Lesia's Dream Read Online Free PDF Page B

Minnie flounced away.
    The familiar prickle of embarrassment stung the back of Lesia’s neck. To think she’d envied Minnie’s long, blond hair and the elegant, factory-made skirts that rustled when she walked. Well, Minnie Korol may have been a pretty girl, but, as Baba would have said, the zluidni had touched her head. The zluidniwere those nasty little creatures who lived in the forest and brought misery to everything they touched. And they had touched Minnie and tarnished her soul.
    â€œHere you go, Lesia.” Pearl handed her a steaming bowl of pyrohy.”You may put these on the table.”
    Minnie glared at her.
    Besides the pyrohy, there was stewed rabbit, pickled beets, warm bread, jugs of milk and a platter of holubtsi, the cabbage rolls they ate back home at festive times, when they had enough cabbage and filling to make them.There was even sour cream to go with them. Lesia hadn’t seen that in years!
    â€œYou’ll need a milk cow, and oxen to clear the land,” Paul was telling Papa as Lesia prepared a plate of food for Mama.”Or you could find someone with a ploughing outfit and pay him to do the work for you.
    â€œWe’ll clear by hand.” Papa waved away his con-cerns.”And we can do without milk for the summer. There’s a creek full of water.”
    After handing Mama her plate, Lesia balanced Sonia on her knee and began to eat, listening quietly as the men continued to talk.
    Andrew frowned. “I’ll lend you the money for the oxen. And a cow. Pay me back when you can,” he said. “This winter. Next summer even.”
    Andrew Korol was quieter than his brother Paul. Just twenty, he had thick black hair, a square determined chin and the saddest blue eyes Lesia had ever seen. He had married nine months ago and lost his young wife to consumption a few months later. According to Pearl, Andrews half section of land was very profitable. It was thriving, but Andrew wasn’t. That’s why Pearl insisted he eat at least one meal a day with them.
    Sonia grabbed at the smoked rabbit. Lesia broke offa small piece, handed it to her and watched Papa shake his head.
    â€œYou and your brother have done enough for us already,” he said. “A team of oxen costs seventy dollars. And a cow is worth another twenty-five. I already owe the landowner in Shuparka one hundred rynskys.”A muscle twitched nervously in Papa’s cheek. “I can’t borrow more money.”
    â€œYou need to take care of your family.” Andrew’s eyes brushed over Lesia. “They’re all you have.”
    She swallowed a small piece of warm, buttered bread.Andrew had to understand. They already owed him five dollars for the doctor’s bill. And Papa was too proud to borrow more.
    It was Ivan’s turn to speak. “Once we clear the first ten acres, I’ll find work. On the railroad maybe.”
    â€œWork is getting harder to come by,” Paul said.“Wages are low. Working conditions in Winnipeg are terrible.”
    Ivan nodded. “I hear there’s a movement afoot to organize the labourers.”
    Papa frowned. “Stay out of it, Ivan. Remember how you were watched in Shuparka.”
    â€œThis isn’t Ukraine, Papa. Canada is a democracy.” Ivan looked amused. “Freedom of speech is allowed. Workers are allowed to express their opinions.”
    â€œTrue enough,” Paul agreed with Ivan. “But there’s repression here too. We must fight for what’s right. “The older man’s eyes burned with conviction. “Just be careful. Look over your shoulder. Both of them.”
    The men laughed. Ivan rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Lesia and Mama exchanged grins. Ivan had obviously found a kindred spirit in Paul Korol. Thank goodness her brother would be too busy to become politically involved!
    When everyone was finished eating, Lesia shyly asked Papa if she could see the deed to their land. She