the farmers, booming himself for a fat county office maybe, eating big dinners, and being a jolly good fellow generally.  Naturally as breathing, there came to him a scheme whereby he could buy at the very lowest figure he could extract; then he would raise the price to Kate enough to make him a comfortable income besides his share of the business.  He had not walked the road long until his anger was all gone.

He began planning the kind of horse he would have to drive, the buggy he would want, and a box in it to carry a hatchet, a square, measures, an auger, other tools he would need, and by Jove! it would be a dandy idea to carry a bottle of the real thing.  Many a farmer, for a good cigar and a few swallows of the right thing, would warm up and sign such a contract as could be got in no other manner; while he would need it on cold days himself.  George stopped in the moonlight to slap his leg and laugh over the happy thought.  “By George, Georgie, my boy,” he said, “most days will be cold, won’t they?”

He had no word to say to Kate of his change of feeling in the matter.  He did not want to miss the chance of twitting her at every opportunity he could invent with having thrown away half her inheritance; but he was glad the whole thing was settled so quickly and easily.  He was now busy planning how he would spend the money Kate agreed to pay him for the ravine; but that was another rosy cloud she soon changed in colour, for she told him if he was going to be a partner he could put in what money he had, as his time was no more valuable than she could make hers teaching school again —­ in other words, he could buy his horse and buggy with the price she paid for the location, so he was forced to agree.  He was forced to do a great many things in the following months that he hated; but he had to do them or be left out of the proposition altogether.

Mrs. Bates and Adam administered the Bates estate promptly and efficiently.  The girls had their money on time, the boys adjusted themselves as their circumstances admitted.  Mrs. Bates had to make so many trips to town, before the last paper was signed, and the last transfer was made, that she felt she could not go any farther, so she did not.  Nancy Ellen had reached the point where she would stop and talk a few minutes to Kate, if she met her on the