"Oh, but in the world some men just go along and chop down ugly weeds,
stir up the good, smelly earth for things to grow in, reach over to
help the man in the next furrow if he needs it, and all come home at
sundown together--and the women have the supper ready. That's the kind
of hoeing I want you to do--please dig me up those teeth for Aunt
Viney and I'll have johnny-cake and fried chicken waiting for you
every night. Please, sir, promise!" And Rose Mary's voice sounded its
coaxing, comforting note, while her deep eyes brooded over him.
"I promise," answered Everett with a laugh. "I tell you what I think I
will do. As I understand it, the Briars has about three hundred acres,
all told. I have been all over it for the oil and there is none in any
paying quantities. But in this kind of formation any number of other
things may crop up or out. I am going to go over every acre of it
carefully and find exactly what can be expected of it. There may be
nothing of any value in a mineral way, but as I go I am going to make
soil tests, and then put it all down on a complete map and figure out
just what your Uncle Tucker ought to plant in each place for years to
come. It will kill a lot of time, and then it might be doing something
for you dear people, who have taken a miserable, cross invalid of a
stranger man in out of the wet and made a well chap of him again.
"Do you know what you have done for me? That day when I had tramped
over from Boliver just to get away from the Citizens' Hotel and myself
and perched upon Mr.
Pages:
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26