The Work and the Glory Read Online Free PDF Page B

eighty acres each. When Benjamin first came to Palmyra and heard about the acreage north of town, he stopped at the Harris home to inquire about it. He had been impressed. It was a clapboard home of generous proportions with a well-kept yard and farm buildings. Benjamin had liked the man immediately. Evidently the feeling was reciprocal, for Harris had gone out of his way to assist Benjamin with the details of the sale.
    As he strode up, Harris swept off his hat and bowed slightly to Mary Ann. “Mornin’, Mrs. Steed.” As was customary for him, he was well dressed in a long jacket with tails, linen shirt, vest, and trousers. The hat was beaver skin and well made. He wore a gold ring on one finger, and a watch chain dangled from the pocket of his vest. In his mid-forties, he was not a particularly tall man, only about five feet eight inches. But he was of medium build and of a narrow face, and this, coupled with the long, tailored coat, made him seem taller than he was. He wore a neatly trimmed beard, Greek style, running from sideburn to sideburn underneath the chin, but leaving the face and the front of his chin completely clean shaven. He had clear blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a sharply defined nose, straight and pointed. At first impression he seemed to be stern and cheerless, but the impression was quickly dispelled once he started to converse, for he was of a pleasant and affable nature.
    Mary Ann nodded and smiled in return to his greeting. He put the hat back on and shook hands firmly with Nathan. “Mornin’, Nate.” With soberness he did the same with Matthew. “And how is young Master Steed?”
    Matthew beamed. “I’m fine, Mr. Harris. Thank you for askin’.”
    Finally Harris turned to Benjamin and gripped his hand. “Good morning, Ben.”
    “Hello, Martin.”
    Harris turned back to Mary Ann. “Mrs. Harris sent over a jar of blackberry preserves. I left it at the house.”
    “Well, how nice of her. Please give her our thanks.”
    “I will.” He turned back to Benjamin. “I stopped by to see if there was any provisions you or your wife might be needing from town. I’ve got some wheat being ground at the mill.”
    Mary Ann looked at her husband as he started to shake his head. She spoke up. “There are a few things I’d be needin’, Ben.”
    Harris nodded. “Just tell me what you need.”
    “Thank you for thinking of us.” Collecting the cups and pitcher, she took Matthew’s hand. “Come, Matthew. Let’s go to the house and make a list.”
    “I could use some help getting the grain on the wagon,” Harris said to Benjamin with half a smile. “If Matthew here and the girls wanted to come with me, I’d be obliged.”
    Matthew whipped around, his eyes wide. “Oh, could we, Pa? Could we?”
    Benjamin hesitated. Mary Ann watched him, then softly said, “It would be good for the girls, Ben.”
    For a moment their eyes held, then he nodded. Matthew let out a whoop.
    Martin Harris laughed softly. “You go along to the house with your mama, Matthew. Tell your sisters to get ready. I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
    The boy was off like a shot, with Mary Ann following after him. For a minute the men stood, watching them go. Then Harris turned and surveyed the stump. “Hickory, huh?”
    “Yeah, and not about to let go, either.”
    Harris nodded. “I can remember with my pa. I thought we was never gonna get the land cleared.”
    “You’d never tell it now,” Nathan said. “You’ve got some of the finest land in this part of the country.”
    “Wasn’t always so. My father came in ‘94. Bought six hundred acres for fifty cents an acre. But his problem was he loved huntin’ and fishin’ too much. Sometimes the farm got neglected.”
    “Is it true what they say?” Nathan asked. “That he shot the last wolf in the area?”
    There was a soft laugh, and Martin nodded. “Everybody used to call him the Nimrod of Palmyra Township.” His eyes got a faraway look as he let his mind go