Magnus and Harran Derrick had not yet been able to make up the time lost at the beginning of the season, when they had waited so long for the ploughs to arrive.
They had been behindhand all the time.

On Annixter's ranch, the land had not only been harrowed, as well as seeded, but in some cases, cross-harrowed as well.

The labour of putting in the vast crop was over.

Now there was nothing to do but wait, while the seed silently germinated; nothing to do but watch for the wheat to come up.
When Annixter reached the ranch house of Los Muertos, under the shade of the cypress and eucalyptus trees, he found Mrs.Derrick on the porch, seated in a long wicker chair.

She had been washing her hair, and the light brown locks that yet retained so much of their brightness, were carefully spread in the sun over the back of her chair.