Produced by David Widger ELDER CONKLIN By Frank Harris As soon as the Elder left the supper-table his daughter and the new schoolmaster went out on the stoop or verandah which ran round the frame-house. The day had been warm, but the chilliness of the evening air betokened the near approach of the Indian summer. The house stood upon the crest of what had been a roll in the prairie, and as the two leant together on the railing of the stoop, they looked out over a small orchard of peach-trees to where, a couple of hundred yards away, at the foot of the bluff, Cottonwood Creek ran, fringed on either bank by the trees which had suggested its name. On the horizon to their right, away beyond the spears of yellow maize, the sun was sinking, a ball of orange fire against the rose mist of the sky. When the girl turned towards him, perhaps to avoid the level rays, Bancroft expressed the hope that she would go with him to the house-warming. A little stiffly Miss Conklin replied that she'd be pleased, but-- âWhat have I done, Miss Loo, to offend you?â the young man spoke deprecatingly. âNothin', I guess,â she answered, with assumed indifference. âWhen I first came you were so kind and helped me in everything. Now for the last two or three days you seem cold and sarcastic, as if you were angry with me. I'd be sorry if that were so--very sorry.â âWhy did you ask Jessie Stevens to go with you to the house-warmin'?â was the girl's retort. âI certainly didn't ask her,â he replied hotly. âYou must know I didn't.â âThen Seth lied!â exclaimed Miss Conklin. âBut I guess he'll not try that again with me--Seth Stevens I mean. He wanted me to go with him to-night, and I didn't give him the mitten, as I should if I'd thought you were goin' to ask me.â âWhat does 'giving the mitten' mean?â he questioned, with a puzzled air. âWhy, jest the plainest kind of refusal, I guess; but I only told him I was afraid I'd have to go with you, seein' you were a stranger. 'Afraid,'â she repeated, as if the word stung her. âBut he'll lose nothin' by waitin', nothin'. You hear me talk.â And her eyes flashed. As she drew herself up in indignation, Bancroft thought he had never seen any one so lovely. âA perfect Hebe,â he said to himself, and started as if he had said the words aloud. The comparison was apt. Though Miss Loo Conklin was only seventeen, her figure had all the ripeness of womanhood, and her height--a couple of inches above the average--helped to make her look older than she was. Her face was more than pretty; it was, in fact, as beautiful as youth, good features, and healthy colouring could make it. A knotted mass of chestnut hair set off the shapely head: the large blue eyes were deepened by dark lashes. The underlip, however, was a little full, and the oval of the face through short curve of jaw a trifle too round. Her companion tried in vain to control the admiration of his gaze. Unelated by what she felt to be merely her due, Miss Conklin was silent for a time. At length she observed: âI guess I'll have to go and fix up.â Just then the Elder appeared on the stoop. âEf you're goin',â he said in the air, as his daughter swept past him into the house, âyou'd better hitch Jack up to the light buggy.â âThank you,â said the schoolmaster; and for the sake of saying something, he added, âWhat a fine view.â The Elder paused but did not answer; he saw nothing remarkable in the landscape except the Indian corn and the fruit, and the words âfine viewâ conveyed no definite meaning to him; he went on towards the stables. The taciturnity of the Elder annoyed Bancroft excessively. He had now passed a couple of weeks as a boarder with the Conklins, and the Elder's unconscious rudeness was only one of many peculiarities that had brought him to regard these Western folk as belonging almost to a distinct species. George Bancroft was an ordinary middle-class Bostonian. He had gone through the University course with rather more than average success, and had the cant of unbounded intellectual sympathies. His self-esteem, however, was not based chiefly on his intelligence, but on the ease with which he reached a conventional standard of conduct. Not a little of his character showed itself in his appearance. In figure he was about the middle height, and strongly though sparely built. The head was well-proportioned; the face a lean oval; the complexion sallow; the hair and small moustache very dark; the brown eyes inexpressive and close-set, revealing a tendency to suspiciousness--Bancroft prided himself on his prudence. A certain smartness of dress and a conscious carriage discovered a vanity which, in an older man, would have been fatuous. A large or a sensitive nature would in youth, at least, have sought unconsciously to bring itself into sympathy with strange surroundings, but Bancroft looked upon those who differed from him in manners or conduct as inferior, and this presumption in regard to the Conklins was strengthened by his superiority in book-learning, the importance of which he had been trained to over-estimate. During their drive Miss Conklin made her companion talk of Eastern life; she wanted to know what Chicago was like, and what people did in New York. Stirred by her eager curiosity, Bancroft sketched both cities in hasty outline, and proceeded to tell what he had read and heard of Paris, and Rome, and London. But evidently the girl was not interested by his praise of the art-life of European capitals or their historical associations; she cut short his disquisition: âSee here! When I first seed you an' knew you was raised in Boston, an' had lived in New York, I jest thought you no account for comin' to this jumpin'-off place. Why did you come to Kansas, anyway, and what did you reckon upon doin'? I guess you ain't goin' to teach school always.â The young man flushed under the frankness of the girl's gaze and question, and what appeared like contempt in her opinion of him. Again he became painfully conscious that there was a wide social difference between Miss Conklin and himself. He had been accustomed to more reticence, and such direct questioning seemed impertinent. But he was so completely under the spell of her beauty, that he answered with scarcely visible hesitation: âI came out here because I wanted to study law, and wasn't rich enough to do it in the East. This school was the first position offered to me. I had to take it, but I intend, after a term or two, to find a place in a lawyer's office in some town, and get admitted to practice. If I'd had fifteen hundred dollars I could have done that in Boston or New York, but I suppose it will all come right in time.â âIf I'd been you I'd have stayed in New York,â and then, clasping her hands on her knee, and looking intently before her, she added, âWhen I get to New York--an' that won't be long--I'll stay there, you bet! I guess New York's good enough for me. There's style there,â and she nodded her head decisively as she spoke. Miss Loo and Bancroft were among the latest arrivals at the Morrises'. She stood beside him while he hitched Jack to a post of the fence amidst a crowd of other horses, and they entered the house together. In due form she presented the schoolmaster to Mr. and Mrs. Morris, and smilingly produced three linen tablecloths as her contribution to the warming. After accepting the present with profuse thanks and unmeasured praise of it and of the giver, Mrs. Morris conducted the newcomers across the passage into the best sitting-room, which the young folk had already appropriated, leaving the second-best room to their elders. In the small square apartment were some twenty boys and girls, ranging between sixteen and twenty-two years of age. The boys stood about at one end of the room, while the girls sat at the other end chattering and enjoying themselves. Bancroft did not go among those of his own sex, none of whom he knew, and whom he set down as mere uncouth lads. He found it more amusing to stand near the girls and talk with them. By so doing he unconsciously offended the young men. Presently a tall youth came towards them: âI guess we'd better play somethin'?â âForfeits! Mr. Stevens,â was a girl's quick reply, and it was arranged to play forfeits in a queer educational fashion. First of all Mr. Stevens left the room, presumably to think. When he came in again he went over to Miss Conklin and asked her to spell âforgive.â After a moment's pause she spelt it correctly. He retired slowly, and on his return stopped again in front of Miss Conklin with the word âreconciliation.â She withstood the test triumphantly. Annoyed apparently with the pains she took, Mr. Stevens, on his next entrance, turned to a pretty, quiet girl named Miss Black, and gave her âstranger,â with a glance at Bancroft, which spread a laugh among the boys. Miss Black began with âstrai,â and was not allowed to go on, for Mr. Stevens at once offered his arm, and led her into the passage. âWhat takes place outside?â asked Bancroft confidentially of the girl sitting nearest to him, who happened to be Miss Jessie Stevens. She replied with surprise: âI guess they kiss each other!â âAh!--Now I understand,â he said to himself, and from that moment followed the proceedings with more interest. He soon found that successive pairs called each other out in turn, and he had begun to tire of the game, when Miss Jessie Stevens stopped before him and pertly gave the word âfriendship.â Of course he spelt it wrongly, and accompanied her outside the door. As he kissed her cheek, she drew away her head quickly: âI only called you out to give you a chance of kissin' Loo Conklin.â He thought it wiser not to reply to this, and contented himself with thanking her as they entered the room. He paused before Miss Conklin, and gave her âbumpkin,â adding, by way of explanation, âa rude country fellow.â She spelt it cheerfully, without the âp.â When the mistake was made plain to her, which took some little time, she accepted his arm, and went with him into the passage. He kissed her more than once, murmuring, âAt last, Miss Loo!â She replied seriously: âSee here! You're goin' to get into a fuss with Seth Stevens if you call me out often. And he's the strongest of them all. You ain't afraid? O.K. then. I guess we'll pay him out for lyin'.â On returning to the room, Bancroft became conscious of a thinly veiled antagonism on the part of the young men. But he had hardly time to notice it, when Miss Loo came in and said to him demurely, âLoo.â He spelt âYou.â Much laughter from the girls greeted the simple pleasantry. So the game, punctuated by kisses, went on, until Miss Loo came in for the fourth time, and stopped again before Bancroft, whereupon Seth Stevens pushed through the crowd of young men, and said: âMiss Loo Conklin! You know the rule is to change after three times.â At once she moved in front of the stout youth, Richards, who had come forward to support his friend, and said âliar!â flashing at the same time an angry glance at Stevens. âLire,â spelt Richards painfully, and the pair withdrew. Bancroft went over to the men's corner; the critical moment had come; he measured his rival with a glance. Stevens was tall, fully six feet in height, and though rather lank, had the bow legs and round shoulders which often go with strength. As he took up his new position, Stevens remarked to a companion, in a contemptuous drawl: âSchoolmasters kin talk an' teach, but kin they fight?â Bancroft took it upon himself to answer, âSometimes.â âKin you?â asked Stevens sharply, turning to him. âWell enough.â âWe kin try that to-morrow. I'll he in the lot behind Richards' mill at four o'clock.â âI'll be there,â replied the schoolmaster, making his way again towards the group of girls. Nothing further happened until the old folk came in, and the party broke up. Driving homewards with Miss Conklin, Bancroft began: âHow can I thank you enough for being so kind to me? You called me out often, almost as often as I called you.â âI did that to rile Seth Stevens.â âAnd not at all to please me?â âPerhaps a little,â she said, and silence fell upon them. His caution led him to restrain himself. He was disturbed by vague doubts, and felt the importance of a decisive word. Presently Miss Conklin spoke, in a lower voice than usual, but with an accent of coquettish triumph in the question: âSo you like me after all? Like me really?â âDo you doubt it?â His accent was reproachful. âBut why do you say 'after all'?â âYou never kissed me comin' back from church last Sunday, and I showed you the school and everythin'!â âMight I have kissed you then? I was afraid of offending you.â âOffendin' me? Well, I guess not! Every girl expects to be kissed when she goes out with a man.â âLet's make up for it now, Loo. May I call you Loo?â While speaking he slipped his arm round her waist, and kissed her again and again. âThat's my name. But there! I guess you've made up enough already.â And Miss Conklin disengaged herself. On reaching the house, however, she offered her lips before getting out of the buggy. When alone in his bedroom, Bancroft sat and thought. The events of the evening had been annoying. Miss Loo's conduct had displeased him; he did not like familiarity. He would not acknowledge to himself that he was jealous. The persistent way Stevens had tried to puzzle her had disgusted him--that was all. It was sufficiently plain that in the past she had encouraged Stevens. Her freedom and boldness grated upon his nerves. He condemned her with a sense of outraged delicacy. Girls ought not to make advances; she had no business to ask him whether he liked her; she should have waited for him to speak plainly. He only required what was right. Yet the consciousness that she loved him flattered his vanity and made him more tolerant; he resolved to follow her lead or to improve upon it. Why shouldn't he? She had said âevery girl expects to be kissed.â And if she wanted to be kissed, it was the least he could do to humour her. All the while, at the bottom of his heart there was bitterness. He would have given much to believe that an exquisite soul animated that lovely face. Perhaps she was better than she seemed. He tried to smother his distrust of her, till it was rendered more acute by another reflection--she had got him into the quarrel with Seth Stevens. He did not trouble much about it. He was confident enough of his strength and the advantages of his boyish training in the gymnasium to regard the trial with equanimity. Still, the girls he had known in the East would never have set two men to fight, never--it was not womanly. Good girls were by nature peacemakers. There must be something in Loo, he argued, almost--vulgar, and he shrank from the word. To lessen the sting of his disappointment, he pictured her to himself and strove to forget her faults. On the following morning he went to his school very early. The girls were not as obtrusive as they had been. Miss Jessie Stevens did not bother him by coming up every five minutes to see what he thought of her dictation, as she had been wont to do. He was rather glad of this; it saved him importunate glances and words, and the propinquity of girlish forms, which had been more trying still. But what was the cause of the change? It was evident that the girls regarded him as belonging to Miss Conklin. He disliked the assumption; his caution took alarm; he would be more careful in future. The forenoon melted into afternoon quietly, though there were traces on Jake Conklin's bench of unusual agitation and excitement. To these signs the schoolmaster paid small heed at the moment. He was absorbed in thinking of the evening before, and in trying to appraise each of Loo's words and looks. At last the time came for breaking up. When he went outside to get into the buggy--he had brought Jack with him--he noticed, without paying much attention to it, that Jake Conklin was not there to unhitch the strap and in various other ways to give proof of a desire to ride with him. He set off for Richards' mill, whither, needless to say, Jake and half-a-dozen other urchins had preceded him as fast as their legs could carry them. As soon as he was by himself the schoolmaster recognized that the affair was known to his scholars, and the knowledge nettled him. His anger fastened upon Loo. It was all her fault; her determination to âpay Stevens outâ had occasioned the quarrel. Well, he would fight and win, and then have done with the girl whose lips had doubtless been given to Stevens as often and as readily as to himself. The thought put him in a rage, while the idea of meeting Stevens on an equality humiliated him--strife with such a boor was in itself a degradation. And Loo had brought it about. He could never forgive her. The whole affair was disgraceful, and her words, âEvery girl expects to be kissed when she goes out with a man,â were vulgar and coarse! With which conclusion in his mind he turned to the right round the section-line, and saw the mill before him. After the return from the house-warming, and the understanding, as she considered it, with Bancroft, Miss Loo gave herself up to her new-born happiness. As she lay in bed her first thought was of her lover: he was âsplendid,â whereby she meant pleasant and attractive. She wondered remorsefully how she had taken him to be quite âhomely-lookingâ when she first saw him. Why, he was altogether above any one she knew--not perhaps jest in looks, but in knowledge and in manners--he didn't stand in the corner of the room like the rest and stare till all the girls became uncomfortable. What did looks matter after all? Besides, he wasn't homely, he was handsome; so he was. His eyes were lovely--she had always liked dark eyes best--and his moustache was dark, too, and she liked that. To be sure it wasn't very long yet, or thick, but it would grow; and here she sighed with content. Most girls in her place would be sorry he wasn't taller, but she didn't care for very tall men; they sorter looked down on you. Anyway, he was strong--a pang of fear shot suddenly through her--he might be hurt by that brute. Seth Stevens on the morrow. Oh, no. That was impossible. He was brave, she felt sure, very brave. Still she wished they weren't going to fight; it made her uneasy to think that she had provoked the conflict But it couldn't be helped now; she couldn't interfere. Besides, men were always fightin' about somethin' or other. Mr. Crew, the Minister, had said right off that he'd make his mark in the world; all the girls thought so too, and that was real good. She'd have hated a stupid, ordinary man. Fancy being married to Seth Stevens, and she shuddered; yet he was a sight better than any of the others; he had even seemed handsome to her once. Ugh! Then Bancroft's face came before her again, and remembering his kisses she flushed and grew hot from head to foot. They would be married soon--right off. As George hadn't the money, her father must give what he could and they'd go East. Her father wouldn't refuse, though he'd feel bad p'r'aps; he never refused her anythin'. If fifteen hundred dollars would be enough for George alone, three thousand would do for both of them. Once admitted as a lawyer, he would get a large practice: he was so clever and hard-working. She was real glad that she'd be the means of giving him the opportunity he wanted to win riches and position. But he must begin in New York. She would help him on, and she'd see New York and all the shops and elegant folk, and have silk dresses. They'd live in a hotel and get richer and richer, and she'd drive about with--here she grew hot again. The vision, however, was too entrancing to be shut out; she saw herself distinctly driving in an open carriage, with a negro nurse holding the baby all in laces in front, âjest too cute for anythin',â and George beside her, and every one in Fifth Avenue starin'. Sleep soon brought confusion into her picture of a happy future; but when she awoke, the glad confidence of the previous night had given place to self-reproach and fear. During the breakfast she scarcely spoke or lifted her eyes. Her silent preoccupation was misunderstood by Bancroft; he took it to mean that she didn't care what happened to him; she was selfish, he decided. All the morning she went about the house in a state of nervous restlessness, and at dinner-time her father noticed her unusual pallor and low spirits. To the Elder, the meal-times were generally a source of intense pleasure. He was never tired of feasting his eyes upon his daughter when he could do so without attracting attention, and he listened to her fluent obvious opinions on men and things with a fulness of pride and joy which was difficult to divine since his keenest feelings never stirred the impassibility of his features. He had small power of expressing his thoughts, and even in youth he had felt it impossible to render in words any deep emotion. For more than forty years the fires of his nature had been âbanked up.â Reticent and self-contained, he appeared to be hard and cold; yet his personality was singularly impressive. About five feet ten in height, he was lean and sinewy, with square shoulders and muscles of whipcord. His face recalled the Indian type; the same prominent slightly beaked nose, high cheek bones and large knot of jaw. But there the resemblance ended. The eyes were steel-blue; the upper lip long; the mouth firm; short, bristly, silver hair stood up all over his head, in defiant contrast to the tanned, unwrinkled skin. He was clean-shaven, and looked less than his age, which was fifty-eight. All through the dinner he wondered anxiously what could so affect his daughter, and how he could find out without intruding himself upon her confidence. His great love for his child had developed in the Elder subtle delicacies of feeling which are as the fragrance of love's humility. In the afternoon Loo, dressed for walking, met him, and, of her own accord, began the conversation: âFather, I want to talk to you.â The Elder put down the water-bucket he had been carrying, and drew the shirt-sleeves over his nervous brown arms, whether out of unconscious modesty or simple sense of fitness it would be impossible to say. She went on hesitatingly, âI want to know--Do you think Mr. Bancroft's strong, stronger than--Seth Stevens?â The Elder gave his whole thought to the problem. âP'r'aps,â he said, after a pause, in which he had vainly tried to discover how his daughter wished him to answer, âp'r'aps; he's older and more sot. There ain't much difference, though. In five or six years Seth'll be a heap stronger than the schoolmaster; but now,â he added quickly, reading his daughter's face, âhe ain't man enough. He must fill out first.â She looked up with bright satisfaction, and twining her hands round his arm began coaxingly: âI'm goin' to ask you for somethin', father. You know you told me that on my birthday you'd give me most anythin' I wanted. Wall, I want somethin' this month, not next, as soon as I can get it--a pianner. I guess the settin'-room would look smarter-like, an' I'd learn to play. All the girls do East,â she added, pouting. âYes,â the Elder agreed thoughtfully, doubting whether he should follow her lead eastwards, âI reckon that's so. I'll see about it right off, Loo. I oughter hev thought of it before. But now, right off,â and as he spoke he laid his large hand with studied carelessness on her shoulder--he was afraid that an intentional caress might be inopportune. âI'm cert'in Mr. Bancroft's sisters play, an' I--â she looked down nervously for a moment, and then, still blushing deeply, changed the attack: âHe's smart, ain't he, father? He'd make a good lawyer, wouldn't he?â âI reckon he would,â replied the Elder. âI'm so glad,â the girl went on hurriedly, as if afraid to give herself time to think of what she was about to say, âfor, father, he wants to study in an office East and he hain't got the money, and--oh, father!â she threw her arms round his neck and hid her face on his shoulder, âI want to go with him.â The Elder's heart seemed to stop beating, but he could not hold his loved one in his arms and at the same time realize his own pain. He stroked the bowed head gently, and after a pause: âHe could study with Lawyer Barkman in Wichita, couldn't he? and then you'd be to hum still. No. Wall! Thar!â and again came a pause of silence. âI reckon, anyhow, you knew I'd help you. Didn't you now?â His daughter drew herself out of his embrace. Recalled thus to the matter in hand he asked: âDid he say how much money 'twould take?â âTwo or three thousand dollarsâ--and she scanned his face anxiously--âfor studyin' and gettin' an office and everythin' in New York. Things are dearer there.â âWall, I guess we kin about cover that with a squeeze. It'll be full all I kin manage to onc't--that and the pianner. I've no one to think of but you, Loo, only you. That's what I've bin workin' for, to give you a fair start, and I'm glad I kin jess about do it. I'd sorter take it better if he'd done the studyin' by himself before. No! wall, it don't make much difference p'r'aps. Anyway he works, and Mr. Crew thinks him enough eddicated even for the Ministry. He does, and that's a smart lot. I guess he'll get along all right.â Delighted with the expression of intent happiness in his daughter's eyes, he continued: âHe's young yet, and couldn't be expected to hev done the studyin' and law and every-thin'. You kin be sartin that the old man'll do all he knows to help start you fair. All I kin. If you're sot upon it! That's enough fer me, I guess, ef you're rale sot on it, and you don't think 'twould be better like to wait a little. He could study with Barkman fer a year anyway without losin' time. No! wall, wall. I'm right thar when you want me. I'll go to work to do what I kin.... âP'r'aps we might sell off and go East, too. The farm's worth money now it's all settled up round hyar. The mother and me and Jake could get along, I reckon, East or West. I know more'n I did when I came out in '59. âI'm glad you've told me. I think a heap more of him now. There must be a pile of good in any one you like, Loo. Anyhow he's lucky.â And he stroked her crumpled dress awkwardly, but with an infinite tenderness. âI've got to go now, father,â she exclaimed, suddenly remembering the time. âBut there!â--and again she threw her arms round his neck and kissed him. âYou've made me very happy. I've got to go right off, and you've all the chores to do, so I mustn't keep you any longer.â She hurried to the road along which Jake would have to come with the news of the fight. When she reached the top of the bluff whence the road fell rapidly to the creek, no one was in sight. She sat down and gave herself up to joyous anticipations. âWhat would George say to her news? Where should they be married?â--a myriad questions agitated her. But a glance down the slope from time to time checked her pleasure. At last she saw her brother running towards her. He had taken off his boots and stockings; they were slung round his neck, and his bare feet pattered along in the thick, white dust of the prairie track. His haste made his sister's heart beat in gasps of fear. Down the hill she sped, and met him on the bridge. âWall?â she asked quietly, but the colour had left her cheeks, and Jake was not to be deceived so easily. âWall what?â he answered defiantly, trying to get breath. âI hain't said nothin.â âOh, you mean boy!â she cried indignantly. âI'll never help you again when father wants to whip you--never! Tell me this minute what happened. Is _he_ hurt?â âIs who hurt?â asked her brother, glorying in superiority of knowledge, and the power to tease with impunity. âTell me right off,â she said, taking him by the collar in her exasperation, âor--â âI'll tell you nothin' till you leave go of me,â was the sullen reply. But then the overmastering impulse ran away with him, and he broke out: âOh, Loo! I jest seed everythin'. 'Twar a high old fight! They wuz all there, Seth Stevens, Richards, Monkey Bill--all of 'em, when schoolmaster rode up. He was still--looked like he wanted to hear a class recite. He hitched up Jack and come to 'em, liftin' his hat. Oh, 'twas O.K., you bet! Then they took off their clo's. Seth Stevens jerked hisn loose on the ground, but schoolmaster stood by himself, and folded hisn up like ma makes me fold mine at night. Then they comed together and Seth Stevens he jest drew off and tried to land him one, but schoolmaster sorter moved aside and took him on the nose, an' Seth he sot down, with the blood runnin' all over him. An'--an'--that's all. Every time Seth Stevens hauled off to hit, schoolmaster was thar first. It war bully!--That's all. An' I seed everythin'. You kin bet your life on that! An' then Richards and the rest come to him an' said as how Seth Stevens was faintin', an' schoolmaster he ran to the crick an' brought water and put over him. An' then I runned to tell you--schoolmaster's strong, I guess, stronger nor pappa. I seed him put on his vest, an' Seth Stevens he was settin' up, all blood and water on his face, streaky like; he did look bad. But, Loo--say, Loo! Why didn't schoolmaster when he got him down the first time, jest stomp on his face with his heels?--he had his boots on--an' that's how Seth Stevens broke Tom Cooper's jaw when _they_ fit.â The girl was white, and trembling from head to foot as the boy ended his narrative, and looked inquiringly into her face. She could not answer. Indeed, she had hardly heard the question. The thought of what might have happened to her lover appalled her, and terror and remorse held her heart as in a vice. But oh!--and the hot tears came into her eyes--she'd tell him when they met how sorry she was for it all, and how bad she had been, and how she hated herself. She had acted foolish, very; but she hadn't meant it She'd be more careful in future, much more careful. How brave he was and kind! How like him it was to get the water! Oh! if he'd only come. All this while Jake looked at her curiously; at length he said, âSay, Loo, s'pose he'd had his eye plugged out.â âGo away--do!â she exclaimed angrily. âI believe you boys jest love fightin' like dogs.â Jake disappeared to tell and retell the tale to any one who cared to listen. Half an hour later Loo, who had climbed the bluff to command the view, heard the sound of Jack's feet on the wooden bridge. A moment or two more and the buggy drew up beside her; the schoolmaster bent forward and spoke, without a trace of emotion in his voice: âWon't you get in and let me drive you home, Miss Loo?â His victory had put him in a good humour, without, however, altering his critical estimate of the girl. The quiet, controlled tone of his voice chilled and pained her, but her emotions were too recent and too acute to be restrained. âOh, George!â she said, leaning forward against the buggy, and scanning his face intently. âHow can you speak so? You ain't hurt, are you?â âNo!â he answered lightly. âYou didn't expect I should be, did you?â The tone was cold, a little sarcastic even. Again she felt hurt; she scarcely knew why; the sneer was too far-fetched for her to understand it. âGo and put the horse up, and then come back. I'll wait right here for you.â He did as he was told, and in ten minutes was by her side again. After a long pause, she began, with quivering lips: âGeorge, I'm sorry--so sorry. 'Twas all my fault! But I didn't know â--and she choked down a sob--âI didn't think. âI want you to tell me how your sisters act and--an' what they wear and do. I'll try to act like them. Then I'd be good, shouldn't I? âThey play the pianner, don't they?â He was forced to confess that one of them did. âAn' they talk like you?â âYes.â âAn' they're good always? Oh, George, I'm jest too sorry for anythin', an' now--now I'm too glad!â and she burst into tears. He kissed and consoled her as in duty bound. He understood this mood as little as he had understood her challenge to love. He was not in sympathy with her; she had no ideal of conduct, no notion of dignity. Some suspicion of this estrangement must have dawned upon the girl, or else she was irritated by his acquiescence in her various phases of self-humiliation. All at once she dashed the tears from her eyes, and winding herself out of his arms, exclaimed: âSee here, George Bancroft! I'll jest learn all they know--pianner and all. I ken, and I will. I'll begin right now. You'll see!â And her blue eyes flashed with the glitter of steel, while her chin was thrown up in defiant vanity and self-assertion. He watched her with indifferent curiosity; the abrupt changes of mood repelled him. His depreciatory thoughts of her, his resolution not to be led away again by her beauty influencing him, he noticed the keen hardness of the look, and felt, perhaps out of a spirit of antagonism, that he disliked it. After a few quieting phrases, which, though they sprang rather from the head than the heart, seemed to achieve their aim, he changed the subject, by pointing across the creek and asking: âWhose corn is that?â âFather's, I guess!â âI thought that was the Indian territory?â âIt is!â âIs one allowed to sow corn there and to fence off the ground? Don't the Indians object?â â'Tain't healthy for Indians about here,â she answered carelessly, âI hain't ever seen one. I guess it's allowed; anyhow, the corn's there an' father'll have it cut right soon.â It seemed to Bancroft that they had not a thought in common. Wrong done by her own folk did not even interest her. At once he moved towards the house, and the girl followed him, feeling acutely disappointed and humiliated, which state of mind quickly became one of rebellious self-esteem. She guessed that other men thought big shucks of her anyway. And with this reflection she tried to comfort herself. A week or ten days later, Bancroft came downstairs one morning early and found the ground covered with hoar-frost, though the sun had already warmed the air. Elder Conklin, in his shirt-sleeves, was cleaning his boots by the wood pile. When he had finished with the brush, but not a moment sooner, he put it down near his boarder. His greeting, a mere nod, had not prepared the schoolmaster for the question: âKin you drive kyows?â âI think so; I've done it as a boy.â âWall, to-day's Saturday. There ain't no school, and I've some cattle to drive to the scales in Eureka. They're in the brush yonder, ef you'd help. That is, supposin' you've nothin' to do.â âNo. I've nothing else to do, and shall be glad to help you if I can.â Miss Loo pouted when she heard that her lover would be away the greater part of the day, but it pleased her to think that her father had asked him for his help, and she resigned herself, stipulating only that he should come right back from Eureka. After breakfast the two started. Their way lay along the roll of ground which looked down upon the creek. They rode together in silence, until the Elder asked: âYou ain't a Member, air you?â âNo.â âThat's bad. I kinder misdoubted it las' Sunday; but I wasn't sartin. Ef your callin' and election ain't sure, I guess Mr. Crew oughter talk to you.â These phrases were jerked out with long pauses separating them, and then the Elder was ominously silent. In various ways Bancroft attempted to draw him into conversation--in vain. The Elder answered in monosyllables, or not at all. Presently he entered the woods on the left, and soon halted before the shoot-entrance to a roughly-built corral. âThe kyows is yonder,â he remarked; âef you'll drive them hyar, I'll count them as they come in.â The schoolmaster turned his horse's head in the direction pointed out. He rode for some minutes through the wood without seeing a single animal. Under ordinary circumstances this would have surprised him; but now he was absorbed in thinking of Conklin and his peculiarities, wondering at his habit of silence and its cause: âHas he nothing to say? Or does he think a great deal without being able to find words to express his thoughts?â A prolonged moan, a lowing of cattle in pain, came to his ears. He made directly for the sound, and soon saw the herd huddled together by the snake-fence which zigzagged along the bank of the creek. He went on till he came to the boundary fence which ran at right angles to the water, and then turning tried to drive the animals towards the corral. He met, however, with unexpected difficulties. He had brought a stock-whip with him, and used it with some skill, though without result. The bullocks and cows swerved from the lash, but before they had gone ten yards they wheeled and bolted back. At first this manouvre amused him. The Elder, he thought, has brought me to do what he couldn't do himself; I'll show him I can drive. But no! in spite of all his efforts, the cattle would not be driven. He grew warm, and set himself to the work. In a quarter of an hour his horse was in a lather, and his whip had flayed one or two of the bullocks, but there they stood again with necks outstretched towards the creek, lowing piteously. He could not understand it. Reluctantly he made up his mind to acquaint the Elder with the inexplicable fact. He had gone some two hundred yards when his tired horse stumbled. Holding him up, Bancroft saw he had tripped over a mound of white dust. A thought struck him. He threw himself off the horse, and tasted the stuff; he was right; it was salt! No wonder he could not drive the cattle; no wonder they lowed as if in pain--the ground had been salted. He remounted and hastened to the corral. He found the Elder sitting on his horse by the shoot, the bars of which were down. âI can't move those cattle!â âYou said you knew how to drive.â âI do, but they are mad with thirst; no one can do anything with them. Besides, in this sun they might die on the road.â âHum.â âLet them drink; they'll go on afterwards.â âHum.â And the Elder remained for some moments silent. Then he said, as if thinking aloud: âIt's eight miles to Eureka; they'll be thirsty again before they get to the town.â Bancroft, too, had had his wits at work, and now answered the other's thought. âI guess so; if they're allowed just a mouthful or two they can be driven, and long before they reach Eureka they'll be as thirsty as ever.â Without a word in reply the Elder turned his horse and started off at a lope. In ten minutes the two men had taken down the snake fence for a distance of some fifty yards, and the cattle had rushed through the gap and were drinking greedily. After they had had a deep draught or two, Bancroft urged his horse into the stream and began to drive them up the bank. They went easily enough now, and ahead of them rode the Elder, his long whitey-brown holland coat fluttering behind him. In half an hour Bancroft had got the herd into the corral. The Elder counted the three hundred and sixty-two beasts with painstaking carefulness as they filed by. The prairie-track to Eureka led along the creek, and in places ran close to it without any intervening fence. In an hour under that hot October sun the cattle had again become thirsty, and it needed all Bancroft's energy and courage to keep them from dashing into the water. Once or twice indeed it was a toss-up whether or not they would rush over him. He was nearly exhausted when some four hours after the start they came in sight of the little town. Here he let the herd into the creek. Glad of the rest, he sat on his panting horse and wiped the perspiration from his face. After the cattle had drunk their fill, he moved them quietly along the road, while the water dripped from their mouths and bodies. At the scales the Elder met the would-be purchaser, who as soon as he caught sight of the stock burst into a laugh. âSay, Conklin,â he cried out, âI guess you've given them cattle enough to drink, but I don't buy water for meat. No, sir; you bet, I don't.â âI didn't allow you would,â replied the Elder gravely; âbut the track was long and hot; so they drank in the crik.â âWall,â resumed the dealer, half disarmed by this confession, which served the Elder's purpose better than any denial could have done, âI guess you'll take off fifty pound a head for that water.â âI guess not,â was the answer. âTwenty pound of water's reckoned to be about as much as a kyow kin drink.â The trading began and continued to Bancroft's annoyance for more than half an hour. At last it was settled that thirty pounds' weight should be allowed on each beast for the water it had drunk. When this conclusion had been arrived at, it took but a few minutes to weigh the animals and pay the price agreed upon. The Elder now declared himself ready to go âto humâ and get somethin' to eat. In sullen silence Bancroft remounted, and side by side they rode slowly towards the farm. The schoolmaster's feelings may easily be imagined. He had been disgusted by the cunning and hypocrisy of the trick, and the complacent expression of the Elder's countenance irritated him intensely. As he passed place after place where the cattle had given him most trouble in the morning, anger took possession of him, and at length forced itself to speech. âSee here, Elder Conklin!â he began abruptly, âI suppose you call yourself a Christian. You look down on me because I'm not a Member. Yet, first of all, you salt cattle for days till they're half mad with thirst, then after torturing them by driving them for hours along this road side by side with water, you act lies with the man you've sold them to, and end up by cheating him. You know as well as I do that each of those steers had drunk sixty-five pounds' weight of water at least; so you gotâ (he couldn't use the word âstoleâ even in his anger, while the Elder was looking at him) âmore than a dollar a head too much. That's the kind of Christianity you practise. I don't like such Christians, and I'll leave your house as soon as I can. I am ashamed that I didn't tell the dealer you were deceiving him. I feel as if I had been a party to the cheat.â While the young man was speaking the Elder looked at him intently. At certain parts of the accusation Conklin's face became rigid, but he said nothing. A few minutes later, having skirted the orchard, they dismounted at the stable-door. After he had unsaddled his horse and thrown it some Indian corn, Bancroft hastened to the house; he wanted to be alone. On the stoop he met Loo and said to her hastily: âI can't talk now, Loo; I'm tired out and half crazy. I must go to my room and rest After supper I'll tell you everything. Please don't keep me now.â Supper that evening was a silent meal. The Elder did not speak once; the two young people were absorbed in their own reflections, and Mrs. Conklin's efforts to make talk were effectual only when she turned to Jake. Mrs. Conklin, indeed, was seldom successful in anything she attempted. She was a woman of fifty, or thereabouts, and her face still showed traces of former good looks, but the light had long left her round, dark eyes, and the colour her cheeks, and with years her figure had grown painfully thin. She was one of the numerous class who delight in taking strangers into their confidence. Unappreciated, as a rule, by those who know them, they seek sympathy from polite indifference or curiosity. Before he had been a day in the house Bancroft had heard from Mrs. Conklin all about her early life. Her father had been a large farmer in Amherst County, Massachusetts; her childhood had been comfortable and happy: âWe always kept one hired man right through the winter, and in summer often had eight and ten; and, though you mightn't think it now, I was the belle of all the parties.â Dave (her husband) had come to work for her father, and she had taken a likin' to him, though he was such a âhard case.â She told of Dave's gradual conversion and of the Revivalist Minister, who was an Abolitionist as well, and had proclaimed the duty of emigrating to Kansas to prevent it from becoming a slave state. Dave, it appeared, had taken up the idea zealously, and had persuaded her to go with him. Her story became pathetic in spite of her self-pity as she related the hardships of that settlement in the wilds, and described her loneliness, her shivering terror when her husband was away hauling logs for their first home, and news came that the slave-traders from Missouri had made another raid upon the scattered Abolitionist farmers. The woman had evidently been unfit for such rude transplanting. She dwelt upon the fact that her husband had never understood her feelings. If he had, she wouldn't have minded so much. Marriage was not what girls thought; she had not been happy since she left her father's house, and so forth. The lament was based on an unworthy and futile egoism, but her whining timidity appeared to Bancroft inexplicable. He did not see that just as a shrub pales and dies away under the branches of a great tree, so a weak nature is apt to be further enfeebled by association with a strong and self-contained character. In those early days of loneliness and danger the Elder's steadfastness and reticence had prevented him from affording to his wife the sympathy which might have enabled her to overcome her fears. âHe never talked anythin' over with me,â was the burden of her complaint. Solitude had killed every power in her save vanity, and
{'title': 'Elder Conklin by Frank Harris', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}