"She does. She does everything."
"Well, it's a shame. She oughtn't to, and only thirteen. I'll speak to Nathan about it."
At her commanding tone, Rufus grinned. "You've come back looking as if you could run the world, Dorinda," he observed, with envy. "I wish I could go away. I'd start to-morrow, if it wasn't for Pa."
"Yes, that's why I came back. We can't leave Pa and Ma now. But it's hard on you, Rufus."
"You bet it is! It's my turn to get away next."
She assented. "I know it. If the time comes when Pa can do without you, I'll help you to go. You'll never make much of a farmer."
He stared moodily at the road, but she could see that her promise had encouraged him. "There's nothing in it," he answered. "I believe it is the meanest work ever made. You may slave till you drop, and there's never anything to show for it. Look at Pa."
"Pa never had a chance. He grew up at the wrong time. But all farming isn't bad. Suppose we had a dairy farm?"
He grinned again. "O Lord! with one cow! You're out of your head!"
"Perhaps. Anyway, I've come back to see what I can do."