"As you will,"said mother."This world must have her women quite as much as her men.It is shoulder to shoulder,heart to heart,business."The clamour in the meadow arose above our voices and brought us back to the foxes.
"There goes another!"I said,the tears beginning to roll again.
"It is heathenish business,"said mother."I don't blame you!
If people were not too shiftless to care for their stuff,the foxes wouldn't take their chickens and geese.They never get ours!""Hoods aren't shiftless!"I sobbed.
"There are always exceptions,"said mother,"and they are the exception in this case."The door flew open and Leon ran in.He was white with excitement,and trembling.
"Mother,come and see me take a fence on Pryor's Rocket!"he cried.
Mother had him in her arms.
"You little whiffet!"she said."You little tow-haired whiffet!"Both of them were laughing and crying at the same time,and so was I.
"I saw you take one fence and the creek,Weiscope!"she said,holding him tight,and stroking his hair."That will do for to-day.Ride the horse home slowly,rub it down if they will allow you,and be sure to remember your manners when you leave.To trust such a child as you with so valuable a horse,and for Mr.
Pryor to personally ride with you and help you,I think that was a big thing for a man like him to do.""But,mother,he's been showing me for weeks,or I couldn't have done it to-day.It was our secret to surprise you.When I get my horse,I'll be able to ride a little,as well as Mr.Laddie.""Leon,don't,"said mother,gripping him tighter.
"You must bear in mind,word about that money may come any day.""Aw,it won't either,"said Leon,pulling away."And say,mother,that dumb-bell was like country boys make in England.He helped me hunt the wood and showed me,and I couldn't ride and manage it,so he had it all day,and you should have heard him make it rip.Say,mother,take my word,he was some pumpkins in England.I bet he ordered the Queen around,when he was there!""No doubt!"laughed mother,kissing him and pushing him from the door.
Some people are never satisfied.After that splendid riding and the perfect day,father,Leon,and Laddie came home blaming every one,and finding fault,and trying to explain how it happened,that the people from the east side claimed two foxes,and there was only one left for the west side,when they had seen and knew they had driven three for miles.They said they lost them in our Big Woods.
I didn't care one speck.I would as lief wear a calico dress,and let the little foxes have their mammies to feed them;and Iwas willing to bet all my money that we would have as much ham,and as many greens next summer as we ever had.And if the foxes took Hoods'Dorkings again,let them build a coop with safe foundations.The way was to use stone and heap up dirt around it in the fall,to be perfectly sure,and make it warmer.
We took care of our chickens because we had to have them.All the year we needed them,but most especially for Easter.Mother said that was ordained chicken time.Turkeys for Thanksgiving,sucking pigs for Christmas,chickens for Easter,goose,she couldn't abide.She thought it was too strong.She said the egg was a symbol of life;of awakening,of birth,and the chickens came from the eggs,first ones about Easter,so that proved it was chicken time.
I am going to quit praying about little things I can manage myself.Father said no prayer would bring an answer unless you took hold and pulled with all your being for what you wanted.I had been intending for days to ask the Lord to help me find where Leon hid his Easter eggs.It had been the law at our house from the very first,that for the last month before Easter,aside from what mother had to have for the house,all of us might gather every egg we could find and keep them until Easter.If we could locate the hiding place of any one else,we might take all theirs.The day before Easter they were brought in,mother put aside what she required,and the one who had the most got to sell all of them and take the money.Sometimes there were two washtubs full,and what they brought was worth having,for sure.
So we watched all year for safe places,and when the time came we almost ran after the hens with a basket.Because Laddie and Leon were bigger they could outrun us,and lots of hens laid in the barn,so there the boys always had first chance.Often during the month we would find and take each other's eggs a dozen times.
We divided them,and hid part in different places,so that if either were found there would still be some left.
Laddie had his in the hopper of the cider press right on the threshing floor,and as he was sure to get more than I had anyway,I usually put mine with his.May had hers some place,and where Leon had his,none of us could find or imagine.Ialmost lay awake of nights trying to think,and every time I thought of a new place,the next day I would look,and they wouldn't be there.Three days before Easter,mother began to cook and get the big dinner ready,and she ran short of eggs.
She told me to go to the barn and tell the boys that each of them must send her a dozen as quickly as they could.Of course that was fair,if she made both give up the same number.So I went to the barn.
The lane was muddy,and as I had been sick,I wore my rubbers that spring.I thought to keep out of the deep mud,where horses and cattle trampled,I'd go up the front embankment,and enter the little door.My feet made no sound,and it so happened that the door didn't either,and as I started to open it.I saw Leon disappearing down the stairway,with a big sack on his back.I thought it was corn for the horses,and followed him,but he went to the cow stable door and started toward the lane,and then I thought it was for the pigs,so I called Laddie and told him about the eggs.He said he'd give me two dozen of his,and Leon could pay him back.We went together to get them,and there was only one there.
