Occasionally the great house seemed nothing
lessthan a mausoleum to enshrine the memory of a child. Beyond,Bills empty wagon
barred the road. Precious time would be lost in theyard; for the colt he was riding
could not stand the pace. At Nicolls Corner his car caught upwith the procession and
passed it in silence.
He had seemed quiet enough; but only now didhe
master his anger.
He had replaced his ageing bronchos by another
drivingteam, still more magnificent.
Bill, from the far end of the culvert, had been
yelling frantically,Whoa, whoa, there!
But land values had gone up since the war. All
which meant that Abe wassuddenly deprived of half his help.
In the city and in construction camps a man
couldearn three or four dollars a day.
Thats where youre wrong, Wheeldon replied. At the
feeding platform, two empty wagons were being replaced byfresh ones. What would
happen when the supply of iron ores wasexhausted? But such a vessel may be engulfed
by such a sea. Bill was still staggeringforward; apparently he had been hurt by his
fall.
As Abe turnedback to his load, the Frenchman caught
his eye and smiled.
Perhaps thefertility of the soil was beginning to
show the effects of manycroppings. He would soon finish his eighth gradeat
school.
Thus Bill lay motionless on the ground;the horse, a
Clyde, was breathing but foundered.
On Abes place, hens laid eggs inwinter; cows were
milked by a machine. He also listened more patiently to others, trying to get
theirpoint of view.
An hour later, Charlies body was taken home in
Bills wagon. Everybody knewthat Wheeldon was driving at.