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158
Adventures in Contentment
·
David Grayson
64
Perhaps
I
was
not
consumed
with
excitement:
here
was
fresh
adventure!
"A
farmer,"
I
said
to
myself
with
exultation,
"has
only
to
wait
long
enough
and
all
the
world
comes
his
way."
I
had
just
begun
to
grease
my
farm
wagon
and
was
experiencing
some
difficulty
in
lifting
and
steadying
the
heavy
rear
axle
while
I
took
off
the
wheel.
I
kept
busily
at
work,
pretending
(such
is
the
perversity
of
the
human
mind)
that
I
did
not
see
Mr.
Starkweather.
He
stood
for
a
moment
watching
me;
then
he
said:
"Good
morning,
sir."
I
looked
up
and
said:
"Oh,
good
morning!"
"Nice
little
farm
you
have
here."
"It's
enough
for
me,"
I
replied.
I
did
not
especially
like
the
"little."
One
is
human.
Then
I
had
an
absurd
inspiration:
he
stood
there
so
trim
and
jaunty
and
prosperous.
So
rich!
I
had
a
good
look
at
him.
He
was
dressed
in
a
woollen
jacket
coat,
knee-trousers
and
leggins;
on
his
head
he
wore
a
jaunty,
cocky
little
Scotch
cap;
a
man,
I
should
judge,
about
fifty
years
old,
well-fed
and
hearty
in
appearance,
with
grayish
hair
and
a
good-humoured
eye.
I
acted
on
my
inspiration:
"You've
arrived,"
I
said,
"at
the
psychological
moment."
"How's
that?"
"Take
hold
here
and
help
me
lift
this
axle
and
steady
it.
I'm
having
a
hard
time
of
it."
The
look
of
astonishment
in
his
countenance
was
beautiful
to
see.
For
a
moment
failure
stared
me
in
the
face.
His
expression
said
with
emphasis:
"Perhaps
you
don't
know
who
I
am."
But
I
looked
at
him
with
the
greatest
good
feeling
and
my
expression
said,
or
I
meant
it
to
say:
"To
be
sure
I
don't:
and
what
difference
does
it
make,
anyway!"
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