Page:Emma Speed Sampson--The shorn lamb.djvu/168

164 parts of the land and the useless lying fallow of other parts, and the constant drain of the swarm of lazy darkeys who inhabited the quarters, working when it pleased them and thieving at all times.

"Why do you leave the harrows out in the weather to rust?" Philip asked Old Abe as they stumbled over one in a field. It had been there long enough to be covered with morning glory vines and grass had grown over it in thick mats.

"’Taint' gwine ter hurt the harrow," the old man explained, "it's gwine ter do it good. The timber in all them boughten impelments needs weatherin' an' what rus' fawms on the pints er the harrow jes' preserves 'em. That there rus' is jes' as good ter preserve them harrow pints as a coat er paint."

Philip smiled and Old Abe congratulated himself that he was able to impart some wisdom to the young man who had taken such a superior tone with him. The old man was rather pleased that Mam' Peachy was to be dethroned. He had been under the thumb of his powerful mother for so long that it would be pleasant to know that no longer was she to be the boss of The Hedges. He was desperately afraid of his mother, but she could hardly blame this affair