and its surroundings. The spot was, indeed, beautiful, and an hour
after she had arrived she knew that she would love it. The Lumano
River was a wide stream and from the little window of the chamber that
Aunt Alviry said would be her own, she could look both up and down the
river for several miles.

Uncle Jabez had a young man to help him in the mill. It was true, Aunt
Alviry said, that Jasper Parloe had worked for some time at the Red
Mill; but he was quarrelsome and Mr. Potter had declared he was not
honest. When the mill owner was obliged to be absent and people had
come to have corn or wheat ground, paying for the milling instead of
giving toll, Jasper had sometimes kept the money instead of turning it
over to Mr. Potter. This had finally resulted in a quarrel between the
two, and Mr. Potter had discharged Parloe without paying him for his
last month's work.

The young newcomer had learned a great deal about the big mill and the
homestead, and about the work Aunt Alviry had to do, before the first
meal was prepared. She was of much assistance, too, and when Uncle
Jabez came in, after washing at the pump, but bringing a cloud of
flour with him on his clothes, the old woman was seated comfortably in
her chair and Ruth "dished up the dinner."

At the end of his meal her uncle spoke just once to Ruth. "You have
l'arned to work, I see. Your Aunt Alviry has trouble with her back and
bones. If you make yourself of use to her you can stay here. I expect
all cats to catch mice around the Red Mill. Them that don't goes into
the sluice. There's enough to do here. You won't be idle for want of
work."