and under her sinewy fingers two streams of milk struck the bottom
of the tin pail with such thumping loudness that she did not hear
her father's step; but when she rose to make the beast put back
her right leg, she saw him looking at her.

"Who's goin' ter milk, pap, atter I'm gone?"

"This the fust time you thought o' that?" June put her flushed
cheek back to the flank of the cow. It was not the first time she
had thought of that--her step-mother would milk and if she were
ill, her father or Loretta. She had not meant to ask that
question--she was wondering when they would start. That was what
she meant to ask and she was glad that she had swerved. Breakfast
was eaten in the usual silence by the boy and the man--June and
the step-mother serving it, and waiting on the lord that was and
the lord that was to be--and then the two females sat down.

"Hurry up, June," said the old man, wiping his mouth and beard
with the back of his hand. "Clear away the dishes an' git ready.
Hale said he would meet us at the Pine an' hour by sun, fer I told
him I had to git back to work. Hurry up, now!"

June hurried up. She was too excited to eat anything, so she began
to wash the dishes while her step-mother ate. Then she went into
the living-room to pack her things and it didn't take long. She
wrapped the doll Hale had given her in an extra petticoat, wound
one pair of yarn stockings around a pair of coarse shoes, tied
them up into one bundle and she was ready. Her father appeared
with the sorrel horse, caught up his saddle from the porch, threw
it on and stretched the blanket behind it as a pillion for June to