Page:Frank Owen - Rare Earth, 1931.djvu/184

 with friendship. To afford friends a man must indeed be rich. His one all-absorbing friend was the soil. Far out in the fields he was never alone. He had lived his life in almost eternal silence, almost perpetually outdoors. As a result he was as strong as an ox. His face was weather-beaten and bronzed until he appeared almost like an Indian. The priceless gift which the soil had given him was perfect health.

"Linda Joel," said Samuel Gage, "is a very interestin' woman. Despite 'er poverty she'd never turn a 'ungry person away. I don' think since she were a baby she ever done a mean thing. Enoch 'doted 'er. To 'im she were jus' about all right. It would 'ave been 'ard for any mother to 'ave a better son. 'E wasn't no nambypamby sort of a guy. Regular feller. And say, 'e were some worker, that kid. After 'is father's death 'e took over the management o' the farm. Couldn't a been more'n fourteen or fifteen. Course 'is ma 'elped 'im a lot. But Enoch were a marvel. Seems 'e couldn't go wrong. No matter what 'e did 'is crops come