TheHarvesteragainrangthebell。Anothermaidopenedthedoor,andoncemoreheaskedtospeakwiththeladyofthehouse。Asthegirlturned,ahandsomeoldwomanincapandmorninggowncamedownthestairs。
  ``Whathaveyouthere?’’sheasked。
  TheHarvesterliftedtheleavesandexposedthemusky,crimpled,bigmushrooms。
  ``Oh!’’shecriedindelight。``Indeed,yes!Weareveryfondofthem。Iwilltakethebasket,anddividewithmysons。Youaresureyouhavenopoisonousonesamongthem?’’
  ``Quitesure,’’saidtheHarvesterfaintly。
  ``Howmuchdoyouwantforthebasket?’’
  ``Theyareadollaradozen;Ihaven’tcountedthem。’’
  ``Dearme!Isn’tthatratherexpensive?’’
  ``Itis。Very!’’saidtheHarvester。``Soexpensivethatmostpeopledon’tthinkoftakingoveradozen。
  Theyarelargeandveryrich,sotheygoalongway。’’
  ``Isupposeyouhavetospendagreatdealoftimehuntingthem?Itdoesseemexpensive,buttheyarefresh,andtheboysaresofondofthem。I’mnotoftenextravagant,I’lljusttakethelot。Sarah,bringapan。’’
  AgaintheHarvesterstoodandwatchedanentirebasketcountedoverandcarriedaway,andhefelttherobberhehadbeencalledashetookthemoney。
  Atthenexthousehehadlearnedalesson。Hecarpetedabasketwithleavesandcountedoutadozenandahalfintoit,leavingtheremainderinthewagon。Threeblocksononesideofthestreetexhaustedhisstoreandhewasshoweredwithorders。Hehadnotseenanyonethatevenresembledadark-eyedgirl。Ashecamefromthelasthouseabig,redmotorshotpastandthensuddenlyslowedandbackedbesidehiswagon。
  ``Whatinthenameofsenseareyoudoing?’’demandedDoctorCarey。
  ``InvadingtheresidencedistrictofOnabasha,’’saidtheHarvester。``Madam,wouldyoulikesomenice,fresh,countrymushrooms?Iguaranteethattherearenopoisonousonesamongthem,andtheyweregatheredthismorning。Consideringtheirrarityandthedifficultworkofcollecting,theyareexceedinglylowatmyprice。
  Iamofferingtheseforfivedollarsadozen,madam,andformercysakedon’ttakethemorI’llhavenoexcusetogotothenexthouse。’’
  Thedoctorstared,thenunderstood,andbegantolaugh。Whenatlasthecouldspeakhesaid,``David,I’llbetyoustartedwiththreebushelsandbeganattheheadofthisstreet,andtheyareallgone。’’
  ``Putupagoodone!’’saidtheHarvester。``Youwin。ThefirsthouseItriedtheyorderedmetothebackdoor,tookamarketbasketfullawayfrommebyforce,triedtobuytheload,andIdidn’tseeanyonesaveamaid。’’
  Thedoctorlayonthesteeringgearandfaintlygroaned。
  TheHarvesterregardedhimsympathetically。``Isn’titacrime?’’hequestioned。``Mushroomsarenogo。
  Icanseethat!——orrathertheyareentirelytoomuchofago。Ineversawanythinginsuchdemand。I
  mustseekalesspopulararticleformypurpose。To-
  morrowlookoutforme。IshallbeginwhereIleftoffto-day,butIwillhavechangedmyproduct。’’
  ``David,forpitysake,’’peepedthedoctor。
  ``WhatdoIcarehowIdoit,soIlocateher?’’
  superblyinquiredtheHarvester。
  ``Butyouwon’tfindher!’’gaspedthedoctor。
  ``I’vecomeascloseitasyousofar,anyway,’’saidtheHarvester。``Yourmushroomsareonthedeskinyouroffice。’’
  HedroveslowlyupanddownthestreetsuntilBetsywabbledonherlegs。Thenhelefthertorestandwalkeduntilhewabbled;andbythattimeitwasdark,sohewenthome。
  Atthefirsthintofdawnhewasatworkthefollowingmorning。Withloadedbasketscloselycovered,hestartedtoOnabasha,andbeganwherehehadquitthedaybefore。Thistimehecarriedasmall,crudelyfashionedbarkbasket,leaf-covered,andherangatthefrontdoorwithconfidence。
  Everyoneseemedtohaveamaidinthatpartofthecity,forafreshlycappedandapronedgirlopenedthedoor。
  ``Arethereanyyoungwomenlivinghere?’’blandlyinquiredtheHarvester。
  ``What’sthatofyourbusiness?’’demandedthemaid。
  TheHarvesterflushed,butcontinued,``Iamofferingsomethingespeciallyintendedforyoungwomen。Iftherearenone,Iwillnottroubleyou。’’
  ``Thereareseveral。’’
  ``Willyoupleaseaskthemiftheywouldcareforbouquetsofviolets,freshfromthewoods?’’
  ``Howmucharethey,andhowlargearethebunches?’’
  ``Pricesdiffer,andtheyaretherightsizetoappearwell。Theyhadbetterseeforthemselves。’’
  Themaidreachedforthebasket,buttheHarvesterdrewback。
  ``Ikeeptheminmypossession,’’hesaid。``Youmaytakeasample。’’
  Heliftedtheleavesanddrewforthamedium-sizedbunchoflong-stemmedbluevioletswiththeirleaves。
  Theflowerswerefresh,crisp,andstrongodoursofthewoodsarosefromthem。
  ``Oh!’’criedthemaid。``Oh,howlovely!’’
  Shehurriedawaywiththemandreturnedcarryingapurse。
  ``Iwanttwomorebunches,’’shesaid。``Howmucharethey?’’
  ``Arethegirlswhowantthemdarkorfair?’’
  ``Whatdifferencedoesthatmake?’’
  ``Ihavebluevioletsforblondes,yellowforbrunettes,andwhitefortheothers。’’
  ``WellInever!Oneisfair,andtwohavebrownhairandblueeyes。’’
  ``Oneblueandtwowhites,’’saidtheHarvestercalmly,asifmatchingwomen’shairandeyeswithflowerswereaninheritedvocation。``Theyaretwentycentsabunch。’’
  ``Aha!’’hechortledtohimselfashewhistledtoBetsy。
  ``Atlastwehaveit。Therearenodark-eyedgirlshere。
  Nowwearemakingheadway。’’
  Downthestreethewent,withvaryingfortune,butwithpatienceandpersistenceateveryhouseheatlastmanagedtolearnwhethertherewasadark-eyedgirl。
  Theredidnotseemtobemany。Longbeforehisstoreofyellowvioletswasgonethelastblueandwhitehaddisappeared。Buthecalmlywentonaskingfordark-
  eyedgirls,andexplainingthatalltheblueandwhiteweretaken,becausefairwomenweremostnumerous。
  Atonehousetheowner,whoremindedtheHarvesterofhismother,cametothedoor。Heuncoveredandinhissuavesttonesinquiredifabrunetteyoungwomanlivedthereandifshewouldlikeanosegayofyellowviolets。
  ``Wellblessmysoul!’’criedshe。``Whatisthisworldcomingto?Doyoumeantotellmethattherearenowable-bodiedmenofferingatourdoors,flowerstomatchourgirls’complexions?’’
  ``Yesmadam?’’saidtheHarvestergravely,``andalsosellingthemasfastashecanshowthem,atpricesthatmakeaprofitverywellworthwhile。Ihadanequalnumberofblueandwhite,butIseethedarkgirlsareverymuchintheminority。Theothersweregonelongago,andInowhaveflowerstoofferbrunettesonly。’’
  ``Wellforevermore!Andyoudon’tcallthatfiddlin’
  businessforabig,healthy,youngman?’’
  TheHarvester’sgaylaughwasinfectious。
  ``Idonot,’’hesaid。``IhavetostartassoonasI
  cansee,tramplongdistancesinwetwoodsandgatherthevioletsonmyknees,makethemintobunches,andbringthemhereinwatertokeepthemfresh。Ihaveanotheroccupation。Ionlykilltimeonthese,butIwouldbeashamedtotellyouwhatIhavegottenforthemthismorning。’’
  ``Humph!I’mgladtohearit!’’saidthewoman。
  ``Shameinsomeformisasignofgrace。Ihavenouseforahumanbeingwithoutageneroussupplyofit。
  Thereisaverybeautifuldark-eyedgirlinthehouse,andIwilltaketwobunchesforher。Howmucharethey?’’
  ``Ihaveonlythreeremaining,’’saidtheHarvester。
  ``Wouldyouliketoallowhertomakeherownselection?’’
  ``WhenI’mgivingthingsIusuallytakemychoice。I
  wantthat,andthatone。’’
  ``Asmystockissonearlyout,I’llmakethetwofortwenty,’’saidtheHarvester。``Won’tyouacceptthelastonefromme,becauseyouremindmejustalittleofmymother?’’
  ``Iwillindeed,’’saidshe。``Thankyouverymuch!
  Ishalllovetohavethemasdearlyasanyofthegirls。
  IusedtogatherthemwhenIwasachild,butIalmostneverseetheblueonesanymore,andIdon’tknowasIeverexpectedtoseeayellowvioletagainaslongasI
  live。Wheredidyougetthem?’’
  ``Inmywoods,’’saidtheHarvester。``YouseeI
  growseveralmembersoftheviolapedatafamily,bird’sfoot,snake,andwoodviolet,andthreeoftheodorata,English,marsh,andsweet,forourbigdrughouses。
  Theyusetheflowersinmakingdelicatetestsforacidsandalkalies。Theentireplant,flower,seed,leaf,androot,goesintodifferentremedies。Thebedsseedthemselvesandspread,soIhavemorethanIneedforthechemists,andIsellafew。Idon’tusethewhiteandyellowinmybusiness;Ijustgrowthemfortheirbeauty。
  Ialsosellmysurplusliliesofthevalley。Wouldyouliketoordersomeofthemforyourhouseormorevioletsforto-morrow?’’
  ``Wellblessmysoul!Doyoumeantotellmethatliliesofthevalleyaremedicine?’’
  TheHarvesterlaughed。
  ``IgrowimmensebedsoftheminthewoodsonthebanksofLoonLake,’’hesaid。``TheyaretheconvallarismajallisofthedrughousesandIscarcelyknowwhattheweak-heartedpeoplewoulddowithoutthem。I
  uselargequantitiesintrade,andthisseasonIamsellingafewbecausepeoplesolovethem。’’
  ``Liliesinmedicine;welldearme!Arerosesgoodforourinnardstoo?’’
  ThentheHarvesterdidlaugh。
  ``Iimaginetherosesyouknowgointoperfumesmostly,’’heanswered。``TheydomakemedicineofCanadianrockroseandrosebay,laurel,andwillow。
  Igrowthebushes,buttheyarenotwhatyouwouldconsiderroses。’’
  ``Iwondernow,’’saidthewomanstudyingtheHarvesterclosely,``ifyouarenotthatqueergeniusI’veheardof,whospendshistimehuntingandgrowingstuffinthewoodsandpeoplecallhimtheMedicineMan。’’
  ``Istronglysuspectmadam,Iamthatman,’’saidtheHarvester。
  ``Wellblessme!’’criedshe。``I’vealwayswantedtoseeyouandherewhenIdo,youlookjustlikeanybodyelse。Ithoughtyou’dhavelonghair,andbewild-
  eyedandferocious。Andyourtalksoundslikeoutofabook。Wellthatbeatsme!’’
  ``Metoo!’’saidtheHarvester,liftinghishat。``Youdon’twantanyliliesto-morrow,then?’’
  ``YesIdo。Medicineornomedicine,I’vealwaysliked’em,andI’mgoingtokeeponlikingthem。Ifyoucanbringmeagood-sizedbunchaftertheweak-
  kneed——’’
  ``Weak-hearted,’’correctedtheHarvester。
  ``Well`weak-hearted,’then;it’sallthesamething。
  Ifyou’vegotanyleft,asIwassaying,youcanfetchthemtomeforthesmell。’’
  TheHarvesterlaughedallthewaydowntown。TherehewenttoDoctorCarey’soffice,examinedadirectory,andgotthenamesofallthenumberswherebehadsoldyellowviolets。Afewquestionswhenthedoctorcameinsettledallofthem,buttheflowerschemewasbetter。Becausetheyellowwerenotsoplentifulasthewhiteandblue,nextdayheaddedbuttercupsandcowslipstohisstoreforthedarkgirls。Whenhehadrifledhisbedsforthelasttime,afterthreeweeksofalmostdailytripstotown,andhadpaidhighpricestosmallboyshesetsearchingtheadjoiningwoodsuntilnomoreflowerscouldbefound,hedrovefromtheoutskirtsofthecityonedaytowardthehospital,andashestopped,downthestreetcameDoctorCareyfranticallywavingtohim。Asthebigcarslackened,``ComeonDavid,quick!I’veseenher!’’criedthedoctor。
  TheHarvesterjumpedfromthewagon,threwthelinestoBelshazzar,andlandedinthepantingcar。
  ``ForHeaven’ssakewhere?Areyousure?’’
  Thecarwentspeedingdownthestreet。Apolicemanbeckonedandcriedafterit。
  ``Itwon’tdoanygoodtogetarrested,Doc,’’cautionedtheHarvester。
  ``Nowrightalonghere,’’pantedDoctorCarey。``Watchbothsidessharply。IfIstopyoujumpout,andtelltheblamepolicementogetattheirjob。Thepartytheyarehiredtofindisrightundertheirnoses。’’
  TheHarvesterbegantoperspire。``Doc,don’tyouthinkyoushouldtellme?Maybesheisinsomestore。
  MaybeIcoulddobetteronfoot。’’
  ``Shutup!’’growledthedoctor。``IamdoingthebestIknow。’’
  Hehurriedupthestreetforblocksandbackagain,andatlaststoppedbeforealargestoreandwentin。
  Whenhereturnedhedrovetothehospitalandtogethertheyenteredtheoffice。ThereheturnedtotheHarvester。
  ``Itisn’tsohardtounderstandyounow,myboy,’’
  hesaid。``ShadesofDiana,butshe’llbeabeautywhenshegetsalittlemorefleshandcolour。ShecameoutofWhitlaw’sandwalkedrighttothecrossing。Ialmostcouldhavetouchedher,butIdidn’tnotice。Twogirlspassedbeforeme,andinhurrying,atall,darkoneknockedoffoneofyourbunchesofyellowviolets。Sheglancedatitandlaughed,butletitlay。Thenyourgirlhesitatedstoopedandpickeditup。Thecrazypolicemanyelledatmetoclearthecrossinganditdidn’thitmeforahalfblockhowtallandwhiteshewasandhowdarkhereyeswere。Iwasjustthinkingaboutherpickinguptheflowers,andthatitwasqueerforhertodoit,whenlikeabrickithitme,THAT’SDAVID’SGIRL!Itriedtoturnaround,butyouknowwhatMainStreetisinthemiddleoftheday。Andthoseidiotsofpolicemen!
  Theyorderedmeon,andIcouldn’tturnforastreetcarcoming,soIcalledtooneofthemthatthegirlwewantedwasdownthestreet,andhelookedatmelikeanaddle-
  pateandsaid,`Whatgirl?Moveonoryou’llgetinajamhere。’YoucanusemeforafootballifI
  don’tgobackandsmashhim。Paidhimfivedollarsmyselflessthantwoweeksagotokeephiseyesopen。
  `TOKEEPHISEYESOPEN!’’’pantedthedoctor,shakinghisfistatDavid。``Yessir!`Tokeephiseyesopen!’
  Andhemotionedforthingstocomealong,andsoI
  losthertoo。’’
  ``Ithinkwehadbettergobacktothestreet,’’saidtheHarvester。
  ``Oh,I’dbeenbackandforthalongthatstreetfornearlyanhourbeforeIgaveupandcameheretoseeifIcouldfindyou,andwe’vehunteditanhourmore!
  What’stheuse?She’sgoneforthistime,butbygum,Isawher!Andshewasworthseeing!’’
  ``Didsheappearilltoyou?’’
  Thedoctordroppedonachairandthrewouthishandshopelessly。
  ``Thiswasawfulsudden,David,’’hesaid。``IwasgoingalongasItoldyou,andInoticedherstopandthoughtshehadagoodheadtowaitasecondinsteadofrunninginbeforeme,andtherecamethosetwogirlsrightunderthecarfromtheotherside。Ionlyhadaglimpseofherasshestoopedfortheflowers。Isawabigbraidofhair,butIwashalfablockawaybeforeIgotitallconnected,andthencamethecrushinthestreet,andIwasblocked。’’
  Thedoctorbrokedownandwipedhisfaceandexpressedhisfeelingsunrestrainedly。
  ``Don’t!’’saidtheHarvesterpatiently。``It’snousetofeelsobadly,Doc。Iknowwhatyouwouldgivetohavefoundherforme。Iknowyoudidallyoucould。
  Iletherescapeme。Wewillfindheryet。It’sgloriousnewsthatshe’sinthecity。Itgivesmehearttohearthat。Can’tyoujustrememberifsheseemedill?’’
  Thedoctormeditated。
  ``Shewasn’tthetallestgirlIeversaw,’’hesaidslowly,``butshewasthetallestgirltobepretty。Shehadonawhitewaistandagrayskirtandblackhat。Hereyesandhairwerelikeyousaid,andshewasplain,whitefaced,withahuethatmightpossiblybenatural,anditmightbeconfinementinbadlightandairandpoorfood。Shedidn’tseemsick,butsheisn’twell。Thereissomethingthematterwithher,butit’snotimmediateordangerous。Sheappearedlikeaflowerthathadgotalittlemoistureandsproutedinacellar。’’
  ``Yousawherallright!’’saidtheHarvester,``andIthinkyourdiagnosisiscorrecttoo。That’sthewaysheseemedtome。I’vethoughtsheneededsunandair。
  ItoldtheSouthWindsotheotherday。’’
  ``Whyyoublamefool!’’criedthedoctor。``Isthisthinggoingtoyourhead?Say,Iforgot!Thereissomethingelse。Itracedherinthestore。Shewasattheembroiderycounterandsheboughtsomesilk。Ifsheevercomesagaintheclerkisgoingtoholdherandtelephonemeorgetheraddressifshehastostealit。Oh,wearegettingthere!Wewillhaveherprettysoonnow。
  YououghttofeelbetterjusttoknowthatsheisintownandthatI’veseenher。’’
  ``Ido!’’saidtheHarvester。``IndeedIdo!’’
  ``Itcan’tbemuchlonger,’’saidthedoctor。``She’sgottobelocatedsoon。Butthosepolicemen!Iwouldn’tgiveanickelforthelot!I’llbetshe’swalkedoverthemfortwoweeks。IfIwereyouI’ddischargethebunch。They’dbepeacefullyasleepifshepassedthem。
  Ifthey’dletmealone,I’dhavehadher。Icouldhaveturnedaroundeasily。I’vebeenindozensofcloserplaces。’’
  ``Don’tworry!Thiscan’tlastmuchlonger。She’sofandinthecityorshewouldn’thavepickeduptheflowers。Doc,areyousuretheyweremine?’’
  ``Yes。Halfthegirlshavebeentrickedoutinyoursthepasttwoweeks。IcanspotthemasfarasIcansee。’’
  ``DearLord,that’sgettingclose!’’saidtheHarvesterintensely。``Seemsasifthevioletswouldtellher。’’
  ``NowcutoutflowerstalkingandtheSouthWind!’’
  orderedthedoctor。``Thisisbusiness。Thevioletsprovesomethingallright,though。Ifshewasinthecountry,shecouldgatherplentyherself。Sheisworkingatsewinginsomeroomintown,eitheroverastoreorinahouse。Ifshehadn’tbeenstarvedforflowerssheneverwouldhavestoppedforthemonthestreet。
  Icouldseejustaflashofhesitation,butshewantedthemtoomuch。David,onebouquetwillgoinwaterandbecaredforaweek。Man,it’sgettingclose!Thisdoesseemlikealink。’’
  ``Sinceyousayit,possiblyIdareagreewithyou,’’
  saidtheHarvester。
  ``Hownearareyouthroughwiththatcanvassofyours?’’
  ``Aboutthreefourths。’’
  ``WellI’dgoonwithit。Afterallwehavegottofindherourselves。Thosesenilepolicemen!’’
  ``Iamgoingonwithit;youneedn’tworryaboutthat。ButI’vegottochangetootherflowers。I’vestrippedthevioletbeds。There’squiteacropofberriescoming,buttheyarenotripeyet,andatragedytopick。Thepondliliesarejustbeginningtoopenbythethousand。Thelakeborderisbluewithsweet-flagthatislovelyandthemarshpalegoldwithcowslips。
  Thefernsareprimeandthewoodssolidsheetsofeverycolourofbloom。IbelieveI’llgoaheadwiththewildflowers。’’
  ``Iwouldtoo!David,youdofeelbetter,don’tyou?’’
  ``Icertainlydo,Doctor。Surelyitwon’tbelongnow!’’
  TheHarvesterwassohopefulthathewhistledandsangonthereturntoMedicineWoods,andthatnightforthefirsttimeinmanydayshesatlongoveracandlestick,andtookafarewellpeepintoherroombeforehewenttobed。
  Thenextdayheworkedwithallhismightharvestingthelastremnantsofearlyspringherbs,inthedry-roomandstore-house,andonfurnitureandcandlesticks。
  Thenhewentbacktoflowergatheringandeverydayofferedbunchesofexquisitewoodandfieldflowersandwhiteandgoldwaterliliesfromdoortodoor。
  ThreeweekslatertheHarvester,perceptiblythin,pale,andworriedenteredtheoffice。Hesankintoachairandgroanedwearily。
  ``Isn’tthisthebitterestluck!’’hecried。``I’vefinishedthetown。I’vealmostwalkedoffmylegs。I’vesoldflowersbythemillion,butI’venothadasightofher。’’
  ``It’sbeenalmostatragedywithme,’’saidthedoctorgloomily。``I’vekilledtwodogsandgrazedababy,becauseIwaswatchingthesidewalksinsteadofthestreet。Whatareyougoingtodonow?’’
  ``IamgoinghomeandbringuptheworktotheJulymark。IamgoingtotakeiteasyandrestafewdayssoIcanthinkmoreclearly。Idon’tknowwhatI’lltrynext。I’vepunchedupthedepotandthepolicemenagain。WhenIgetsomethingnewthoughtoutI’llletyouknow。’’
  Thenhebeganemptyinghispocketsofmoneyandheapingitonthetable,smallcoins,bills,bigandlittle。
  ``Whatonearthisthat?’’
  ``That,’’saidtheHarvester,givingtheheapashoveofcontempt,``thatisthepriceofmyprideandhumiliation。
  Thatiswhatitcostpeoplewhoallowedmetocheekmywayintotheirhomesandrobthem,asonemaidsaid,formyownpurposes。Doc,whereonearthdoesallthemoneycomefrom?InalmosteveryhouseIentered,womenhadittowaste,inmanycasestothrowaway。Ineversawsomuchpaidfornothinginallmylife。Thatwholeheapisfrommushroomsandflowers。’’
  ``Whatareyoupilingittherefor?’’
  ``Foryourfreeward。Idon’twantapennyofit。I
  wouldn’tkeepit,notifIwasstarving。’’
  ``WhyDavid!Youcouldn’tcompelanyonetobuy。
  Youofferedsomethingtheywanted,andtheypaidyouwhatyouasked。’’
  ``Yes,andtokeepthemfrombuying,andtomakethestuffgofarther,Inamedpricestoshameashark。
  WhenIthinkofthatmushroomdealIcanfeelmyfaceburn。I’vemadethesearchIwantedto,andI
  amsatisfiedthatIcan’tfindherthatway。Ihavekeptupmyworkathomebetweentimes。Iamnotoutanythingbutmytime,anditisn’tfairtoplunderthecitytopaythat。TakethatcussedmoneyandputitwhereI’llneverseeorhearofit。Doanythingyouplease,excepttoaskmeevertoprofitbyacent。WhenIwashmyhandsaftertouchingitforthelasttimemaybeI’llfeelbetter。’’
  ``Youareafanatic!’’
  ``Ifgettingridofthatisbeingafanatic,Iamproudofthetitle。Youcan’timaginewhatI’vebeenthrough!’’
  ``Can’tIthough?’’laughedthedoctor。``Inworkofthatkindyougetintoeveryvarietyofplace;andsomeofitisnewtoyou。Nevermind!Noonecancontaminateyou。Itisthelawthatonlyamancandegradehimself。Knowingthingswillnotharmyou。
  Doingthemisadifferentmatter。Whatyouknowwillbeaprotection。Whatyoudoruins——ifitiswrong。Youarenotharmed,youareonlydisgusted。
  Thinkitover,andinafewdayscomebackandgetyourmoney。Itisstrictlyhonest。Youearnedeverycentofit。’’
  ``IfyoueverspeakofitagainorforceitonmeI’lltakeithomeandthrowitintothelake。’’
  HewentafterBetsyandslowlydrovetoMedicineWoods。Belshazzar,ontheseatbesidehim,recognizedasilent,disappointedmasterandwhimperedasherubbedtheHarvester’sshouldertoattracthisattention。
  ``Thisistoughluck,oldboy,’’saidtheHarvester。
  ``IhadsuchhopesandIworkedsohard。Isufferedinthefleshforeveryhourofit,andIfailed。OhbutIhatetheword!IfIknewwheresheisrightnow,Bel,I’dgiveanythingI’vegot。Butthere’snousetowailandgetsorryformyself。That’sagainstthelawofcommondecency。I’lltakeaswim,sleepitoff,straightenuptheherbsalittle,andgoatitagain,oldfellow;that’saman’sway。She’ssomewhere,andshe’sgottobefound,nomatterwhatitcosts。’’
  CHAPTERVIII
  BELSHAZZAR’SRECORDPOINT
  TheHarvestersettheneglectedcabininorder;
  thenhecarefullyanddeftlypackedallhisdriedherbs,barks,androots。Nextcamecarryingthecouchgrass,wildalum,andsoapwortintothestore-
  room。ThenfollowedJulyherbs。Hefirstwenttohisbedsoffoxglove,becausethetenderleavesofthesecondyearshouldbestrippedfromthematfloweringtime,andthatusuallybegantwoweeksearlier;buthisbedlayinashaded,damplocationandthetallbloomstalkswereonlyinhalfflower,theirpalelavendermakinganexquisitepicture。Itpaidtocollectthoseleaves,sotheHarvesterhastilystrippedtheamounthewanted。
  Yarrowwasbeginningtobloomandhegatheredasmuchasherequired,takingthewholeplant。Thatonlybroughtafewcentsapound,butitwasusedentire,sotheweightmadeitworthwhile。
  Catniptopsandleaveswerealsoready。Asitgrewintheopenindrysoilandthebedshadbeenweededthatspring,hecouldgathergreatarmloadsofitwithasickle,buthehadtowatchtheswarmingbees。Heleftthemalefernandmulleinuntilthelastfordifferentreasons。
  Onthedamp,cool,rockyhillside,beneathdeepshadeofbigforesttrees,grewtheferns,theirlong,gracefulfrondswavingsoftly。Treetoadssangonthecoolrocksbeneaththem,chewinksnestedundergnarledrootsamongthem,rose-breastedgrosbeakssangingrape-vinesclamberingoverthethickets,andSingingWaterranclosebeside。SotheHarvesterleftdiggingtheserootsuntilnearlythelast,becausehesodislikedtodisturbthebed。Hecouldnothavedoneitifhehadnotbeenforced。Allofthedemandforhisfernnevercouldbesupplied。OfhisproductsnonewasmoreimportanttotheHarvesterbecausethisformedthebasisofoneoftheoldestandmostreliableremediesforlittlechildren。Thefernhadtobegatheredwithespecialcare,deterioratedquickly,andnostaplewasmoresubjecttoadulteration。
  Sohekepthisbedintact,liftedtherootsatthepropertime,carefullycleanedwithoutwashing,rapidlydriedincurrentsofhotair,andshippedtheminbottlestothetrade。Hechargedandreceivedfifteencentsapound,wherecarelessandindifferentworkersgotten。
  OnthebanksofSingingWater,attheheadofthefernbed,theHarvesterstoodunderagraybeechtreeandlookeddowntheswayinglengthofdelicategreen。Hewasleanandrapidlybronzing,forheseldomrememberedaheadcoveringbecausehelovedthesweepofthewindinhishair。
  ``Ihatetotouchyou,’’hesaid。``HowIwishshecouldseeyoubeforeIbegin。Ifshedid,probablyshewouldsayitwasasin,andthenInevercouldmustercouragetodoitatall。I’dgiveasmallfarmtoknowifthosevioletsrevivedforher。IwascrazytoaskDociftheywerewilted,butIhatedto。IftheywerefromtheonesIgatheredthatmorningtheyshouldhavebeenallright。’’
  Atreetoaddaredhimtocomeon;achipmunkgrewsaucyastheHarvesterbenttoanunlovedtask。Ifhestrippedthebedascloselyashedaredandnotinjureit,hecouldnotfillhalfhisorders;so,deftlyandwithswift,skilfulfingersandanearnestface,heworked。
  Belshazzarcamedownthehillonarush,nosetoearthandbeganhuntingamongtheplants。Henevercouldunderstandwhyhislovedmasterwassocarelessastogotoworkbeforehehadpronounceditsafe。Whenthefernbedwasfinished,theHarvestertooktimetomakeatriptotown,buttherewasnowordwaitinghim;sohewenttothemullein。Itlayonasunnyhillsidebeyondthecouchgrassandjoinedafewsmallfields,theonlyclearedlandofthesixhundredacresofMedicineWoods。
  Overrocksandlittlehillsandhollowsspreadthepale,grayish-yellowofthegreenleaves,andfromfivetosevenfeetarosetheflowerstems,whiletheentireearthbetweenwascoveredwithrosettesofyoungplants。Belshazzarwentbeforetogivewarningifanybigrattlerscurledinthesunonthehillside,andafterhimfollowedtheHarvestercuttingleavesinheaps。Thatwaswarmworkandhecoveredhisheadwithafloppyoldstrawhat,withwetgrassinthecrown,andstoppedoccasionallytorest。
  Helovedthatyellow-facedhillside。Becausesomuchofhisreapinglayintheshadeandcommonlyhisfeetsankindeadleavesanddampearth,thechangewasarest。Hecheerfullystubbedhistoesonrocks,andenduredtheheatwithoutcomplaint。Itappearedtohimasifamemberofeveryspeciesofbutterflyheknewwavereddownthehillside。Thereweregolden-browndanais,withtheirblack-stripedwings,jettytroiluswithanattemptattrailers,bigasterias,velvetyblackwithlongertrailsandwidebandsofyellowdots。CoeniaweremostnumerousofallandtotheHarvesterwonderfullyattractiveinrich,subduedcolourswithawealthofmarkingsandeyespots。Manysmallmoths,withtransparentwingsandnosesredasblood,flashedpasthimhuntingpollen。Goldfinches,intentonthistlebloom,waveredthroughtheairtrailingmellow,happynotesbehindthem,andoftenahumming-birdvisitedthemullein。Onthelakewildlifesplashedandchatteredincessantly,andsometimestheHarvesterpausedandstoodwitharmsheapedwithleaves,tointerpretsomeunusuallyappealingnoteofpainorangerorsomeveryattractivemelody。Thered-wingswereswarming,thekilldeersbusy,andhethoughtoftheDreamGirlandsmiled。
  ``Iwonderifshewouldlikethis,’’hemused。
  Whenthemulleinleavesweredeeponthetraysofthedry-househebeganonthebloomandthatwasataskheloved。Justtolayoffthebedsinswathsandfollowthem,deftlypickingthestamensandyellowpetalsfromtheblooms。Thesehewoulddryspeedilyinhotair,bottle,andsendatoncetobiglaboratories。Thelistedpricewasseventy-fivecentsapound,butthebeautifulgoldenbottlesoftheHarvesteralwaysbroughtmore。
  Theworkwasworthwhile,andhelikedthelocationandgatheringofthisparticularcrop:forthesereasonshealwaysleftituntilthelast,andthenrevelledinthegoldofsunshine,bird,butterfly,andflower。Severaldayswererequiredtoharvestthemulleinandduringthetimethemanworkedwithnimblefingers,whilehisbrainwasintenselyoccupiedwiththequestionofwhattodonextinhissearchfortheGirl。
  Whentheworkwasfinished,hewenttothedeepwoodtotakeapeepatacresofthriftyginseng,andhewassatisfiedashesurveyedthebigbed。Longyearshehadlaboureddiligently;sooncamethereward。Hehadnotrealizeditbefore,butashestudiedthesituationhesawthatheeithermustbeginthisharvestatonceoremployhelp。IfhewaiteduntilSeptemberhecouldnotgatheronethirdofthecropalone。
  ``ButtherootswillweighlessifItakethemnow,’’heargued,``andIcanworkatnothingincomfortuntilIhavelocatedher。Iwillgoonwithmysearchandallowtheginsengtogrowthatmuchheavier。Whatapicture!Itisfollytodisturbthisnow,forIwilllosetheseedofeveryplantIdig,andthatisworthalmostasmuchastheroot。ItisaquestionwhetherIwanttofurnishthemarketwithseed,andsoraisecompetitionformybed。Ithink,bejabbers,thatI’llwaitforthisharvestuntiltheseedisripe,andthenburypartofaheadwhereIdigaroot,astheIndiansdid。That’stheidea!ThemoreIgrow,themoremoney;andI
  mayneedconsiderableforher。OnethingI’dliketoknow:Aretheseplantscultivated?AllthebooksquotethewildathighestratesandallI’veeversoldwaswild。
  Thestartgrewherenaturally。WhatIaddedfromthesurroundingcountrywaswild,butthroughandamongitI’vesownseedIbought,andI’vetendeditwitheverycare。Butthisisdeepwoodandwildconditions。I
  thinkIhaveaperfectrighttosolabelit。I’llaskDoc。
  AndanotherthingI’llgothroughthewoodswestofOnabashawhereIusedtofindginseng,andseeifI
  cangetalittleandthentakethesameamountofplantsgrownhere,andmakeatest。ThatwayIcandiscoveranydifferencebeforeIgotomarket。Thisismygoldmine,andthatpointismightyimportanttome,soI’llgothisveryday。IusedtofinditinthewoodsnortheastoftownandonthelandJamesonbought,west。Wonderifhelivesthereyet。Heshouldhavediedofpuremeannesslongago。I’lldrivetotheriverandhuntalongthebank。’’
  EarlythefollowingmorningtheHarvesterwenttoOnabashaandstoppedatthehospitalfornews。Findingnone,hewentthroughtownandseveralmilesintothecountryontheotherside,toapieceoflowlandlyingalongtheriverbank,whereheoncehadfoundandcarriedhometoresetabigbedofginseng。Ifhecouldgetonlyahalfpoundofrootsfromtherenow,theywouldservehispurpose。Hewentdownthebank,Belshazzarathisheels,andatlastfoundtheplace。Manytreeshadbeencut,butthereremainedenoughforshade;
  thefieldsboretheragged,unattractiveappearanceofold。TheHarvestersmiledgrimlyasherememberedthatthemanwholivedthereoncehadchargedhimfordamagehemightdototreesindrivingacrosshiswoods,andboastedtohisneighboursthatayoungfoolwaspayingfortheprivilegeofdoinghisgrubbing。IfJamesonhadknownwhattherootshewassoanxioustodisposeofbroughtapoundonthemarketatthattime,hewouldhavebeeninsanewithanger。SotheHarvester’seyesweredancingwithfunandawrygrintwistedhislipsasheclamberedoverthebanksoftherecentlydredgedriver,andlookedatitspitifulconditionandstraight,muddyflow。
  ``AppearstomatchtheremainderoftheJamesonproperty,’’hesaid。``Idon’tknowwhoheisorwherehecamefrom,buthe’snofarmer。Perhapsheusesthislandtocorralthestockhebuysuntilhecansellitagain。’’
  Hewentdowntheembankmentandbegantosearchforthelocationwhereheformerlyhadfoundtheginseng。
  Whenhecametotheplacehestoodamazed,forfromseed,roots,andplantshehadmissed,thegrowthhadsprungupandspread,sothatatarapidestimatetheHarvesterthoughtitcontainedatleastfivepounds,allowingforwhatitwouldshrinkonaccountofbeinggatheredearly。Hehesitatedaninstant,andthoughtofcominglater;butthedrivewaslongandthelosswouldnotamounttoenoughtopayforasecondtrip。
  Abouttakingit,heneverthoughtatall。Heoncehadpermissionfromtheownertodigalltheshrubs,bushes,andweedshedesiredfromthatstretchofwoods,andhadpaidforpossibledamagesthatmightoccur。Ashebenttothetasktheredidcomeafleetingthoughtthatthepatchwasweedlessandinunusualshapeforwildstuff。
  Then,withswiftstrokesofhislightmattock,heliftedtheroots,crammedthemintohissack,whistledtoBelshazzar,andgoingbacktothewagon,droveaway。
  Reachinghomehewashedtheginseng,andspreaditonatraytodry。Thefirsttimehewantedthemattockherealizedthathehadleftitlyingwherehehadworked。
  Itwasanimplementthathehaddirectedablacksmithtofashiontomeethisrequirements。Nostorecontainedanythinghalfsousefultohim。Hehadworkedwithitforyearsanditjustsuitedhim,sotherewasnothingtodobutgoback。Betsywastootiredtoreturnthatday,soheplannedtodighisginsengwithsomethingelse,finishhisworkthefollowingmorning,andgetthemattockintheafternoon。
  ``It’slikeaknifeyou’vecarriedforyears,oragun,’’
  mutteredtheHarvester。``Iactuallydon’tknowhowtogetalongwithoutit。WhatmademesocarelessI
  can’timagine。Ineverbeforeinmylifedidatricklikethat。IwonderifIhurriedalittle。Icertainlywasfreetotakeit。Healwayswantedthestuffdugup。Ofallthestupidtricks,Belshazzar,thatwastheworst。
  NowBetsyandahalfdayofwastedtimemustpayformycarelessness。SinceIhavetogo,I’lllookalittlefarther。Maybethereismore。Thosewoodsusedtobefullofit。’’
  Accordingtothisprogramme,thenextafternoontheHarvesteragainwalkeddowntheembankmentofthemourningriverandthroughtheraggedwoodstotheplacewheretheginsenghadbeen。Hewentforward,steppinglightly,asmenofhisracehadwalkedtheforestforages,swervingtoavoidboughs,andlookingstraightahead。Contrarytohisusualcustomofcomingtoheelinastrangewood,Belshazzarsuddenlydartedaroundthemanandtookthepaththeyhadfollowedthepreviousday。Theanimalwasperforminghisofficeinlife;hehadheardorscentedsomethingunusual。TheHarvesterknewwhatthatmeant。Helookedinquiringlyatthedog,glancedaround,andthenattheearth。Belshazzarproceedednoiselesslyatarapidpaceovertheleaves:
  Suddenlythemastersawthedogstopinastiffpoint。
  Liftinghisfeetlightlyandstraininghiseyesbeforehim,theHarvesterpassedaspicethicketandcameinline。
  ForonesecondhestoodasrigidasBelshazzar。Thenexthisrightarmshotupwardfulllength,andbegandescribingcircles,hisopenpalmheavenward,andintohisfaceleaptaglorifiedexpressionofexultation。Facedownintherifledginsengbedlayasobbinggirl。Herframewaslongandslender,athickcoilofdarkhair;
  boundherhead。AsecondmoreandtheHarvesterbentandsoftlypattedBelshazzar’shead。Thebeastbrokepointandlookedup。Themancaughtthedog’schininacaressinggrip,againtouchedhishead,movedsoundlesslips,andwavedtowardtheprostratefigure。Thedoghesitated。TheHarvestermadethesamemotions。
  Belshazzarsoftlysteppedovertheleaves,passedaroundthefeetofthegirl,andpausedbesideher,nosetoearth,softlysniffing。
  Inonemomentshecameswiftlytoasittingposture。
  ``Oh!’’shecriedinaspasmoffright。
  Belshazzarreachedaninvestigatingnoseandwaggedaneagertail。
  ``Whyyouareanicefriendlydog!’’saidthetremblingvoice。
  Heimmediatelyverifiedtheassertionbyofferinghisnoseforakiss。Thegirltimidlylaidahandonhishead。
  ``HeavenknowsI’mlonelyenoughtokissadog,’’
  shesaid,``butsupposeyoubelongtothemanwhostolemyginseng,andthenranawaysofastheforgothis——
  hispiecehediggedwith。’’
  Belshazzarpressedcloser。
  ``Iamjustkilled,andIdon’tcarewhosedogyouare,’’
  sobbedthegirl。
  ShethrewherarmsaroundBelshazzar’sneckandlaidherwhitefaceagainsthissatinyshoulder。TheHarvestercouldendurenomore。Hetookastepforward,hisfaceconvulsedwithpain。
  ``Pleasedon’t!’’hebegged。``Itookyourginseng。
  I’llbringitbackto-morrow。Therewasn’tmorethantwenty-fiveorthirtydollars’worth。Itdoesn’tamounttoonetear。’’
  Thegirlarosesoquickly,theHarvestercouldnotseehowshedidit。Withastartledfrightonherface,andthedarkeyesswimming,sheturnedtohiminonelonglook。
  Wordsrolledfromthelipsofthemaninajumble。Behindthetearstherewasadull,expressionlessblueinthegirl’seyesandherfacewassowhitethatitappearedblank。Hebegantalkingbeforeshecouldspeak,inanefforttosecureforgivenesswithoutcondemnation。
  ``Yousee,IgrowitforalivingonlandIown,andI’vealwaysgatheredalltherewasinthecountryandnoonecared。Thereneverwasenoughinoneplacetopay,andnoothermanwantedtospendthetime,andsoI’vealwaysfeltfreetotakeit。EveryoneknewIdid,andnooneeverobjectedbefore。OnceIpaidHenryJamesonfortheprivilegeofcleaningitfromthesewoods。Thatwassixorsevenyearsago,anditdidn’toccurtomethatIwasn’tatlibertytodigwhathasgrownsince。I’llbringitbackatonce,andpayyoufortheshrinkagefromgatheringittooearly。Therewon’tbemuchoversixpoundswhenit’sdry。Please,pleasedon’tfeelbadly。
  Won’tyoutrustmetoreturnit,andmakegoodthedamageI’vedone?’’
  ThefaceoftheHarvesterwaseagerandhistonesappealing,asheleanedforwardtryingtomakeherunderstand。
  ``Certainly!’’saidtheGirlasshebenttopatthedog,whileshedriedhereyesundercoverofthemovement。
  ``Certainly!Itcanmakenodifference!’’
  ButastheHarvesterdrewadeepbreathofrelief,shesuddenlystraightenedtofullheightandlookedstraightathim。
  ``Ohwhatistheusetotellapitifullie!’’shecried。
  ``Itdoesmakeadifference!Itmakesallthedifferenceintheworld!Ineedthatmoney!Ineeditunspeakably。
  IoweadebtImustpay。What——whatdidI
  understandyoutosayginsengisworth?’’
  ``Ifyouwilltakeafewsteps,’’saidtheHarvester,``andmakeyourselfcomfortableonthislogintheshade,IwilltellyouallIknowaboutit。’’
  Thegirlwalkedswiftlytothelogindicated,seatedherself,andwaited。TheHarvesterfollowedtoarespectfuldistance。
  ``Ican’ttelltoanouncewhatwetrootswouldweigh,’’
  hesaidaseasilyashecouldcommandhisvoicetospeakwiththeheartinhimbeatingwildly,``andofcoursetheylosegreatlyindrying;butI’vehandledenoughthatIknowtheweightIcarriedhomewillcometosixpoundsattheveryleast。Thenyoumustfigureonsomeloss,becauseIdugthisbeforeitreallywasready。ItdoesnotreachfullgrowthuntilSeptember,andifitistakentoosoonthereisadecreaseinweight。IwillmakethatuptoyouwhenIreturnit。’’
  Thetroubledeyesweregazingonhisfaceintently,andtheHarvesterstudiedthemashetalked。
  ``Youwouldthink,then,therewouldbeallofsixpounds?
  ``Yes,’’saidtheHarvester,``closereight。WhenI
  replacetheshrinkagethereisboundtobeoverseven。’’
  ``AndhowmuchdidIunderstandyoutosayitbroughtapound?’’
  ``Thatalldepends,’’answeredhe。``Ifyoucureityourself,anddryittoomuch,youloseinweight。IfyoucarryitinasmalllottothedruggistsofOnabasha,probablyyouwillnotgetoverfivedollarsforit。’’
  ``Five?’’
  Itwasastartledcry。
  ``Howmuchdidyouexpect?’’askedtheHarvestergently。
  ``UncleHenrysaidhethoughthecouldgetfiftycentsapoundforallIcouldfind。’’
  ``IfyourUncleHenryhaslearnedatlastthatginsengisasalablearticleheshouldknowsomethingaboutthepricealso。Willyoutellmewhathesaid,andhowyoucametothinkofgatheringrootsforthemarket?’’
  ``TherewerementalkingbeneaththetreesoneSundayafternoonaboutoldtimesandhuntingdeer,andtheyspokeofpeoplewhomademoneylongagogatheringrootsandbarks,andtheymentionedonemanwholivedbyityet。’’
  ``WashisnameLangston?’’
  ``Yes,IrememberbecauseIlikedthename。Iwassoeagertoearnsomething,andIcan’tleaveherejustnowbecauseAuntMollyisveryill,sothethoughtcamethatpossiblyIcouldgatherstuffworthmoney,aftermyworkwasfinished。Iwentoutandaskedquestions。
  Theysaidnothingbroughtenoughtomakeitpayanyone,exceptthisginsengplant,andtheLangstonmanalmosthadstrippedthecountry。Thenunclesaidheusedtogetstuffhere,andhemighthavegotsomeofthat。Iaskedwhatitwaslike,sotheytoldmeandI
  hunteduntilIfoundthat,anditseemedaquantitytome。OfcourseIdidn’tknowithadtobedried。UncletookarootIdugtoastore,andtheytoldhimthatitwasn’tmuchusedanymore,buttheywouldgivehimfiftycentsapoundforit。WhatMAKESyouthinkyoucangetfivedollars?’’
  ``Withyourpermission,’’saidtheHarvester。
  Heseatedhimselfonthelog,drewfromhispocketanoldpamphlet,andspreadingitbeforeher,ranapencilalongthelineofalistofschedulepricesforcommondrugrootsandherbs。Becauseheunderstood,hiseyeswereverybright,andhisvoiceatriflecrisp。Alatentangerspringinginhisbreastwasagoodcurbforhisemotions。HewascloselyacquaintedwithallofthedruggistsofOnabasha,andheknewthatnotoneofthemhadofferedlessthanstandardpricesforginseng。
  ``ThereasonIthinkso,’’hesaidgently,``isbecausegrowingitisthelargestpartofmyoccupation,anditwasastaplewithmyfatherbeforeme。IamDavidLangston,ofwhomyouheardthosemenspeak。SinceIwasaverysmallboyIhavelivedbycollectingherbsandroots,andIgetmoreforginsengthananythingelse。VeryearlyItiredofhuntingotherpeople’swoodsforherbs,soIbegantransplantingthemtomyown。Imovedthatbedouttheresevenyearsago。WhatyoufoundhasgrownsincefromrootsIoverlookedandseedsthatfellatthattime。NowdoyouthinkIamenoughofanauthoritytotrustmywordonthesubject?’’
  Therewasnotachangeofexpressiononherwhiteface。
  ``Yousurelyshouldknow,’’shesaidwearily,``andyoucouldhavenopossibleobjectindeceivingme。Pleasegoon。’’
  ``Anycountryboyorgirlcanfindginseng,gather,wash,anddryit,andgetfivedollarsapound。Icanreturnyoursto-morrowandyoucancureandtakeittoadruggistIwillnameyou,andsellforthat。Butifyouwillallowmetomakeasuggestion,youcangetmore。Yourrootsarenowonthetraysofanevaporatinghouse。Theywilldrytotheproperdegreedesiredbythetrade,sothattheywillnotloseanextraounceinweight,andifIsendthemwithmystufftobigwholesalehousesIdealwith,theywillbegradedwiththefinestwildginseng。Itisworthmorethanthecultivatedandyouwillgetclosereightdollarsapoundforitthanfive。Thereissomespeculationinit,andthemarketfluctuates:but,asarule,Isellforthehighestpricethedrugbrings,and,attimeswhentheseasonisverydry,Isetmyownprices。ShallIreturnyoursormayIcureandsellit,andbringyouthemoney?’’
  ``Howmuchtroublewouldthatmakeyou?’’
  ``None。Theworkofdiggingandwashingisalreadyfinished。AllthatremainsistoweighitandmakeamemorandumoftheamountwhenIsell。Ishouldverymuchliketodoit。Itwouldbeacomforttoseethemoneygointoyourhands。Ifyouareafraidtotrustme,Iwillgiveyouthenamesofseveralpeopleyoucanaskconcerningmethenexttimeyougotothecity。’’
  Shelookedathimsteadily。
  ``Nevermindthat,’’shesaid。``Butwhydoyouoffertodoitforastranger?Itmustbesometrouble,nomatterhowsmallyourepresentittobe。’’
  ``PerhapsIamgoingtopayyoueightandsellforten。’’
  ``Idon’tthinkyoucan。Fivesoundsfabuloustome。
  Ican’tbelievethat。Ifyouwantedtomakemoneyyouneedn’thavetoldmeyoutookit。Ineverwouldhaveknown。Thatisn’tyourreason!’’
  ``PossiblyIwouldliketoatoneforthosetearsI
  caused,’’saidtheHarvester。
  ``Don’tthinkofthat!Theyareofnoconsequencetoanyone。Youneedn’tdoanythingformeonthataccount。’’
  ``Don’tsearchforareason,’’saidtheHarvester,inhisgentlesttones。``Forgetthatfeatureofthecase。
  SayI’mpeculiar,andallowmetodoitbecauseitwouldbeapleasure。InclosetwoweeksIwillbringyouthemoney。Isitabargain?’’
  ``Yes,ifyoucaretomakeit。’’
  ``Icareverymuch。Wewillcallthatsettled。’’
  ``IwishIcouldtellyouwhatitwillmeantome,’’saidtheGirl。
  ``Ifyouonlywould,’’pleadtheHarvester。
  ``Imustnotburdenastrangerwithmytroubles。’’
  ``Butifitwouldmakethestrangersohappy!’’
  ``Thatisn’tpossible。Imustfacelifeandbearwhatitbringsmealone。’’
  ``Notunlessyouchoose,’’saidtheHarvester。``Thatis,ifyouwillpardonme,anarrowviewoflife。Itcutsotherpeopleoutofthejoyofservice。Ifyoucan’ttellme,wouldyoutrustaverylovelyandgentlewomanI
  couldbringtoyou?’’
  ``Nomorethanyou。Itismyaffair;Imustworkitoutmyself。’’
  ``Iammightysorry,’’saidtheHarvester。``Ibelieveyouerrinthatdecision。Thinkitoveradayorso,andseeiftwoheadsarenotbetterthanone。Youwillrealizewhenthisginsengmatterissettledthatyouprofitedbytrustingme。Thesamewillholdgoodalongotherlines,ifyouonlycanbringyourselftothinkso。
  Atanyrate,try。Tellingatroublemakesitlighter。
  Sympathyshouldhelp,ifnothingcanbedone。Andasformoney,Icanshowyouhowtoearnsumsatleastworthyourtime,ifyouhavenothingelseyouwanttodo。’’
  TheGirlbenttowardhim。
  ``Ohpleasedotellme!’’shecriedeagerly。``I’vetriedandtriedtofindsomewayeversinceIhavebeenhere,buteveryoneelseIhavemetsaysIcan’t,andnothingseemstobeworthanything。IfyouonlywouldtellmesomethingIcoulddo!’’
  ``Ifyouwillexcusemysayingso,’’saidtheHarvester,``itappealstomethatease,notwork,isthethingyourequire。Youappearextremelyworn。Won’tyouletmehelpyoufindawaytoalongrestfirst?’’
  ``Impossible!’’criedtheGirl。``IknowIamwhiteandappearill,buttrulyIneverhavebeensickinallmylife。Ihavebeenhavingtroubleandworkingtoomuch,butI’llbebettersoon。Believeme,thereisnorestformenow。ImustearnthemoneyIowefirst。’’
  ``Thereisaway,ifyoucaretotakeit,’’saidtheHarvester。``InmyworkIhavebecomeverywellacquaintedwiththechiefsurgeonofthecityhospital。
  ThroughhimIhappentoknowthathehasafreebedinabeautifulroom,whereyoucouldrestuntilyouareperfectlystrongagain,andthatroomisemptyjustnow。
  Whenyouarewell,Iwilltellyouaboutthework。’’
  AsshearosetheHarvesterstood,andtallandstraightshefacedhim。
  ``Impossible!’’shesaid。``Itwouldbebrutaltoleavemyaunt。Icannotpaytorestinahospitalward,andIwillnotacceptcharity。Ifyoucanputmeinthewayofearning,evenafewcentsaday,atanythingIcoulddooutsidetheworknecessarytoearnmyboardhere,itwouldbringmeclosertohappinessthananythingelseonearth。’’
  ``WhatIsuggestisnotimpossible,’’saidtheHarvestersoftly。``Ifyouwillgo,insideanhourasweetandgentleladywillcomeforyouandtakeyoutoeaseandperfectrestuntilyouarestrongagain。Iwillseethatyourauntiscaredforscrupulously。Ican’thelpurgingyou。Itisacrimetotalkofworktoawomansomanifestlywornasyouare。’’
  ``Thenwewillnotspeakofit,’’saidtheGirlwearily。
  ``Itistimeformetogo,anyway。Iseeyoumeantobeverykind,andwhileIdon’tintheleastunderstandit,IdohopeyoufeelIamgrateful。Ifhalfyousayabouttheginsengcomestrue,IcanmakeapaymentworthwhilebeforeIhadhopedto。Ihavenowordstotellyouwhatthatwillmeantome。’’
  ``Ifthisdebtyouspeakofwerepaid,couldyourestthen?’’
  ``Icouldliedownandgiveupinpeace,andIthinkIwould。’’
  ``Ithinkyouwouldn’t,’’saidtheHarvester,``becauseyouwouldn’tbeallowed。Therearepeopleinthesedayswhomakeabusinessofsecuringrestforthetiredandoverweary,andtheywouldcomeandpreventthatifyoutriedit。Pleaseletmemakeanothersuggestion。
  Ifyouowemoneytosomeoneyoufeelneedsitandthedebtispreyingonyou,let’spayit。’’
  Hedrewasmallcheck-bookfromhispocketandslippedapenfromaband。
  ``Ifyouwillnametheamountandgivemetheaddress,youshallbefreetogototherestIaskforyouinsideanhour。’’
  Thenslowlyfromheadtofootshelookedathim。
  ``Why?’’
  ``Becauseyourfaceandattitudeclearlyindicatethatyouareovertired。Believeme,youdoyourselfwrongifyourefuse。’’
  ``Inwhatwaywouldchangingcreditorsrestme?’’
  ``Ithoughtperhapsyouwereowingsomeonewhoneededthemoney。Iamnotarichman,butIhavenoonesavemyselftoprovideforandIhavefundslyingidlethatIwouldbegladtouseforyou。Ifyoumakeapointofit,whenyouarerested,youcanrepayme。’’
  ``Mycreditorneedsthemoney,butIshouldpreferowinghimratherthanaperfectstranger。Whatyousuggestwouldhelpmenotatall。Imustgonow。’’
  ``Verywell,’’saidtheHarvester。``Ifyouwilltellmewhomtoaskforandwhereyoulive,Iwillcometoseeyouto-morrowandbringyousomepamphlets。Withtheseandwithalittlehelpyousooncanearnanyamountagirlislikelytoowe。Itwillrequirebutalittlewhile。
  WherecanIfindyou?’’
  TheGirlhesitatedandforthefirsttimeahintofcolourflushedhercheek。Butcourageappearedtobeherstrongpoint。
  ``Doyouliveinthispartofthecountry?’’sheasked。
  ``Ilivetenmilesfromhere,eastofOnabasha,’’heanswered。
  ``DoyouknowHenryJameson?’’
  ``Bysightandbyreputation。’’
  ``Didyoueverknowanythingkindorhumaneofhim?’’
  ``Ineverdid。’’
  ``MynameisRuthJameson。AtpresentIamindebtedtohimfortheonlyshelterIhave。Hiswifeisillthroughoverworkandworry,andIampayingformybedandwhatIdon’teat,principally,byattemptingherwork。ItscarcelywouldbefairtoUncleHenrytosaythatIdoit。IstaggeraroundaslongasIcanstand,thenIsitthroughhisabuse。Heisapleasantman。
  Pleasedon’tthinkIamtellingyouthistoharrowyoursympathyfurther。ThereasonIexplainisbecauseI
  amdriven。IfIdonot,youwillmisjudgemewhenI
  saythatIonlycanseeyouhere。IunderstoodwhatyoumeantwhenyousaidUncleHenryshouldhaveknownthepriceofginsengifheknewitwasforsale。
  Hedid。Heknewwhathecouldgetforit,andwhathemeanttopayme。Thatisoneofhisoriginalmethodswithawoman。IfhethoughtIcouldearnanythingworthwhile,hewouldallowme,ifIkilledmyselfdoingit;andthenhewouldtakethemoneybyforceifnecessary。
  SoIcanmeetyouhereonly。IcanearnjustwhatImayinsecret。Hebuyscattleandhorsesandisawayfromhomemuchoftheday,andwhenAuntMollyiscomfortableIcanhaveafewhours。’’
  ``Iunderstand,’’saidtheHarvester。``Butthisisanaddedhardship。Whydoyouremain?Whysubjectyourselftoforceandworktooheavyforyou?’’
  ``BecausehisistheonlyroofonearthwhereIfeelI
  canpayforallIget。Idon’tcaretodiscussit,Ionlywantyoutosayyouunderstand,ifIaskyoutobringthepamphletshereandtellmehowIcanearnmoney。’’
  ``Ido,’’saidtheHarvesterearnestly,althoughhisheartwashotinprotest。``YoumaybeverysurethatIwillnotmisjudgeyou。ShallIcomeattwoo’clockto-morrow,MissJameson?’’
  ``Ifyouwillbesokind。’’
  TheHarvestersteppedasideandshepassedhimandcrossingtherifledginsengpatchwenttowardalowbrownfarmhouselyinginanunkeptgarden,besidearaggedhighway。Themansatonthelogshehadvacated,heldhisheadbetweenhishandsandtriedtothink,buthecouldnotforbigwavesofjoythatsweptoverhimwhenherealizedthatatlasthehadfoundher,hadspokenwithher,andhadarrangedameetingforthemorrow。
  ``Belshazzar,’’hesaidsoftly,``IwishIcouldleaveyoutoprotecther。EverydayyouprovetomethatIneedyou,butHeavenknowshernecessityisgreater。Bel,shemakesmyheartacheuntilitfeelslikejelly。Thereseemstobejustonethingtodo。Getthatfooldebtpaidlikelightning,andliftheroutofherequickerthanthat。Now,wewillgoandseeDoc,andcalloffthewatch-dogsofthelaw。Aheadofthem,aren’twe,Belshazzar?Thereisabetterdaycoming;wefeelitinourbones,don’twe,oldpartner?’’
  TheHarvesterstartedthroughthewoodsonarush,andastheexercisewarmedhisheart,hegrewwonderfullyglad。Atlasthehadfoundher。Uncertaintywasover。Ifeveragirlneededahomeandcarehethoughtshedid。Hewassojubilantthathefeltlikecryingaloud,shoutingforjoy,butbyandbytheyearsofsoberrepressionmadetheirweightfelt,soheclimbedintothewagonandpolitelyrequestedBetsytomakeherbesttimetoOnabasha。Betsyhadbeenaskedtomakehastesofrequentlyoflatethatsheatfirstalmostdoubtedthesanityofhermaster,thelawofwhoselife,untilrecently,hadbeentotakehistime。Nowheappearedtobeinhasteeveryday。Shehadbecomesoaccustomedtobeingurgedtohurrythatshealmosthaddevelopedagait;soattheHarvester’ssuggestionshedidherlevelbesttoOnabashaandthehospital,whereshelovedtonoseBelshazzarandrestnearthewateringtapunderabigtree。
  TheHarvesterwentdownthehallandintotheofficeontherun,andhisfaceappearedlikeamaterializedembodimentoflivingjoy。DoctorCareyturnedathisapproachandthenboundedhalfwayacrosstheroom,hishandsoutstretched。
  ``You’vefoundher,David!’’
  TheHarvestergrabbedthehandofhisfriendandstoodpumpingitupanddownwhilehegulpedatthelumpinhisthroat,andbigtearssqueezedfromhiseyes,buthecouldonlynodhisproudhead。
  ``Foundher!’’exultedDoctorCarey。``Reallyfoundher!Wellthat’sgreat!Sitdownandtellme,boy!
  Isshesick,aswefeared?Didyouonlyseeherordidyougettotalkwithher?’’
  ``Wellsir,’’saidtheHarvester,chokingbackhisemotions,``yourememberthatginsengItoldyouaboutgettingontheoldJamesonplacelastnight。To-day,IlearnedI’dlostthathand-mademattockIusemost,andIwentbackforit,andthereshewas。’’
  ``Inthecountry?’’
  ``Yessir!’’
  ``Wellwhydidn’twethinkofitbefore?’’
  ``Isupposefirstwewouldhavehadtosatisfyourselvesthatshewasn’tintown,anyway。’’
  ``Sure!Thatwouldbethelogicalwaytogoatit!
  Andsoyoufoundher?’’
  ``Yessir,Ifoundher!JustBelshazzarandI!Iwasgoingalongonmywaytotheplace,andheranpastmeandmadeastiffpoint,andwhenIcameup,thereshewas!’’
  ``Thereshewas?’’
  ``Yessir;thereshewas!’’
  Theyshookhandsagain。
  ``Thenofcourseyouspoketoher。’’
  ``YesIspoketoher。’’
  ``Wereyoupleased?’’
  ``Withherspeechandmanner?——yes。But,Doc,ifeverawomanneededeverythingonearth!’’
  ``Welldidyougetanykindofastartmade?’’
  ``Icouldn’tdosoverymuch。Ihadtogoalittleslowforfearoffrighteningher,butItriedtogethertocomehereandshewon’tuntiladebtsheowesispaid,andshe’sinnoconditiontowork。’’
  ``Gotanyideahowmuchitis?’’
  ``No,butitcan’tbeanylargesum。Itriedtooffertopayit,butshehadnohesitationintellingmeshepreferredowingamansheknewtoastranger。’’
  ``Wellifsheissoparticular,howdidshecometotellyoufirstthingthatshewasindebt?’’
  TheHarvesterexplained。
  ``OhIsee!’’saidthedoctor。``Wellyou’llhavetobabyheralongwiththeideathatsheisearningmoneyandpayherdoubleuntilyougetthatoffhermind,andwhileyouareatit,putinyourbestlicks,myboy;perkrightupandcourtherlikeahouseafire。Womenlikeit。
  Allofthemdo。Theygloryinfeelingthatamaniscrazyaboutthem。’’
  ``WellI’minsaneenoughoverher,’’saidtheHarvester,``butI’dhatelikethenationforhertoknowit。
  Seemsasifawomancouldn’trespectsuchanaddle-pateasIamlately。’’
  ``Don’tyouworryaboutthat,’’advisedthedoctor。
  ``Justyoumakelovetoher。Goatitinthegoodold-
  fashionedway。’’
  ``Butmaybethe`goodold-fashionedway’isn’tmyway。’’
  ``What’sthedifferencewhosewayitis,ifitwins?’’
  ``ButKiplingsays:`Eachmanmakeslovehisownway!’’’
  ``Iseemtohaveheardyoumentionthatnamebefore,’’saidthedoctor。``Doyouregardhimasanauthority?’’
  ``Ido!’’saidtheHarvester。``Especiallywhenheadvisesmeaftermyownheartandreason。MissJamesonisnotasillygirl。She’sawoman,andtwenty-fouratleast。Idon’twanthertocareforatrickorapretence。Idowanthertoloveme。NotthatIamworthherattention,butbecausesheneedssomestrongmanfearfully,andIamreadyandmore`willing’thantheoriginalBarkis。But,likehim,Ihavetoletherknowitinmyway,andcourtheraccordingtothepromptingsofmyheart。’’
  ``Youdeceiveyourself!’’saidthedoctorflatly。``That’sallbosh!Yourtonguesaysitforthesatisfactionofyourears,anditdoessoundwell。Youwillcourtheraccordingtoyourideasoftheconventions,asyouunderstandthem,andstrictlyinaccordancewithwhatyouconsidertherespectdueher。Ifyouhadfollowedthethingyoucallthe`promptingsofyourheart,’youwouldhavepickedherupbymainforceandbroughthertomybestward,insteadofmerelysuggestingitandgivingupwhenshesaidno。Ifyouhadfollowedyourheart,youwouldhavechokedthenameandamountoutofherandpaidthatdevilishdebt。Youwalkawayinacaselikethat,andthenhavethenervetocomehereandpratetomeaboutfollowingyourheart。I’llwagermylastdollaryourheartissorebecauseyouwerenotallowedtohelpher;butonthepropositionthatyoufolloweditspromptingsIwouldn’tstakeapenny。That’salltommy-rot!’’
  ``Itis,’’agreedtheHarvester。``Utter!Butwhatcanamando?’’
  ``Idon’tknowwhatyoucando!I’dhavepaidthatdebtandbroughthertothehospital。’’
  ``I’llgoandaskMrs。Careyaboutyourcourtship。I
  wantherhelponthis,anyway。IcanpickupMissJamesonandbringherhereifanymancan,butsheisnursingasickwomanwhodependssolelyonherforcare。
  Sheisaboveaveragesize,andshehasaverydecidedmindofherown。Idon’tthinkyouwoulduseforceanddowhatyouthinkbestforher,ifyouwereinmyplace。Youwouldwaituntilyouunderstoodthesituationbetter,andknewthatwhatyoudidwasforthebest,ultimately。’’
  ``Idon’tknowwhetherIwouldornot。Onethingissure:I’mmightygladyouhavefoundher。MayI
  tellmywife?’’
  ``Pleasedo!AndaskherifImaydependonherifIneedawoman’shelp。NowI’llcalloffthevaliantpoliceandgohomeandtakeagood,soundsleep。Haven’thadmanysinceIfirstsawher。’’
  SoBetsytrotteddownthevalley,uptheembankment,crossedtherailroad,overtheleveeacrossSingingWater,andupthehilltothecabin。Astheypassedit,theHarvesterjumpedfromthewagon,tossedthehitchingstraptoBelshazzar,andentered。Hewalkedstraighttoherdoor,unlockedit,anduncovering,wentinside。
  Softlyhepassedfrompiecetopieceofthefurniturehehadmadeforher,andthensurveyedthewallsandfloor。
  ``Itisn’thalfgoodenough,’’hesaid,``butitwillhavetoansweruntilIcandobetter。SurelyshewillknowItriedandcareforthat,anyway。Iwonderhowlongitwilltakemetogetherhere。Oh,ifIonlycouldknowshewascomfortableandhappy!Happy!Shedoesn’tappearasifsheeverhadheardthatword。Wellthiswillbeagoodplacetoteachher。I’vealwaysenjoyedmyselfhere。I’mgoingtohavefaiththatIcanwinherandmakeherhappyalso。WhenIgotothestabletodomyworkforthenightifIcouldknowshewasinthiscabinandgladofit,andifIcouldhearherdownheresinginglikeahappycare-freegirl,I’dscarcelybeabletoendurethejoyofit。’’
  CHAPTERIX
  THEHARVESTERGOESCOURTING
  ``SheisonHenryJameson’sfarm,fourmileswestofOnabasha,’’saidtheHarvester,asheopenedhiseyesnextmorning,andlaidacaressinghandonBelshazzar’shead。``Attwoo’clockwearegoingtoseeher,andwearegoingtoprolongthevisittotheultimatelimit,soweshouldmakethingscountherebeforewestart。’’
  Heworkedinamannerthataccomplishedmuch。Thereseemednoendtohisenergythatmorning。Despatchingtheusualroutine,hegatheredtheherbsthatwereready,spreadthemontheshelvesofthedry-house,foundtimetodoseveralthingsinthecabin,andpolishapieceoffurniturebeforeheatehislunchandhitchedBetsytothewagon。Healsohadrecoveredhisvoice,andtalkedalmostincessantlyasheworked。Whenitnearedtimetostarthedressedcarefully。HestoodbeforehisbookcaseandselectedseveralpamphletspublishedbytheDepartmentofAgriculture。Hewenttohisbedsandgatheredalargearmloadofplants。ThenhewasreadytomakehisfirsttriptoseetheDreamGirl,butitneveroccurredtohimthathewasgoingcourting。
  Hehaddecidedfullythattherewouldbenousetotrytomakelovetoagirlmanifestlysoillandintrouble。
  Thefirstthing,itappearedtohim,wastodispelthedepression,improvethehealth,andthendothelovemaking。So,inthemostbusiness-likemannerpossibleandwithoutashadeofembarrassment,theHarvestertookhisherbsandbooksandstartedfortheJamesonwoods。Attimesashedrovealongheespiedsomethingthatheusedgrowingbesidetheroadandstoppedtosecureaspecimen。
  Hecamedowntheriverbankandreachedtheginsengbedathalf-pastone。Hewaspurposelyearly。Helaiddownhisbooksandplants,androlledthelogonwhichshesatthedaybeforetoamoreshadedlocation,whereabigtreewouldserveforabackrest。Hepulledawaybrushandwindfalls,heapeddrybrownleaves,andtrampedthemdownforherfeet。Thenhelaidthebooksonthelog,thearmloadofplantsbesidethem,andwenttotherivertowashhissoiledhands。
  Belshazzar’sshortbarktoldhimtheGirlwascoming,andbetweenthetreeshesawthedogracetomeetherandshebenttostrokehishead。Sheworethesamedressandappearedevenpalerandthinner。TheHarvesterhurriedupthebank,wipinghishandsonhishandkerchief。
  ``Gladtoseeyou!’’hegreetedhercasually。``I’vefixedyouaseatwithabackrestto-day。Don’tbefrightenedatthestackofherbs。Youneedn’tgatherallofthose。Theyareonlysuggestions。Theyarejustcommonroadsideplantsthathavesomemedicinalvalueandareworthcollecting。Pleasetrymydavenport。’’
  ``Thankyou!’’shesaidasshedroppedonthelogandleanedherheadagainstthetree。Itappearedasifhereyesclosedafewsecondsinspiteofher,andwhiletheywereshuttheHarvesterlookedsteadilyandintentlyonafaceofexquisitebeauty,butsomarredbypallorandlinesofcarethatsearchwasrequiredtorecognizejusthowhandsomeshewas,andifhehadnotseenherinperfectioninthedreamtheHarvestermighthavemissedgloriouspossibilities。Tobringbackthatvisionwouldbeataskworthwhilewashisthought。WiththefirstfaintquiverofaneyelashtheHarvestertookafewstepsandbentoveraplant,andashedidsotheGirl’seyesfollowedhim。
  Heappearedsotallandstrong,sobronzedbysummersunandwind,hisfacesokeenandintense,thatswiftfearcaughtherheart。Whywashethere?Whyshouldhetakesomuchtroubleforher?Withdifficultysherestrainedherselffromspringingupandrunningaway。
  TurningwiththeplantinhishandtheHarvestersawthepanicinhereyes,andittroubledhisheart。Foraninstanthewasbewildered,thenheunderstood。
  ``Idon’twantyoutoworkwhenyouarenotable,’’hesaidinhismostmatter-of-factvoice,``butifyoustillthinkthatyouare,I’llbeveryglad。Ineedhelpjustnow,morethanIcantellyou,andthereseemtobesofewpeoplewhocanbetrusted。Gatheringstufffordrugsisreallyveryseriousbusiness。Yousee,I’veareputationtosustainwithsomeofthebiggestlaboratoriesinthecountry,nottomentionthefactthatIsometimestrycompoundinganewremedyforsomecommoncomplaintmyself。IrathertakeprideinthefactthatmystuffgoesinsofreshandcleanthatIalwaysgetanywherefromthreetotencentsapoundabovethelistedpricesforit。I
  wantthatmoney,butIwantanunbrokenrecordfordoingajobrightandbeingsquareandcareful,muchmore。’’
  Hethoughttheappearanceoffrightwasfading,andatingeofinteresttakingitsplace。Shewaslookingstraightathim,andashetalkedhecouldseehersummoninghertiredforcestounderstandandfollowhim,sohecontinued:
  ``Onewouldthinkthatasmedicinesarerequiredincasesoflifeanddeath,collectorswoulduseextremecaution,butsomeofthemarecriminallycareless。It’sacommonthingtogatheralmostanyfernformalefern;tothrowinanythingthatwillincreaseweight,towashimperfectly,andcommitmanyothersinsthatliewiththecollector;beyondthatIdon’tliketothink。Isupposetherearemenwhodeliberatelyadulteratepurestufftomakeitgofarther,butwhenitcomestodrugs,Iscarcelycanspeakofitcalmly。Iliketodoathingright。I
  raisemostofmyplants,bushes,andherbs。Igatherexactlyinseason,washcarefullyifwaterdarebeused,cleanthemotherwiseifnot,anddrythembyahotairsysteminanevaporatorIbuiltpurposely。EachpackageIputupispurestuff,clean,properlydried,andfresh。IfIcaughtanymanintheactofadulteratinganyofitI’mafraidhewouldgethurtbadly——andusuallyIamapeaceableman。Iamexplainingthistoshowhowverycarefulyoumustbetokeepthingsseparateandcollecttherightplantsifyouaregoingtosellstufftome。Iamextremelyparticular。’’
  TheGirlwasleaningtowardhim,watchinghisface,andherswasslowlychanging。Shewasdeeplyinterested,muchimpressed,andmoreatease。WhentheHarvestersawhehadtalkedherintoconfidencehecrossedtheleaves,andsittingonthelogbesideher,pickedupthebooksandopenedone。
  ``OhIwillbecareful,’’saidtheGirl。``Ifyouwilltrustmetocollectforyou,IwillundertakeonlywhatIamsureIknow,andI’lldoexactlyasyoutellme。’’
  ``Thereareadozenthingsthatbringapricerangingfromthreetofifteencentsapound,thatareinseasonjustnow。Isupposeyouwouldliketobeginonsomecommon,easythings,thatwillbringthemostmoney。’’
  Withoutabreathofhesitationsheanswered,``Iwillcommenceonwhateveryouareshortofandneedmosttohave。’’
  TheheartoftheHarvestergavealeapthatalmostchokedhim,forhewasvividlyconsciousofabrokenshoeshewashidingbeneathherskirts。Hewantedtosay``thankyou,’’buthewasafraidto,soheturnedtheleavesofthebook。
  ``Iamworkingjustnowonmullein,’’hesaid。
  ``OhIknowmullein,’’shecried,withalmostahintofanimationinhervoice。``Thetall,yellowflowerstemrisingfromacircleofgreenfeltleaves!’’
  ``Good!’’saidtheHarvester。``Whataprettywaytodescribeit!Doyouknowanymoreplants?’’
  ``Onlyafew!Ihadahigh-schoolcourseinbotany,butitwasallaboutflowerandleafformation,nothingatallofwhatanythingwasgoodfor。Ialsolearnedafew,drawingthemforleatherandembroiderydesigns。’’
  ``Lookhere!’’criedtheHarvester。``Icamewithanarmloadofherbsandexpectedtotellyouallaboutfoxglove,mullein,yarrow,jimson,purplethornapple,blessedthistle,hemlock,hoarhound,lobelia,andeverythinginseasonnow;butifyoualreadyhaveaprofession,whydoyouattemptanewone?Whydon’tyougoondrawing?Ineversawanythingsostupidasmostofthedesignsfromnatureforbookcoversanddecorations,leatherworkandpottery。Theyarethesameoldsubjectsworkedoverandover。Ifyoucandrawenoughtomakeoriginalcopies,Icanfurnishyouwithflowers,vines,birds,andinsects,new,unused,andofexquisitebeauty,foreverymonthintheyear。I’velookedintothematteralittle,becauseIamratherhandywithaknife,andIcarvecandlesticksfromsuitablepiecesofwood。Ialwayshavetroublegettingmydesignscopied;securingsomethingnewandunusual,never!Ifyoucandrawjustwellenoughtoreproducewhatyousee,gatheringdrugsistooslowandtiresome。
  WhatyouwanttodoistoreproducethesubjectsI
  willbring,andI’llbuywhatIwantinmywork,andselltheremainderattheartsandcraftsstoresforyou。