No one said a word. Kate continued: "Then Father secured our
home school for her and I had to spend the winter going to school
to her, when you very well know that I always studied harder, and
was ahead of her, even after she'd been to Normal. And I got up
early and worked late, and cooked, and washed, and waited on her,
while she got her lessons and reports ready, and fixed up her nice
new clothes, and now she won't touch the work, and she is doing
all she can to help Father keep me from going."

"I never knew Father to need much help on anything he made up his
mind to," said Adam.

Kate sat very tense. She looked steadily at her brother, but he
looked quite as steadily at his plate. The back of her sister-in-
law was fully as expressive as her face. Her head was very erect,
her shoulders stiff and still, not a curl moved as she poured
Adam's tea and Susan's milk. Only Adam, 3d, looked at Kate with
companionable eyes, as if he might feel a slight degree of
interest or sympathy, so she found herself explaining directly to
him.

"Things are blame unfair in our family, anyway!" she said,
bitterly. "You have got to be born a boy to have any chance worth
while; if you are a girl it is mighty small, and if you are the
youngest, by any mischance, you have none at all. I don't want to
harp things over; but I wish you would explain to me why having
been born a few years after Nancy Ellen makes me her slave, and
cuts me out of my chance to teach, and to have some freedom and
clothes. They might as well have told Hiram he was not to have any
land and stay at home and help Father because he was the youngest