I wonder, said Charlie, whether they areall right?
Shall I tell you what Ivebeen praying for? Abeestimated his yield at forty bushels
per acre. Run, he said, leading the way in huge strides to the stack.
Would you mind, he said with an ironicimitation of
Hilmers sobriety, would you mind, Mr.
Neither a wetspring nor a wet summer did Abe any
harm.
We know nothing about God, he saidhesitatingly.
Thewhole caravan crossed over to the wild land in the west and circledthe farm in
the dusk. He was standing and playing with the lapel ofAbes coat. And youve seen a
change since the colt arrived?
Here,Abe meant to turn into the fields; but there
was a tug at his arm.
They say itsnicer to have a lady
teacher.
He felt as though a sacrifice were needed
topropitiate the fates.
Charlie turned, playing with his fathers
watch-chain. Nor did his wife,a broad, comfortable woman, shrink from such tasks as
she could do.
With an additional binder its a question oftwo,
three days.
When he did, it did not mean much to him: he
wasplanning beyond his boldest dreams. There were three granaries in Abes yard,each
holding seven thousand bushels.
Abe never calledCharlie sonny except when he was
teasing him. One of the assets which we are counting on. Unless some major disaster
interfered, this crop wouldplace him at the goal of his ambitions.
With a pang he realized thathe was missing much in
life. Abe felt overwhelmed with the difficulty of the situation. Abesdriving power
told; for two weeks, work in the fields became anorgy. It seemed a daring thing to
do, contradictingall conventions.
I dont know, he said slowly, how much you can
understand ofthis. A Ukrainian by name of Horanski moved into the house west of
theyard. Twice, during the first day, there was trouble with the two
oldestbinders.
People had heard him for miles around; sounds carry
far over theprairie.