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At Camp Leedy, where the Kansas volunteers mobilized on the old Fair Ground on the outskirts of Topeka, Thaine Aydelot sat under the shelter of his tent watching the water pouring down the canvas walls of other tents and overflowing the deep ruts that cut the grassy sod with long muddy gashes.
Every neighborhood needs a man or two without family ties. You'll be the most useful citizens in that corner of the prairies. And think of eating Jim Shirley's cooking after this." "And you, Thaine? What now?" Pryor asked as he looked fondly at the young battle-tried soldier. "I have done my work here," Thaine quoted his words.
In the afternoon the cool grove was inviting, and Thaine and Jo loitered about in careless enjoyment of woodland shadows and wind-dimpled waters and Sabbath quiet and one another. "I want father to have a little boathouse over by the lily corner and make a picnic place here sometime," Thaine said as they sat by the lake in the late afternoon. "Such a nice place for you to come in the summer.
Thaine had been listening intently and now he broke in with face aglow and eyes full of eagerness. "God forbid!" Carey said. "The lure of the drum beat might be hard for older men to resist even now." "Your hand will fit a plow handle better than a gun-stock, Thaine," his father assured him, looking down at the boy's square, sun-browned hand with a dimple in each knuckle.
Rosie Gimpke came back last night and she promised me shortcake and sauerkraut and pretzels and schooners of Grass River water. Do come." Indeed, Thaine had been most uncomfortable since the day at Wykerton, and he wanted to be especially good to Jo now. He didn't know exactly why, nor had he felt any jealousy at the bright looks and the leisure preference she had just given to Todd Stewart.
At the Sunflower Ranch, Carey drew rein to let Thaine leave them. Leigh, putting both arms about the little boy's neck, kissed him good-by, saying: "I have known you always because you are the Thaine" she caught her breath, and added: "You must come to my uncle Jim's and see me." "I will, I will," Thaine assured her.
The query was daringly put, but the beauty of the girl's striking face seemed to warrant anything from her lips, however daring. "A tremendous lot, I know that," Thaine replied quickly, and Jo dropped her eyes and began to chatter of other things.
They sat awhile looking out at the prairies and the line of the river glistening in the gloaming. A faint pink tone edged some gray cloud flakes in the southwest sky and all the scene was restful in the soft evening light. At last Thaine said thoughtfully: "I haven't heard the bugle trumpet for my call to battle yet.
Thaine was a sturdy, sun-browned little fellow of seven years, with blooming cheeks and big dark eyes. He was rather under than over normal size, and in the simplicity of plains life he had still the innocence of the very little boy. "Good morning, Thaine. Good morning, Aydelot. Are you just getting home? Let me take you out. I'm going your way myself," Dr. Carey said. "Good morning.
Carey says Uncle Jim couldn't have held out long at general farming. But the Coburn book was right. The alfalfa is the silent subsoiler, and when the whole quarter is seeded we'll pull that mortgage up by the roots, all right." She looked up with shining eyes, and Thaine took both of her hands in his, saying: "I must tell you good-by now.
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