Corn-Farm Boy (16 page)

“Hey, where are you going?” asked the person next to him.

Dick looked. It was his cousin Earl, Uncle Henry's boy. “Come, stay here,” said Earl. “It's just getting exciting.”

Dick walked on. He could not get his mind off that sick hog and he wished he had stayed at home. He crossed the street to the other side. He passed hatless fat men in shirt sleeves and suspenders. He saw Rita Hass and Donna Ruden strolling hand-in-hand with two town girls. He passed women with hair tightly kinked by new permanents. He saw Mrs. Heiter by her car with a wet washcloth, washing her little boy's face. He saw Mr. Hass lifting little Peggy up to drink from the water bubbler at the corner.

“Hello, Dick,” said Mr. Hass. “Is it hot enough for you?”

“Sure,” said Dick.

“This heat and humidity makes me feel like a steam engine,” said Mr. Hass.

“I have to hang my tongue out once in a while to get my breath.” The man's voice and the joke sounded familiar.

Dick looked around. There was Uncle Henry. He came up with Aunt Etta and Denny and the twins, Betsy and Patsy. They were all dressed in pretty summer clothes with flowered patterns.

“When you coming out to the farm to see us?” Dick asked the girls.

“Never again,” said Betsy, “as long as I live.”

“Get rid of all those skunks and we'll come,” said Patsy.

Dick laughed. “Oh, we just keep them for
special
visitors.”

“Have you seen Earl?” asked Aunt Etta.

“Yes,” said Dick. “He's looking at television down by the feed store. Uncle Henry, I found one of the hogs acting sick at home just before we left.”

“Sick?” asked Uncle Henry. “What was wrong with it?”

They were standing in front of Dirks' Department Store. Mom and Wilma came out with packages in their arms. Uncle Henry began to joke with Wilma about her detasseling job. The sick hog was forgotten. Wilma told her cousins about the lovely new clothes she was buying with her money.

“Aw, nuts!” Dick turned away. “Let's go home.”

“Mom!” cried Wilma. “Dick walks down the street once and he's ready for the car. Why, we only just
came.
”

“I want to go home,” insisted Dick.

“Mom,” Wilma complained. “We can't go anywhere but Dick has to fuss about sick hogs or some old sick pet of his.”

Nobody paid any attention to Dick. Dad and Margy saw the family party and came across the street. Dick knew now he was in for a prolonged session. He perched himself up on the hood of somebody's car close at hand.

They all looked at Margy. Margy had always been a pretty child and as the baby, had enjoyed being spoiled. Since her adventure of getting lost in the cornfield, she seldom lost an opportunity to become the center of attention. They were all looking at her now.

“First Mr. Heiter bought me popcorn,” the little girl said. “Then Charlie Ruden a sandwich and Grandpa Shute some pop and Dad a hamburger …”

“Only
one
hamburger?” asked Uncle Henry.

Margy nodded and went on. “I was still hungry, but they didn't offer me anything more. I had to buy my ice-cream cone myself!”

They all laughed.

“You'd never believe it,” said Mom, “but she had a good supper too, before she left home.”

“She doesn't look exactly starved,” said Aunt Etta. “She'll have to start reducing soon!”

“Margy,” said Uncle Henry, “do you still play hide-and-seek in the cornfield?”

“No,” smiled Margy happily. “I got cured of that!”

They laughed again.

Uncle Henry turned to Dad and said, “Another week of this heat and we won't have to worry about our corn crop.” The men began to talk corn.

Aunt Etta turned to Mom. “I wanted Henry to take us to the show tonight but he wouldn't. Said he had to talk to Mark. Those men—they plant the corn and raise it and harvest it every time they get together—in words. That's all they talk about—corn, corn, corn. I should think you'd be sick to death of it.”

“I'm used to it,” said Mom. “Besides it's our life, so I like it.”

The men debated when to sell last year's corn.

“The corncrib is so full,” said Mark, “I'll have to shell to make room for the new crop this fall. Then I also need corn to fatten my hogs for market.”

“I need the cash from mine,” said Uncle Henry. “Your lease says you'll deliver my share. So go ahead and shell any time now and truck mine to the elevator here in town.”

“O. K.,” said Mark Hoffman. “I'll find out when Jay Hintz can come.”

Dick saw a man he knew. He jumped down from his perch and followed him. It was Doc Musfelt, the old Vet. Here was some one who would listen. The old Vet rubbed his chin thoughtfully after he heard Dick's story.

“With hogs,” he said, “you can't tell. They're getting so many new diseases these days. Isolate her at once—that's the first thing. If something gets started, it might go through the whole herd.”

“Can you come out and see her?” asked Dick.

“I'm helping my son vaccinate hogs for cholera right now,” said Doc. “He's got so many places to go. You come over to the office now. I'll give you some medicine for that sick hog.”

They walked to the veterinarian's office. Doc prepared the medicine and told Dick when to give it. “If she's not better by tomorrow,” he said, “you phone me and I'll come out and see her.”

Dick thanked him, took the package and hurried back to Dirks' Store. The two families were still talking. Denny had fallen down and cut his knee and Aunt Etta was fussing over him.

When Uncle Henry saw Dick, he turned to Dad and said, “Dick tells me you've got a sick hog at home, Mark.”

Dad tried to grin, but it was easy to see he was annoyed. “The boy thought it
looked
sick,” he said.

Raymond had come over. Now he spoke up, “Doctor Dick takes care of all our sick animals.”

But Uncle Henry was not joking this time.

“You're not neglecting a sick hog, are you, Mark?”

“No,” said Dad, frowning. “I'll look after it. Let's go home.”

“Doc Musfelt gave me something to give to Squeaky,” said Dick.

Goodbyes were said and the two families parted. Dad did not speak to Dick all the way home. When they got out of the car, he asked, “What did Doc give you?”

Dick handed him the medicine.

They went out to the hog lot together.

CHAPTER IX

Stubby Tail

“
Dick! Raymond!
” Dad's booming voice woke the boys up out of deep sleep. “Time to get up. Chores to do. Corn shelling today.”

It did not take the boys long to get dressed. Already breakfast was on the table and Mom had started preparing a big dinner for a group of hungry men. By seven-thirty, there were two trucks in the barnyard, several cars, tractors and wagons, and Jay Hintz's corn shelling machine.

Dick called Popcorn. “Come along, Dum Do Do! You and the cats will have a busy time today.”

The men had started to work. Dick saw Bill Heiter and his hired man, Ted Sanders, the two truckers Al Kibler and Emil Spies, Ralph Hass and Grandpa Shute. Soon Uncle Henry Shumaker drove in. He was taking a day off from the factory.

After finishing his chores, Dick went over to watch.

The lower boards on the side of the corncrib had been pried off. A metal trough was placed below to catch the ear corn as it fell out. The men scooped the corn down into the trough with their shovels. Revolving chains in the trough carried the corn to the sheller which stood at one end of the building. A truck was backed up under a bent-over spout.

Jay Hintz had the motor going. The machine made a noisy clatter as the ear corn ran through. Shelled corn came pouring out into the truck. Corncobs came out in a pile at the side. They would be used for many purposes—to burn in the kitchen range, with coal for the tank heater, and in the old stove in the wash-house to heat water for laundry and baths. Other cobs would be dumped in the lane to fill up low spots and make for better traction. A fan blew cornhusks out of the sheller and they dropped in a pile. Later they would be put in the lean-to behind the barn for bedding for the cattle.

“Here's a big strong farmer come out to help us,” said Uncle Henry. He poked Dick in the ribs. “Go get your shovel, boy.”

Dick laughed. He saw the Rudens' car come in, with Russell and Elmer besides their father. They all got out and Elmer came over to see Dick.

“Hi!” said Elmer. “A little excitement today, huh?”

“Yes,” said Dick. “The dogs and cats are excited, too. They don't know which way to jump first.”

Jay Hintz kept his eyes on the sheller and an oil can in his hand. If he heard a funny sound, he tinkered with the engine. Dust and dirt flew in all directions. It settled on the men's faces and eyebrows. They scooped busily, trying to keep up with the machine.

All at once a big rat and several mice came tumbling out. Buster turned tail and ran off, frightened. But Popcorn and the barn cats chased them.

“I'll get me a club,” said Elmer. He disappeared and came back with a heavy two-by-four. “I'll club them as they come out.”

Dick stood back and said nothing.

“We might scare up a coon or a skunk, Elmer,” yelled Ted Sanders. “How would it be to run a skunk through the sheller and take his fur off?”

The men laughed.

“When the Bauers shelled up north of us,” shouted Charlie Ruden, “that's just what they did. We could smell skunk down to our place for a whole week.”

“Up at Reuters,” said Grandpa Shute, “they chased a coon out. Those kids of theirs they caught and tamed it.”

“Here's the boy can tame the wild things,” said Ted Sanders. He pointed to Dick.

“Dig me out a coon, Ted,” said Dick, “but don't run it through the sheller. I prefer to have my pets in one piece.”

Dick's Dad worked with the men pushing the corn down. Popcorn got in at his feet, rooting for a rat.

“That dog is death on rats,” said Ted Sanders.

“I guess all rat terriers are like that,” said Dick.

“Take Popcorn away before I step on him,” yelled Dad. “If all this corn comes pouring down on his head, there won't be anything left but a grease spot.”

Dick grabbed Popcorn up and tried to hold him. But Buster was barking noisily back of the corncrib. Popcorn jumped out of his arms and dashed around the corner. Dick followed. He tipped over an old oil barrel that stood there, expecting to see a rat. Buster and Popcorn were ready to dash under. But they stopped and backed up. Instead of a rat, Dick saw a snake curled up. Buster took one look at the snake and ran in the other direction.

“Oh! So it's you, is it?” asked Dick, surprised.

“What is it?” yelled Ted Sanders, coming round the corner.

“A snake,” said Dick.

“A snake?” Elmer Ruden came running.

By the time Elmer got there, the snake had slid back under the crib. Popcorn began to sniff again. The snake's head appeared. Popcorn barked loudly.