Page 172 (1/2)

For a week, Kate lay so dazed she did not care whether she lived

or died; then she slowly crept back to life, realizing that

whether she cared or not, she , to quit because she was soul sick; she had to go on She

had life to face for herself and her children She wondered dully

about her people, but as none of the neighbours who had taken care

of her said anything concerning them, she realized that they had

not been there At first she was alht people They would have had so to say; they

would have said it tersely and to the point

Adas he

had bought for her to the Hartleythe remainder in the Hartley Bank to her credit; but

that remainder was less than one hundred dollars That winter was

a long, dreadful nightmare to Kate Had it not been for Aunt

Ollie, they would have been hungry some of the tiht of sending for her

to her; then as not even a line came from any of

her fa that much

Batesto do

with her Often she sat for hours staring straight before her,

trying to straighten out the tangle she had h in the reality of living, she now

lived over in day and night dreaained nothing thereby

All winter Kate brooded, barelyto keep alive, and the

children in school As spring opened, she shook herself, arose,

and went to work It was not planned, syste she saw needed the doing

The children helped to arden and clean the yard Then all