The sun rose higher and hotter in the big blue bowl of sky.
Rose-Ellen's ragged dress clung to her, wet with sweat, and her
arms and face prickled with heat. Grandma looked at her from
under the apron she had flung over her head.
"Run and stretch out under the cottonwood awhile," she said. "No
use for to get sunstroke."
Rose-Ellen went silently, thankfully. It was cooler in the shade
of the tree. She looked up through the fluttering green leaves
at the floating clouds shining in the sun. Jimmie hobbled around
her, driving Sally with her knitted reins, but they did not keep
their sister awake. The sun was almost noon-high when she opened
her eyes, and she hurried guiltily back to the beets.
She had never seen such a big field, its green and brown stripes
waving up and down to the skyline. It made her ache to think
that five Beechams must take out these extra thousands of
three-inch plants; and after that, hoe them; and after that. . . .
Her knees were so sore that night that Grandpa bought her
overalls. He got her and Dick big straw hats, too, though it was
too late to keep their faces from blistering. All the Beechams
but Grandma wore overalls. She couldn't bring herself to it. That
night she made herself a sunbonnet out of an old shirt, sitting
close to a candle stuck in a pop bottle.
Pages:
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70