An Untamed Land by Snelling Lauraine

Author:Snelling, Lauraine [Snelling, Lauraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780764201912
Publisher: Baker Book Group
Published: 2006-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

But I don’t want to borrow more money!” The words burst forth, shocking him with their intensity. Roald shifted the sack of supplies he carried on his back and shook his head. Was he going crazy, talking to the wind?

He strode through the calf-high prairie grass like a ship’s prow breaking the waves. While aware of the rising sun gilding the dewladen blades of grass, his thoughts continued to wrestle with the problem ahead. He needed to find a team of oxen, but he didn’t have sufficient money to pay market price. The thought of going back to Grand Forks if he failed here burned like the stings of a hundred bees. He should have talked with Probstfield again. He should have made more of an effort in Fargo. He should have, he should have, he should have. The thoughts beat time with his striding feet.

“Uff da!” He reached up and wiped his brow, frustrated that he hadn’t planned better. Breaking sod now meant the possibility of a crop next year, so they couldn’t put off buying another team. Yet, if they waited, they might have more money. They could earn extra by cutting wood for the steamships paddling the length of the Red between Grand Forks and Winnipeg. Back and forth went the internal argument and carried him closer to the small port town of St. Andrew.

He heard a rifle shot somewhere to the north. The sound made him think of Ingeborg and her determination to hunt. A wedge of ducks quacked their way northward. If she had her way, she’d be bringing them down with that rifle. Who would think that behind that gentle smile—he shook his head. Ingeborg, the woman who had brought light back into his life and dumfounded him so often. He fingered the coins in his pocket. Was there some little thing she would like from the store? Something that would bring the laughter to her eyes. He jingled them again. Something he could afford. With a snort he picked up his pace.

When the sun reached its zenith, Roald sat cross-legged in the prairie grass and dug in his sack for a flask of water, bread, and strips of dried venison. Hat pushed back on his head, he studied the sky while he chewed on the dry meat. Ducks and geese still beat their way north almost daily, long V-formations etched against the cloudless sky. The music of the prairie settled around him: the sighing of the wind rippling and bending the prairie grass like waves on a lake, the wild cry of geese overhead, a cricket sawing away on a grass stem, and a meadowlark adding the melody. Roald let his gaze wander the horizon. To the east, the woods bound the river; in the west a cloud pile climbed into the sky; northward, he could now see the trees of the Little Salt River; to the south, a man could get lost in the limitless expanse.

In a rare moment of ease, he crossed his hands behind his head and lay back, cushioned by the thick grass.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.