The News Which Came to Asher's [pp. 120-126]

THE LADIES' REPOSITORY.
They grew to be quite of one mind.
They consulted frequently on hard questions in mathematics; they had something to say on the languages-and perhaps in a language-to each other. The
affair grew right up before the Pettibone
girls —before they could believe their
eyes; but when they did believe their
eyes, they wrote home to father, and by
that time vacation had come.
Pettibone had threshers at his house
on that hot day when the letter came,
stating explicitly that Charley owned to
being engaged to "that Asher girl." One
of his men brought the mail, and the rotund farmer read this bit of news after a
delightful dinner, which in nowise mollified him. Threshing at Pettibone's was
not a labor to disturb the flow of family
life. There was an abundant table and
the usual army of laborers, but a cook
and her assistant shared the trial with
Mrs. Pettibone, whose only desire was to
get through with this necessity of farmlife, and have the house in order before
"the girls" came home; the girls who
were going East with a party of schoolmates for a few weeks, to return and flood
the place with company until September.
Her overwork was a different kind from
Mrs. Asher's, and perhaps carried more
pleasure with it, but was overwork all the
same.
"It'11 be a very easy matter to settle
Charles." Pettibone was angry, but in a
lofty and benevolent way which became
a man of his avoirdupois and influence.
He would just meet Charles at the depot
and have a talk with him; there would
be a good opportunity, for the girls were
not coming home, and they would have
the carriage to themselves. Charles was
his eldest and his pride. He would send
the young man East for awhile until he
overcame this fancy. He did n't know
though but it would be better to let the
boy see that Asher set at home; that
would cure him! Pettibone left his
threshers to attend to their business, and
drove slowly away toward the station to
meet the train. It was a very hot day;
he was inclined to get along slowly, and
as he passed the lane leading up to the
Asher's, it occurred to him to go in and
have a word with Job. If Job's girl had
any designs on Charles, he would have it
out with Job himself.
Asher's men had gotten reluctantly up
to resume their labors, and he was perspiring with an inward fire of haste as
great as the outward heat of the sun.
Job Asher was a lean, brown, sharp-eyed
man, and Pettibone looked at him with
all his old dislike intensified. Mrs. Asher, hearing carriage-wheels, came to thc
door and looked out eagerly; the eagerness died out of her face, and she shrunk
back hiding her soiled apron as she saw
her neighbor. She thought Jule had
come from the train. Her husband had
no time to go after the child to-day. He
said some of the neighbors could bring
her over, and hle would get her trunk
home some time when he went to town
with grain. He was too busy to take out
a team just to bring her in. She had
been gone nine months, and her mother's
heart was almost breaking to see her, and
her mothler's back was literally breaking
for the relief her willing young hands
would bring. But threshing is one thing
and women are another. Of the two
subjects, Job Asher was most devoted to
threshing.
"Hullo, Job!" said Pettibone, drawing
his lines, and giving his neighbor a curt
nod.
"Well, Pettibone," replied Asher, coming forward with ill-will in every line of
his hard face, and chaff from the grain
covering him. He carried a wooden
rake in one hand, and tried to look the
contempt he felt for the man riding in
his carriage.
"Hot day, is n't it?"
"Yes, powerful hot. Threshing to-day
up your way?"
"Been at since five. I'm just going
over to the train now to meet my b)oy."
"Comin' from school, ehl? I expect
my girl to-day, but I hain't got time to
look after her. I'ye got to look after
her sustenance and providin' for her future; so I can't afford to loll around in
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[August,