A New Day Rising (29 page)

erves him right. Haakan had to look away to keep from laughing.

"Are you all right?" The feminine voice sounded foreign amidst the raucous laughter of the boys.

Hjelmer spit dirt mixed with dried sheep dung from his mouth and raised to his hands and knees. He spit again and wiped the dirt from his sweaty face. It smeared wherever he touched, creating mud and a doleful expression.

Haakan could feel the embarrassment radiating from the young man now getting to his feet. "Good day, Penny. How have you been?"

"Good, Mr. Bjorklund." She dropped to the ground from her place on the fence and dusted off her hands. "I see you're nearly finished shearing. You need some help bundling the fleece?"

Haakan shook his head. "Thanks, though." Never in both times he'd seen Penny had she been so friendly. It couldn't have anything to do with the young man retrieving his hat and slapping it against a dirty pant leg, could it? He let Hjelmer finish dusting himself off. "You met the other Mr. Bjorklund, Hjelmer, here yet?" When she shook her head, setting the curls to bouncing, he finished the introduction. "Hjelmer, Miss Penny Baard, meet your new neighbor, and so forth." He never had paid much attention to the niceties of introducing folks. Howdy seemed good enough for him, but then he was beyond courting age.

A vision of Ingeborg with flour on her nose and a smile on her mouth flashed through his mind. He tried to bring up a picture of another cook he had known, but Mrs. Landsverk had faded into a distant memory.

Hjelmer ducked his head. "God dag."

Penny flashed Haakan a look of dismay. "Doesn't he speak English?"

"No, he just came over from Norway. Give him a chance."

She shifted her attention back to Hjelmer. "God dag."

Hjelmer nodded and without another word strode out through the corral gate toward the wash bench on the side of the Soddy.

Haakan wondered if the red on the back of his neck was from sunburn or wounded pride. Picking oneself up from the leavings in the corral didn't do much for one's pride, especially since the younger boys had laughed in delight at the tumble. What fun it would be to tell Ingeborg about this little set-to.

Thorliff and one of the boys dragged the sheep they'd finally cornered by the barn wall over to Haakan. "What's the matter with him?" Thorliff nodded toward the retreating figure of Hjelmer. "Did he get hurt?"

"Not so's you can see." Haakan flipped the ewe over on her back and clamped her between his knees. "Soon as we're done here, why don't you take the flock out to graze on that field between the soddies? Then you can keep an eye on them and still have dinner with the rest of us."

"Ja, they're pretty hungry," Thorliff put his hands on his hips. "They sure look funny without their wool."

"Like us, they look better in their clothes."

The boys thought that a real knee slapper. Their hoots of laughter rang out as they ran to the fence, clambered up and over, dropping to the ground at a dead run.

Haakan shook his head. Oh, to have such energy again. He finished clipping and let the last sheep scramble to her feet, then held open the gate while she ran back and forth, bleating at her flock mates. "Come on, you stupid creature, the gate's open." The sheep continued running and bleating, now trying to get out between the corral poles. "If you had half the brains God gave a goose, you'd see that gate and hightail it outa here. I've half a mind to let you stay .by yourself." When he'd finally herded the animal out the gate, he looked up to see Joseph coming across the lot.

"Ornery, ain't they?"

"No, just stupid. Kinda like some of the people I met in my travels." Haakan settled his hat on his head and dropped the rope loop over the gate pole to fasten it. "How you been?"

"Tolerable. You need some help with the plowing with Lars still down?" The two men ambled back toward the soddy where Inge borg and Agnes were loading food and the table into the back of the wagon.

"Thanks, but now that Hjelmer is here, we'll manage. I know you got your own work to do."

"We're about to seed. When that's done, we'll come your way. We can hold off busting more-sod-for a few days."

"How come you're so far ahead of us?"

"My fields dry out a mite faster, and there's been two of us working all spring. Knute's been a big help, too, with switching teams and the like. He's about big enough to handle a team. Sure wish I bought one of them newfangled plows last fall. Wait till you see how slick our mower works. Me'n Ingeborg bought it together last year. Put up hay on all three places faster'n we coulda done one before." He tipped his hat back. "Shore do like that new machinery."

Haakan listened and nodded. "Saw a whole shed full of those plows over on the Bonanza farm east of St. Andrew. Hard to believe any one farm could use so many. Never seen such a thing before." He went in the house and brought out two chairs. "Need anything else?"

Ingeborg shook her head. "That's it, then."

Agnes looked down from her place on the wagon seat. "Now you young'uns set down'fore you fall down." The three little ones in the space behind her did as told. She clucked to the team and sent a ripple of command through the reins. While the wagon creaked off, the three older boys ran and hoisted themselves to sit on the open tailgate.

"Where's Petar?" asked Ingeborg.

"Oh, that nephew of mine, he's sparkin' a gal west of us. When we said we was takin' today off, he said he'd rather go visit with her. Cain't understand it myself." Joseph spit a glob of tobacco juice off to the right. He chuckled at his own joke. "Must be spring, all right. All the world's got matin' on their minds."

"Joseph Remson Baard, how you talk," Agnes scolded. She glanced further behind and then nodded for the others to do the same. Penny and a cleaned-up Hjelmer were walking together, albeit four feet apart.

Ingeborg slanted a sideways glance at the man striding beside her. Was that what these buzzy feelings were all about whenever he was in the same room as she? Just spring? It was a good thing, because with him going back to the north woods, she'd probably never see him again.

Was it just spring? Haakan caught the glance Ingeborg sent him. The urge to take her hand in his made him falter in his stride. And he didn't want to stop with her hand. How would she feel in his arms?

Joseph began whistling a carefree sound that brought the same from the three boys on the wagon rear.

"You better check your sheep," Ingeborg called to her son. When she motioned to the flock grazing between the soddies, all could see their heads were raised, and they were watching something coming from the river.

"Metiz and Baptiste are coming." Thorliff leaped from the wagon. "Come on, let's go meet them."

The sheep grew more restless, shifting toward the wagon.

"Look! There's a wolf!" Hjelmer spun around and headed toward the soddy.

"Where are you going?" Ingeborg's voice carried, frightening the sheep even more.

"To get the rifle," Hjelmer yelled over his shoulder.

"No!"

Hjelmer stopped. He turned around.

"That's Wolf, Metiz' wolf. He won't hurt our sheep."

"He's a pet?" Hjelmer stared at her, then looked toward the wolf that had melted back into the trees.

"No ... yes ... not really." ingeborg shook her head. "It's hard to explain, but I will tell you the stories later." She dropped her voice as Hjelmer caught up with the rest of the party. "Just don't be afraid of him. Once he knows you belong here, he will never bother you."

"That's mighty hard io believe," Hjelmer muttered under his breath, but Ingeborg heard him.

"You'll find there are many things that are hard to believe out here on the prairie, but that doesn't make them ui?true."

"Are you all right? I heard shouting." Kaaren came out in the yard to meet them.

"As right as one can be when a huge gray wolf was about to attack the sheep." Hjelmer again muttered under his breath.

The look Ingeborg sent him said she'd heard and didn't appreciate his comments.

Agnes threw him a similar look as she picked one of the little ones out of the wagon and set her on the ground with a pat on the bottom. "Go play." -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- -

Haakan helped set the table in the shade of the soddy and put the chairs around it. In spite of the black flies, it would be cooler outside, especially in the shade with the wind blowing just enough to cool sweaty faces. From the look of him, Hjelmer could use a northerner.

When they were all gathered, the men picked up the chair Lars sat in and carried him outside. The women set out the food on the indoor table, and everyone dished up their plates and took them outside. The group divided as usual, with the men discussing crops and new farming methods while the women watched the little children and talked about things of the house and garden. Hjelmer and Penny sat off by themselves, and the four boys ate as fast as possible and took off to play by the sheep.

When the little ones wound down, they were put 'to sleep on the beds inside, and the conversation shifted to the neighbors and all the happenings around the area.

"What's this I hear about the railroad running a line through this area?" Haakan asked.

"Roald and me, we talked about if that ever were to happen," Joseph said. "1 can see an elevator right near here where we can ship our grain from. You know they put up a water stop about every twenty miles."

"Roald dreamed of more than a water stop and grain elevator. He saw a town growing up right at that corner where we're going to build the school, where the cemetery is. He said one day we'd have a doctor out here, stores, a hotel. He had big dreams, he did." For a change it felt good to Ingeborg to be talking about Roald. He and Carl spent many an evening discussing their plans for the future. She looked up to see Haakan send a small nod her way.

"Ja, dat Roald, he some fine man," one of the other men added. "He and dat brother."

"I heard Polinski is pulling up stakes," Joseph said after stuffing a chaw of tobacco in his cheek.

"None too soon, far as I can tell." Ingeborg kept her voice low.

"I'd sure like to buy up his homestead."

"Now, Joseph, you promised." Agnes raised both her voice and an eyebrow.

"I know, I know, but there's no harm in wishing."

"Ja, well, in your case, wishes too often come true between you and that bank manager."

"It would make a good home for Petar, should he up and decide to get hitched to the Johnson girl." He clasped his hands behind his head. "You gotta admit that."

"Then let him buy it."

Ingeborg listened to their arguing, but her mind played with another thought. Wouldn't that make a fine addition to the Bjorklund lands?

"How much land does he have?" Haakan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"A full section. Worked the bare minimum, though. Ol' Abel, he weren't too much for breaking sod."

"Or anything else. He's the laziest-"

"Inge." Kaaren's gentle voice broke into Ingeborg's harsh words.

Forgiving is easier than forgetting, and I sometimes wonder if I've even begun to forgive that lowlife. `Ja, I heard you." She looked over at her sister-in-law, whose pale face showed all the love and concern her gentle spirit shared. But as far as Ingeborg was concerned, it had been the Polinskis who caused Roald's death. She still struggled at times with the bitterness that had nearly driven her into the ground.

Agnes reached over and patted Ingeborg's hand, her touch reminding Inge of her mother's healing hands.

Ingeborg shook her head and sighed. "I will let it go again. I know Roald is in God's hand, and there is no better place to be."

"As is Carl and Gunny and baby Lizzie. Sometimes I miss them so, I feel like I am being ripped apart." Kaaren took Ingeborg's hand. "So much we have lost to this land." She blinked a couple of times and smiled. "But it has given us much, also." She smiled at Lars and back at Ingeborg. "We have much to be thankful for."

"Ja, I know" Ingeborg tuned back into the discussion between the men. Haakan was asking questions and Hjelmer and Penny had moved closer so they could join in.