Read Online Black Hills (9781101559116) by Rod Thompson - Free Book Online
Authors: Rod Thompson
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quickly stepped away from the stream to run down the riverbank quietly. He stepped gently into the water with little splashing. Taking a position facing upstream, he straddled the gentle current flowing along the edge, bending at the waist to rest his elbows on his knees. He spread his fingers wide and held them, unmoving, close to the water then waited motionlessly.
They both held their breath and watched the large fish swimming lazily along the edge of the stream, grabbing insects from the surface from time to time as they presented themselves. On the alert for small creatures, it paid no attention to the shadow of a large figure bending over the water until it was suddenly scooped out of the water.
âHey, hey, hey!â Cormac called proudly, holding up the wriggling fish as Lainey laughed, âWe got supper.â
Indeed they did have supper. Mrs. Schwartz offered to cook it, but Lainey expertly had it cleaned, filleted, and fried by the time Mrs. Schwartzâs potato soup was ready. All agreed it was a fine meal, and with Lainey once again able to be her real self, their relationships began to grow deeper after that and their little group began the process of becoming a real family.
When the Schwartzes squabbled, they lapsed into full German, which Cormac and Lainey found amusing. Hearing it, sometimes he or Lainey would giggle, earning them dirty looks that usually turned into smiles, if not laughter. Friendship born of necessity solidified and shared respect evolved as each found their place in the workload. Nobody tried to be the boss and nobody shirked the work needing doing. They all worked well together and everyone pulled their own weight.
Cormac was pleased to see even Lainey was a hard worker, in the house as well as the fields. She showed no hesitation, even in cleaning stalls and spreading manure in the fields.
âYou do that so nicely,â he teased as he walked passed where she was helping them prepare a field for fall plowing.
She was a sight to see wearing an old pair of faded blue bib overalls she had altered over a red cotton blouse, standing calf-deep in a manure-filled wagon while casting one shovelful at a time in a wide arc away from the rear of the wagon. Without skipping a beat, she targeted him with the next arc and laughed at him getting out of her way.
âThatâll teach you not to mess with someone whoâs trying to get some work done,â she told him as she stood up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and brushed back the jumble of red hair that was adding to her discomfort.
âAw, you donât worry me,â he called back over his shoulder. âYou couldnât hit me if I was standing still.â
âOh, you think not, do you?â
âI know so. Heck, you couldnât hit a bull in the butt with a scoop shovel.â
An evil grin spread across Laineyâs face as she picked up a baseball-sized chunk of dried cow manure and bounced it off the back of his head. âUh oh,â she said as he whirled and charged back at her.
She hit the ground running and led Cormac on a merry chase around the field, jumping away and laughing at him every time he tried to grab her and missed. Finally, she ran to where Mr. Schwartz was pulling out some sunflower plants by their roots. Circling to the other side of him, she danced back and forth to keep him between them.
âAlright yoou two leettle kids,â he said in an exaggerated German accent, pretending to be mad with his face all grouchy. âYoous get avay from me and go doo your nonsense some udder places. I gotâs vork to dooo. Yoou keep this up and I turn yoou both over my kneee. Now vhat yoou tink about that?â
Letting him win the game, they both pretended to be admonished. âYes, sir,â they said dutifully, and started back for the wagon. Four steps later, he grabbed at her, she ducked, and they ran laughing to the wagon, which she jumped into, and went back to
They both held their breath and watched the large fish swimming lazily along the edge of the stream, grabbing insects from the surface from time to time as they presented themselves. On the alert for small creatures, it paid no attention to the shadow of a large figure bending over the water until it was suddenly scooped out of the water.
âHey, hey, hey!â Cormac called proudly, holding up the wriggling fish as Lainey laughed, âWe got supper.â
Indeed they did have supper. Mrs. Schwartz offered to cook it, but Lainey expertly had it cleaned, filleted, and fried by the time Mrs. Schwartzâs potato soup was ready. All agreed it was a fine meal, and with Lainey once again able to be her real self, their relationships began to grow deeper after that and their little group began the process of becoming a real family.
When the Schwartzes squabbled, they lapsed into full German, which Cormac and Lainey found amusing. Hearing it, sometimes he or Lainey would giggle, earning them dirty looks that usually turned into smiles, if not laughter. Friendship born of necessity solidified and shared respect evolved as each found their place in the workload. Nobody tried to be the boss and nobody shirked the work needing doing. They all worked well together and everyone pulled their own weight.
Cormac was pleased to see even Lainey was a hard worker, in the house as well as the fields. She showed no hesitation, even in cleaning stalls and spreading manure in the fields.
âYou do that so nicely,â he teased as he walked passed where she was helping them prepare a field for fall plowing.
She was a sight to see wearing an old pair of faded blue bib overalls she had altered over a red cotton blouse, standing calf-deep in a manure-filled wagon while casting one shovelful at a time in a wide arc away from the rear of the wagon. Without skipping a beat, she targeted him with the next arc and laughed at him getting out of her way.
âThatâll teach you not to mess with someone whoâs trying to get some work done,â she told him as she stood up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and brushed back the jumble of red hair that was adding to her discomfort.
âAw, you donât worry me,â he called back over his shoulder. âYou couldnât hit me if I was standing still.â
âOh, you think not, do you?â
âI know so. Heck, you couldnât hit a bull in the butt with a scoop shovel.â
An evil grin spread across Laineyâs face as she picked up a baseball-sized chunk of dried cow manure and bounced it off the back of his head. âUh oh,â she said as he whirled and charged back at her.
She hit the ground running and led Cormac on a merry chase around the field, jumping away and laughing at him every time he tried to grab her and missed. Finally, she ran to where Mr. Schwartz was pulling out some sunflower plants by their roots. Circling to the other side of him, she danced back and forth to keep him between them.
âAlright yoou two leettle kids,â he said in an exaggerated German accent, pretending to be mad with his face all grouchy. âYoous get avay from me and go doo your nonsense some udder places. I gotâs vork to dooo. Yoou keep this up and I turn yoou both over my kneee. Now vhat yoou tink about that?â
Letting him win the game, they both pretended to be admonished. âYes, sir,â they said dutifully, and started back for the wagon. Four steps later, he grabbed at her, she ducked, and they ran laughing to the wagon, which she jumped into, and went back to
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