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—[Slowly and vindictively.] That’s just like him—not to.

—[Resentfully.] Rob’s too good a chum to try and stop me when he knows I’m set on a thing. And he could see just as soon’s I told him what a good chance it was. You ask him about it.

—[Dazedly.] And you’re bound on going?

—Sure thing. Oh, I don’t mean right off. I’ll have to wait for a ship sailing there for quite a while, likely. Anyway, I want to stay to home and visit with you folks a spell before I go.

—[Dumbly.] I s’pose. [With sudden anguish.] Oh, Andy, you can’t go! You can’t. Why we’ve all thought—we’ve all been hoping and praying you was coming home to stay, to settle down on the farm and see to things. You mustn’t go! Think of how your Ma’ll take on if you go—and how the farm’ll be ruined if you leave it to Rob to look after. You can see that.

—[Frowning.] Rob hasn’t done so bad. When I get a man to direct things the farm’ll be safe enough.

—[Insistently.] But your Ma—think of her.

—She’s used to me being away. She won’t object when she knows it’s best for her and all of us for me to go. You ask Rob. In a couple of years down there I’ll make my pile, see if I don’t; and then I’ll come back and settle down and turn this farm to the crackiest place in the whole state. In the mean-