Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-05-04
CHAPTER XIV

farm, he told me with a sort of rush.
ing eagerness the things that had
happened. The stock well had had
a cave-in and he'd had to take off
the platform, lower a scaffold into
the well and brick up the wall. He'd
got new zinc float for the horse
tank; didn't know how it'd work
when the tank froze.
He asked, with the same rushing
eagerness, my Judgment" on things
my judgment which was so feeble
IN comparison to his. Did I think
we ought to turn the steers, or feed
them out? told him as best could,
but there was that pull to do the
things I had my heart set on. Yet,
the Croy farm did look lovely. .
That evening I heard Pa coming
to the house for the milk buckets,
and I got up and went out. "Ho-
mer, you needn't help tonight" he
said and marched off with the buck
cts.
At night Pa usually read our farm
papers, but tonight we visited. Ma
asked again about the food and
about the bed. Had 1 gone to
church? She was silent when l eX-
planned I had had to work on Sun
day, and I wished heartily I had
managed to get in some church at
tendance. What did 1 do on my day
off? When told her that went to
Lake Contrary and roller-skated, she
wanted to know what "kind" of peo-
pie went there.
told about my trip to the south
St. Joseph stockyards. Pa could
hardly get enough of that. "You
didn't see any of the Clay Robin
son men, did your" Clay Robinson
was the name of the firm we shipped
to, but of course hadn't seen him,
nor any of his buyers.
Ma and I were alone, and a fine
personal understanding floated over
us and folded us into its warmth.
Our voices grew lower and lower,
and we became more conscious of
each other, and closer and closer
in understanding. Then she began
to pinch fold of her dress, with
her thumb and forefinger, as she so
often did when she was thinking, but
not knowing quite what to say. Then
she said it in a choked whisper:
Homer, you didn't have anything to
do with bad girls, did your"
''No, Mother" 1 said firmly.
She released the fold and settled
back in her chair.
Tho hNH,c f,;r1, ~,
went to Drake University, Grinnell
College, William Jewell College,
Park College, or to the University of
Missouri. Now and then one strayed
off to the University of Kansas. Or
to the University of Iowa. Only one
boy in our county went to Harvard
But his father was rich and could
afford the things the rest of us
couldn't. When he came back, in
stead of having his neck shaved
straight across, he had what he
called "feather-edge" neck hair
cut. 1t opened our eyes to the pos
sibilities of an eastern education.
I wanted to go to the University
of Missouri, but there was the mat
ter of money; and I had the same
feeling of inadequacy I had when l
had thought of going to high school.
Could l make success among all
those smart girls and boys? But I
did want to go. University! Even
the name had thrilling sound.
When proposed it to Pa, he
thought of the cost; but he was
pleased. His boy goin' off to school.
There would be the matter of work,
but he could manage it some way or
other. His boy must get him an ed
ucation. Pa who had hardly
any.
I found he was thinking in the
terms of farming. When told him
I did not want to study agriculture
at all, he was hurt. Well, I must
work out such things for myself, he
supposed.
The decision meant expenditure.
We bought a valise, so l would not
have to take the old telescope with
the mouse hole, and tin camel
backed trunk, with a special hat ar
rangement, like Reno Davis. Pa
and Ma took me to the depot (Wa-
bash, this time) and got on the
train, and, once more, my little
world slid away from me.
Other boys and girls were on the
train, but was too shy to get ac-
.quainted.
I had the name of a rooming
house and, Juggling my precious va
lise, started out looking for the ad-
dress. There-through the trees-I
caught a glimpse of the university.
As saw the five ancient ivy-cov-
cred columns and the great build
ings lining the campus, and the boys
and girls walking briskly and conf
IDENTITY up and down, again I was
afraid would 60 back home
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