A few minutes later, some of the neighbors were much surprised to see Bagley and myself going up the road together.
My wife, Merton, and tenderhearted Mousie were at the head of the lane watching for me. Reassured, as we approached, they returned wonderingly to the house, and met us at the door.
“This is Mrs. Durham,” I said. “My dear, please give Mr. Bagley ten pounds of flour and a piece of pork. After you’re had your dinner, Mr. Bagley, I shall expect you, as we’ve agreed. And if you’ll chain up that dog of yours, or, better still, knock it on the head with an axe, Mrs. Durham will go down and see your wife about fixing up your children.”
Winifred gave me a pleased, intelligent look, and said, “Come in, Mr. Bagley;” while Merton and I hastened away to catch up with neglected work.
“Your husband’s been good to me,” said the man, abruptly.
“That’s because he believes you are going to be good to yourself and your family,” was her smiling reply.
“Will you come and see my wife?” he asked.
“Certainly, if I don’t have to face your dog,” replied Winifred.
“I’ll kill the critter soon’s I go home,” muttered Bagley.
“It hardly pays to keep a big, useless dog,” was my wife’s practical comment.
In going to the cellar for the meat, she left him alone for a moment or two with Mousie; and he, under his new impulses, said: “Little gal, ef my children hurt your flowers agin, let me know, and I’ll thrash ’em!”
The child stole to his side and gave him her hand, as she replied, “Try being kind to them.”
Bagley went home with some new ideas under his tattered old hat. At half past twelve he was on hand, ready for work.
“That dog that tried to bite ye is dead and buried,” he said, “and I hope I buried some of my dog natur’ with ’im.”
“You’ve shown your good sense. But I haven’t time to talk now. The old man has mown a good deal of grass. I want you to shake it out, and, as soon as he says it’s dry enough, to rake it up. Toward night I’ll be out with the wagon, and we’ll stow all that’s fit into the barn. Tomorrow I want your two eldest children to come and pick berries.”
“I’m in fer it, Mr. Durham. You’ve given me your hand, and I’ll show yer how that goes furder with me than all the blood and thunder talk in Maizeville,” said Bagley, with some feeling.
“Then you’ll show that you can be a man like the rest of us,” I said, as I hastened to our early dinner.
My wife beamed and nodded at me. “I’m not going to say anything to set you up too much,” she said. “You are great on problems, and you are solving one even better than I hoped.”
“It isn’t solved yet,” I replied. “We have only started Bagley and his people on the right road. It will require much patience and good management to keep them there. I rather think you’ll have the hardest part of the problem yet on your hands. I have little time for problems now, however, except that of making the most of this season of rapid growth and harvest. I declare I’m almost bewildered when I see how much there is to be done on every side. Children, we must all act like soldiers in the middle of a fight. Every stroke must tell. Now, we’ll hold a council of war, so as to make the most of the afternoon’s work. Merton, how are the raspberries?”
“There are more ripe, papa, than I thought there would be.”
“Then, Winnie, you and Bobsey must leave the weeding in the garden and help Merton pick berries this afternoon.”
“As soon as it gets cooler,” said my wife, “Mousie and I are going to pick, also.”
“Very well,” I agreed. “You can give us raspberries and milk tonight, and so you will be getting supper at the same time. Until the hay is ready to come in, I shall keep on hoeing in the garden, the weeds grow so rapidly. Tomorrow will be a regular fruit day all around, for there are two more cherry trees that need picking.”
Our short nooning over, we all went to our several tasks. The children were made to feel that now was the chance to win our bread for months to come, and that there must be no shirking. Mousie promised to clear away the things while my wife, protected by a large sunshade, walked slowly down to the Bagley cottage. Having seen that Merton and his little squad were filling the baskets with raspberries properly, I went to the garden and slaughtered the weeds where they threatened to do the most harm.
At last I became so hot and wearied that I thought I would visit a distant part of the upland meadow, and see how Bagley was progressing. He was raking manfully, and had accomplished a fair amount of work, but it was evident that he was almost exhausted. He was not accustomed to hard work, and had rendered himself still more unfit for it by dissipation.
“See here, Bagley,” I said, “you are doing well, but you will have to break yourself into harness gradually. I don’t wish to be hard upon you. Lie down under this tree for half an hour, and by that time I shall be out with the wagon.”
“Mr. Durham, you have the feelin’s of a man for a feller,” said Bagley, gratefully. “I’ll make up the time arter it gets cooler.”
Returning to the raspberry patch, I found Bobsey almost asleep, the berries often falling from his nerveless hands. Merton, meanwhile, with something of the spirit of a martinet, was spurring him to his task. I
