Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-05-25
CHAPTER XVIII

after mile with never a jerk or a
bog. Except at the section lines
where they're corrected to fit in
with the narrowing for the North
Pole. First on one side, then on
the other, like squares on checker
board, were the white houses and
red barns. They looked nice. 1t
was certainly thousand times bet
ter than the hodgepodge, helter-skel-
ter way they had things in New York
State.
Even in so short a time, the coun-
tryside seemed to be changing. At
least, could see things more clear
y. Farmers had once been paid to
have advertisements painted on their
barns; the rate was pitiful, some
times as low as five dollars; and
there for years would be the hide
GUS sign. Sometimes, due to
changes, the farmer would put a
new door in his barn, or cut a win
dow, and there'd be gap in the let
tiers, like a missing tooth.
These signs on barns we're dis
appearing; some were reappearing
on billboards. But the effect was
not so horrific as I had known in
my youth. Some are still there, not
so bold or blatant as they were
but lingering like December flies.
And there, when we got to the
farm, was Phebe standing in the
door, beaming through her gold
trimmed glasses.
The first thing was for Pa and me
to walk across the farm"
We came to a sunken place.
"That's Dave" said Pa. We stood
In silence for few moments. Then
Pa said, II always liked Dave"
realized I always had, too.
AS we walked along, he gave lit
tie clearing signs in his throat, as he
always did when he was getting
ready to say something important.
well, Homer, I've got piece of
news you'll be interested in. Phebe
and l are planning on getting mar
ried!" There was moment of anx-
ious silence. II thought maybe you'd
approve of it. She's always been a
second mother to YOU
Of course I approved of it and l
told him so. "I'm glad to hear you
speak that way" he said.
When we got back to the house,
Phebe was in the kitchen. II guess
your father told your" she said anx-
iously.
eyes, and I'm pleased"
IT hoped you would be-" she
said, as she went on with her work.
The people, I found, were more
prosperous. Our hack was re-
placed by surrey with fringe
around its canopy top. People who
had once ridden in two-wheeled
carts tlike the one mother and l had
been in when Dave had not kept to
the straight and narrow were now
dashing around in buggies. In no
time at all, buggies had rubber tires.
II boy with plain iron tires on his
buggy asked girl to Ego" with him,
his goose was cooked The day when
my father had courted my mother
with lead pencil and roll of Gin
namon bark was gone. And the day
when l had walked over to a girls
house and we had popped corn to-
gether was gone, too. A boy now
had to have spanking team of
horses and buggy top that would
fold back, or he couldn't get to first
base. Boys no longer visited with
girls in the backs of grocery stores.
They had to take the girls into drug
stores which had ice cream foun-
tains. The expense was staggering.
was more of a visitor than had
ever been before. I helped a little,
but it was more gesture than real
work. Pa still chung to the idea that
maybe l would come back where l
belonged. How much was I max
ing? ut was $40 week. Well,
didn't l think there was a good 3D.
portunity on a farm? He never quite
said "the." Then he told about a
neighbor boy who had gone to Soda
Liza to study telegraphy and had got
to gambling and running around with
q fast set. Finally his father had to
60 down and get him.
Pa asked about New York and
when I told him about the great
crowds and the high buildings, he
shook his head, puzzled. Why did
] want to subject myself to them?
Ibid you visit the stockyards, Ho-
mer?" When I told him they didn't
have stockyards, as we knew them
in st. Joseph and Kansas City and
Omaha, he was flabbergasted. How
did they get their livestock dressed?
! told him vaguely it was "shipped
in" but his mind about New York
was already made up.
He asked exactly what did and
when I told him that, for the most
part, I sat around and read pieces
that other people had written, he