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For a moment there was a bedlam of noise, shouts, and laughter.
For a moment it
looked as if shemight unbend. Thus she turned her attention to her horses and
ignoredthe men at their work. As soon as he gets his title,theyll lose the
place; and they know it.
True, he had seen in his visions awife and children;
but the wife had been a symbol merely. They followed a bush trail, winding from
side to side over thetimbered road-allowance.
Many spoke German which
Amundsenseemed to understand though he spoke it only in a broken way.
They were
in everlasting motion and seemed tobe dancing with merriment. Around here the
women and children all have towork. There was something repulsiveabout his
self-sufficiency.
Everybodyexcept his wife felt embarrassed. By the time youre
ready to prove up, in the bush, youve paidfor the place in work three times
over. He was at the college all right, but feeding pigs.
And here he is in debt
again to the tune of some two thousanddollars. But before Niels could reach for
the rope and throw it, the waterhad risen to Nelsons chest. Not aword did the
two exchange; and yet they were quite alone.
Thank the Lord, now the haulingand
snow-melting is over at last! He lowered his eye and went on withhis work, a
little too eagerly perhaps: he was self-conscious. She seems to have taken a
fancy to you, Nelson startled him bysaying. It looked like a fairy
dwelling,untouched, virgin, and immeasurably lonesome .
And, turning to
Niels,she added, We have been using the water from the ditch .
Not aword did
the two exchange; and yet they were quite alone. But before Niels could reach
for the rope and throw it, the waterhad risen to Nelsons chest.
They backed the
wagon up to the shack and unhitched the horses. A small pile ofwood was
provided against a homecoming. Ill clear enough to break four or five more
inspring. Some time during the afternoon Niels had an occasion to go into
thehouse.
Shestopped at the well and sprang to the ground. The homestead is
his; but hehasnt proved up.
It looked like a fairy dwelling,untouched, virgin,
and immeasurably lonesome .
Lund protested, pushing her sleeves up aboveher
elbows and baring powerful forearms.
There was something repulsiveabout his
self-sufficiency.
So we adopted Bobby from the childrens home.
In the box of
her sleigh there were two tanks.
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