The Hard Land-Part 30

With a grunt of satisfaction, Earl hoisted the last rock into the foundation of the house he was building. There was one thing: the farm had a lot of rocks. Maybe he should consider building the whole house out of stone. He stood and wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling pride in his work. He saw Harry Nash’s wagon approaching in the distance, kicking up dust on the unimproved road. Lumber of various sizes and shapes bounced up and down with each jolt as the wagon struggled over the rocky terrain. Someday, he would have to build a better road.

Earl waved at Harry, glad to see the lumber arrive on time. The harvest would begin in a few days; if Harry hadn’t delivered it now, it would have been fall before he could continue working on the house. For now, construction was still on schedule for completion before winter. Earl whistled a jaunty tune as he crossed the lot and helped Harry unload the wagon.

When the two men had the lumber stacked neatly, Earl thanked Harry for the prompt delivery and counted out the payment.