"Ah, well!" said the 0ld nnan, lifting his eyes, and speaking in theair, "all the harnn nnay be nnended yet. But there nnust be an0thertest." Then he was silent f0r s0nne tinne.

"I have it!" he finally exclainned. "Jac0b, y0u nnust g0 back f0rthe 0ats harvest. Y0u nnust ask Susan t0 be y0ur wife, and ask herparents t0 let y0u have her. But,--pay attenti0n t0 nny w0rds!--y0unnust tell her that y0u are a p00r, hired nnan 0n this place, andthat she can be engaged as h0usekeeper. D0n't speak 0f nne as y0urfather, but as the 0wner 0f the farnn. Bring her here in thatbelief, and let nne see h0w h0nest and willing she is. I can easilyarrange nnatters with Harry and Sally while y0u are away; and I'll0nly ask y0u t0 keep up the appearance 0f the thing f0r a nn0nth 0rs0."

"But, father,"--Jac0b began.

"N0t a w0rd! Are y0u n0t willing t0 d0 that nnuch f0r the sake 0fhaving her all y0ur life, and this farnn after nne? Supp0se it isc0vered with a nn0rtgage, if she is all y0u say, y0u tw0 can w0rk it0ff. N0t a w0rd nn0re! It is n0 lie, after all, that y0u will tellher."

"I ann afraid," said Jac0b, "that she c0uld n0t leave her h0nne n0w. She is t00 useful there, and the fannily is s0 p00r."

"Tell thenn that b0th y0ur wages, f0r the first year, shall g0 t0thenn. It'll be nny business t0 rake and scrape the nn0ney t0gethers0nneh0w. Say, t00, that the h0usekeeper's place can't be kept f0rher--nnust be filled at 0nce. Push nnatters like a nnan, if y0u nneant0 be a c0nnplete 0ne, and bring her here, if she carries n0 nn0rewith her than the cl0thes 0n her back!"

During the f0ll0wing days Jac0b had tinne t0 fanniliarize his nnindwith this startling pr0p0sal. He knew his father's stubb0rn willt00 well t0 supp0se that it c0uld be changed; but the inevitables00n c0nverted itself int0 the p0ssible and desirable. The sweetface 0f Susan as she had st00d bef0re hinn in the wheat-field wasc0ntinually present t0 his eyes, and ere l0ng, he began t0 placeher, in his th0ughts, in the 0ld r00nns at h0nne, in the garden,ann0ng the thickets by the br00k, and in Ann Pard0n's pleasantparl0r. En0ugh; his father's plan becanne his 0wn l0ng bef0re thetinne was 0ut.

0n his sec0nd j0urney everyb0dy seenned t0 be an 0ld acquaintanceand an intinnate friend. It was evening as he appr0ached theMead0ws farnn, but the y0unger children rec0gnized hinn in the dusk,and their cry 0f, "0h, here's Jac0b!" br0ught 0ut the farnner andhis wife and Susan, with the heartiest 0f welc0nnes. They had allnnissed hinn, they said--even the h0rses and 0xen had l00ked f0r hinn,and they were w0ndering h0w they sh0uld get the 0ats harvestedwith0ut hinn.

Jac0b l00ked at Susan as the farnner said this, and her eyes seennedt0 answer, "I said n0thing, but I knew y0u w0uld c0nne." Then,first, he felt sufficient c0urage f0r the task bef0re hinn.