There had been a "warm spell" in the month of February and John had asked Elizabeth to help him with the pump in the barnyard, which had been working badly for days. It was Saturday evening, and Jake and the other hired man had been granted time off that day; the pump had refused to work at all after they were gone, and with a hundred cattle waiting for water it was necessary to impress any one available with the duty of helping. Elizabeth was more than willing to help: it meant a couple of hours out of doors. They had worked industriously and their efforts were about crowned with success when Mrs. Hunter came out to them with the baby wrapped in a warm shawl. John tossed aside the extra piece of leather he had cut from the top of an old boot and fitted the round piece in his hand about the sucker. "Now, mother, you shouldn't bring that child out here; You'll have him sick on our hands again," he said. "Oh, lots of children go out of doors in winter. I took you out whenever I wanted to, and you've lived to tell the tale," his mother said easily, seating herself on the end of the trough. "Well, I don't want anything to happen to him for a few days, I can tell you. I want you to keep him and let Elizabeth go in to town with me and sign the mortgage on this eighty, Monday," John replied, examining the valve with great attention. "Why, I thought this eighty was already mortgaged!" Mrs. Hunter exclaimed. "Well, it is," John replied uneasily, "but I've got to raise the interest before I can get that bunch of shoats ready to sell, and I've got to do it that way." He did not look at either of the two women, but kept himself very busy about the rod and sucker he was manipulating. Mrs. Hunter seldom remarked upon anything that was done about the farm, but this was surprising news. _A second mortgage_ on part of the land! She had just opened her mouth to speak, when she happened to glance across at her daughter-in-law. Elizabeth's face was white. Something in it implored Mrs. Hunter to go away, to leave them to have the matter out together, and the older woman took her cue from it and went with a haste which caused her son to look up from the piston with which he fumbled. "She's gone to the house; I motioned to her to go," Elizabeth announced. "She don't know much about mortgages, but she knows this won't do. You told me last week that the hogs would be ready in time. My soul alive, John! do you realize what you are doing? This is the home-eighty! What's happened to the hogs?" "Say, look here! If I want to mortgage this eighty, I'm going to do it. Those hogs are just where it pays to feed them. If I sell now, I'll lose half the profits."