embarrassed, so she felt a bit sorry for him.
“I guess … Did Lizzie tell you we want to be married in the fall?” he started.
“No! Really? She didn’t tell me!” Dat leaned forward, slapping his knee. “But do you think a secret like that would survive 10 minutes in this house? Of course, I know. Annie told me.”
“Well, anyway,” Stephen said, grinning shyly, “we wondered whether you would be able to give us some land if we want to build a house.”
“Land? Would I give you land? How much?”
“Oh, just a small plot, enough for a house and barn. Maybe an acre.”
“An acre? Oh, of course. We could do that. I don’t know how much money you have, but you know if you have an acre of ground, that’s enough collateral to be able to acquire a loan to build your house. Did you know that? And if you don’t build a very big house, you know not a real big one—you don’t really need it the first five years that you’re married—you can always add on later, you know.”
Stephen nodded.
“And another thing. If you build your house close enough to ours, you won’t have to build your barn right away. You can always use our barn to keep your horse in. But then, maybe you wouldn’t want that either. Where do you want to build? Surely not down in the flats. If we get another flood like Hurricane Agnes, your whole house would be under water. No, that’s not going to work, building your house in the flats.”
Stephen nodded.
“You could build your house along the road, there where those three ranch houses were built recently. That would work. The only thing is, it’s on top of a hill. Do you mind building your house on a hill? Now me, I always liked a view. To be able to look around and see for miles. That’s a good feeling, a real good feeling. If you don’t mind living on a hill, I’ll give you an acre. Do you want to walk up there and see it?”
Stephen looked at Lizzie, and she nodded her head eagerly.
“All right,” he said.
“Let me get my hat,” Dat said on his way to the kitchen.
“You sure you’re not too tired?” Stephen asked when Dat returned.
“Nah.”
Lizzie smiled to herself, thinking how self-assured and confident Dat sounded. He probably felt proud to be able to be Stephen’s benefactor, the person who made it possible for them to build a house. He was all excited, waving his arm for emphasis as he talked almost continuously while they walked behind the barn and up over the alfalfa field adjoining the pasture behind it.
“Yes, it spites me not to be able to farm this land anymore, but I guess it’s like Annie says. If you’re not cut out to be a farmer, you never will be one. I guess that’s me. I still can’t figure out what happened, but the cows died, we had dry weather, and in no time flat, we were struggling to keep our heads above water. Then I got this MS, and I knew it was time to give it up.”
Stephen nodded.
“Another thing. Not farming makes me grateful for my job, too. A farmer never gets done. He just quits in the evening, and the way my legs are now, I can relax in the evening when I come home. Now, here. Right about here.”
Dat stopped, waved his arm, and asked, “What do you think?”
They stood in the middle of an alfalfa field on top of a rounded slope that led gently down to the small country road below. There were three new ranch-style houses out farther along this road, but a good distance from where they stood. There was a field across the road, a low one that led to the creek and was filled with small locust trees.
Stephen looked around without saying anything. Lizzie was so thrilled, she was afraid if she said anything at all, it would break this wonderful, too-good-to-be-true feeling of standing on this hill, thinking this would be the exact spot where her new house would be. So she didn’t say anything.
“It looks all right,” he said finally. That was all. Just that.
So Dat started talking again, waving his arms while
“I guess … Did Lizzie tell you we want to be married in the fall?” he started.
“No! Really? She didn’t tell me!” Dat leaned forward, slapping his knee. “But do you think a secret like that would survive 10 minutes in this house? Of course, I know. Annie told me.”
“Well, anyway,” Stephen said, grinning shyly, “we wondered whether you would be able to give us some land if we want to build a house.”
“Land? Would I give you land? How much?”
“Oh, just a small plot, enough for a house and barn. Maybe an acre.”
“An acre? Oh, of course. We could do that. I don’t know how much money you have, but you know if you have an acre of ground, that’s enough collateral to be able to acquire a loan to build your house. Did you know that? And if you don’t build a very big house, you know not a real big one—you don’t really need it the first five years that you’re married—you can always add on later, you know.”
Stephen nodded.
“And another thing. If you build your house close enough to ours, you won’t have to build your barn right away. You can always use our barn to keep your horse in. But then, maybe you wouldn’t want that either. Where do you want to build? Surely not down in the flats. If we get another flood like Hurricane Agnes, your whole house would be under water. No, that’s not going to work, building your house in the flats.”
Stephen nodded.
“You could build your house along the road, there where those three ranch houses were built recently. That would work. The only thing is, it’s on top of a hill. Do you mind building your house on a hill? Now me, I always liked a view. To be able to look around and see for miles. That’s a good feeling, a real good feeling. If you don’t mind living on a hill, I’ll give you an acre. Do you want to walk up there and see it?”
Stephen looked at Lizzie, and she nodded her head eagerly.
“All right,” he said.
“Let me get my hat,” Dat said on his way to the kitchen.
“You sure you’re not too tired?” Stephen asked when Dat returned.
“Nah.”
Lizzie smiled to herself, thinking how self-assured and confident Dat sounded. He probably felt proud to be able to be Stephen’s benefactor, the person who made it possible for them to build a house. He was all excited, waving his arm for emphasis as he talked almost continuously while they walked behind the barn and up over the alfalfa field adjoining the pasture behind it.
“Yes, it spites me not to be able to farm this land anymore, but I guess it’s like Annie says. If you’re not cut out to be a farmer, you never will be one. I guess that’s me. I still can’t figure out what happened, but the cows died, we had dry weather, and in no time flat, we were struggling to keep our heads above water. Then I got this MS, and I knew it was time to give it up.”
Stephen nodded.
“Another thing. Not farming makes me grateful for my job, too. A farmer never gets done. He just quits in the evening, and the way my legs are now, I can relax in the evening when I come home. Now, here. Right about here.”
Dat stopped, waved his arm, and asked, “What do you think?”
They stood in the middle of an alfalfa field on top of a rounded slope that led gently down to the small country road below. There were three new ranch-style houses out farther along this road, but a good distance from where they stood. There was a field across the road, a low one that led to the creek and was filled with small locust trees.
Stephen looked around without saying anything. Lizzie was so thrilled, she was afraid if she said anything at all, it would break this wonderful, too-good-to-be-true feeling of standing on this hill, thinking this would be the exact spot where her new house would be. So she didn’t say anything.
“It looks all right,” he said finally. That was all. Just that.
So Dat started talking again, waving his arms while
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