You must ride on
with Mr. Thorndyke and me."
This to Virginia--who stretched out her hands to me, and then buried her
face in them in Grandma Thorndyke's lap. She was crying so that she did
not hear me when I asked:
"Why can't we go on as we are? I've got a farm. I'll take care of her!"
"Children!" snorted grandma. "Babes in the wood!"
I think she told the elder in some way without words to take me off to
one side and talk to me; for he hummed and hawed, and asked me if I
wouldn't show him my horses. I told him that I was driving cows, and
went with him to see them. I now had six again, besides those I had left
with Mr. Westervelt back along the road toward Dubuque; and it took me
quite a while to explain to him how I had traded and traded along the
road, first my two horses for my first cows, and then always giving one
sound cow for two lame ones, until I had great riches for those days
in cattle.
He thought this wonderful, and said that I was a second Job; and had
every faculty for acquiring riches. I had actually made property while
moving, an operation that was so expensive that it bankrupted many
people. It was astonishing, he insisted; and began looking upon me with
more respect--making property being the thing in which he was weakest,
except for laying up treasures in Heaven. He was surprised, too, to
learn that cows could be made draught animals. He had always thought of
them as good for nothing but giving milk.
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