Instead of being anxious to have the usual first of Januarypowwow over, as I generally am, I shall do all I can to put it off, forhow can one do one's share in a powwow when one does notknow what to say? I have absolutely nothing to propose. As faras my seed rice will go I will rent rice land to the negroes, and if Ihad money of my own I would go on and plant, for it seems to methe complete giving up of the staple industry in a country is reallya revolution. Ourlabor understands no other cultivation; the whole populationlives on rice, white and black, especially black. It is a wonderfullynutritious and sustaining food, and if suddenly its cultivationceases there will be much suffering. Our cattle live on thestraw, it being the strongest and most palatable of the straws.My horses will not touch fresh oat straw while there is a wisp ofold rice straw to be had; the cows and pigs are fed on the flour, agray substance that comes from the grain as the chaff is removedin the pounding mill. Mr. Studebake, a great Hereford cattle man,told me that rice flour and pea-vine hay make a perfect ration forcows, one supplying exactly what the other lacks. If rice is givenup the cattle and pigs will have to go too.
Late in the evening of the second day came a mercifulthunder storm. The heavens were riven with lightning andpeals of thunder sounded like heavy artillery. The skyopened and let down, not rain, but great waterfalls of coolingwater. The outsides of the houses were washed clean. Thecracks of the baked earth were filled with the blessed fluid.The creeks began to murmur, and in a few hours the drybeds of stream became roaring torrents. The air rapidlycooled, and the baby was out of danger, but when his blackmammy dropped the fan her arm was the size of a humanleg; the muscles stood out swollen and rigid, and her handwas almost paralysed. The doctor found the young mothersmoothing the big swollen hand, and crying like a baby. Thecrisis was passed; for the first time in weeks the child hadtaken notice of things about it, and was actually hungry.
He was a changed mule; all his black bitter moodshad softened, his faith in human nature was awakened, hislove of mankind was fast being developed. At any rate therewas one woman, slim and tall, with a sweet anxious face,gentian-blue eyes and hands never idle, who worked fromdaylight until dark, for whom Satan could really have died.When his convalescence was over and he began to workagain and was put back into the plough, he kept one weathereye on that magic window, outside of which he had stoodfor so many hot and feverish days, and where he had foundgentle hands, and heard for the first time in his life words ofsympathy and tender love.
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