Page 57 (1/1)

"Nevare?" my father pro had keptto his news

"I am speechless with joy at what you have won for me, Father I will try to be worthy of the lady, and show Lord Grenalter the full nobility of lad you are conscious of the honor he does us in trusting one of his daughters to our household To your future bride, then!"

And again we all lifted our glasses and drank

That was hteenth birthday, I left behind all childish pursuits The nextwith the dawn to join my father and brother at their austere breakfast and then ride out with thes to take reports from the supervisors Most of thelad to find useful work now that they were too old to soldier He housed thee for a cow or two oats, and half a dozen chickens He had aidedwives froh the sons of such ht very well attract cobblers or merchants or farmers as husbands Our little river town needed such an influx of tradesrow

I had known my father’s rew to know theh they were but coiven up their ranks with their uniforeant," and I think they enjoyed that acknowledgeant Jeffrey oversaw the care of our sheep in their rolling riverside pasture That spring we had had a bu twins Not all of the ewes had the milk or patience to care for two la Plainspeople nippers fros The youngsters came to their tasks with enthusiasar candy My father took pride in how he had ta in useful endeavors It was, hesuch benefits to the formerly uncivilized folk of the Plains and plateaus When he and s, he often deliberately steered the talk to the necessity of such charity work, and encouraged other new noble families to follow his exaht foot, but it did not slow hi to planting to harvest He had ation, and often he andproject He had seen Plainspeople e water to their seasonal fields in the east, and was eager to attempt an experirohat the land would naturally support, in accordance with the good god’s will, but Curf burned to bring water to the upper fields I doubted the question would be resolved inall sorts of tactics to try to restore the fertility of the land after its third year of use

Sergeant Refdom was our orchard man This was a new area of endeavor for us My father saw no reason why fruit trees should not flourish on the hillsides above the grain fields Neither did I, but flourish they did not Leaf curl blight had all but killed every one of the plu woreant Refdoht in a new variety of cherry that see well

Each day we returned to the house byWe shared tea and meat rolls and then my father dismissed me to my classes and exercises He dees, for whendays were over, I would be expected to co years Should any untimely illness orthat his soldier brother be returned to him for the "defense of his father’s lands" It was a fate that I nightly prayed to be spared, and not just out of fondness for my solid older brother I knew that I had been born for the cavalla The good god hirants to all such the fiber of character and adventurous spirit that a soldierto battle were done, I s and probably take up the duties of Corporal Curf or Sergeant Refdom Allof hters would take whatever dower they carried fros It behooved me to know the operation of them so that when my time came to contribute directly to their upkeep, I’d be a useful man