George always had a little money, more than she could see how he got from the farming.

There were a few calves and pigs to sell occasionally; she thought possibly he saved his share from them.
For four years, Kate struggled valiantly to keep pace with what her mother always had done, and had required of her at home; but she learned long before she quit struggling that farming with George was hopeless.

So at last she became so discouraged she began to drift into his way of doing merely what would sustain them, and then reading, fishing, or sleeping the remainder of the time.

She began teaching her children while very small, and daily they had their lessons after dinner, while their father slept.
Kate thought often of what was happening to her; she hated it, she fought it; but with George Holt for a partner she could not escape it.
She lay awake nights, planning ways to make a start toward prosperity; she propounded her ideas at breakfast.

To save time in getting him early to work she began feeding the horses as soon as she was up, so that George could go to work immediately after breakfast; but she soon found she might as well save her strength.