through poor Marek's thick head was that all
exertion was meritorious. He always bore
down on the handles of the cultivator and
drove the blades so deep into the earth that
the horses were soon exhausted.

In June Ambrosch went to work at Mr.
Bushy's for a week, and took Marek with him
at full wages. Mrs. Shimerda then drove the
second cultivator; she and Antonia worked in
the fields all day and did the chores at night.
While the two women were running the place
alone, one of the new horses got colic and gave
them a terrible fright.

Antonia had gone down to the barn one
night to see that all was well before she went
to bed, and she noticed that one of the roans
was swollen about the middle and stood with
its head hanging. She mounted another horse,
without waiting to saddle him, and hammered
on our door just as we were going to bed.
Grandfather answered her knock. He did not
send one of his men, but rode back with her
himself, taking a syringe and an old piece of
carpet he kept for hot applications when our
horses were sick. He found Mrs. Shimerda
sitting by the horse with her lantern, groan-
ing and wringing her hands. It took but a few

[[151]]

p150 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p151w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p152

v?