Amused, Dave chuckled. “They don’t shoot up overnight. They take time to grow, much like you do.”
Isaac frowned. “This isn’t fun.”
“When you’re older, you’ll be glad they grow at a slow pace. Imagine what it would be like to plant them and then have to harvest everything a week or two later.”
The logic didn’t impress Isaac since he asked, “When will they be tall?”
Dave inspected the cornstalks. If Isaac were to stand next to one, it’d be as tall as him. “Just how tall do you want them to be?”
Isaac thought for a moment then said, “As tall as this horse.”
Dave glanced at Susannah who snorted as if she was laughing at his reply. “Give it a couple of weeks,” Dave said. “The corn will probably be that tall by then.” A wind blew around them. “That is, of course, as long as the wind doesn’t get too strong. Wind can make the stalks seem like they’re bending over if we get enough storms.”
One thing anyone could always depend on in Nebraska was the wind.
Isaac let out a long sigh and brought his horse over to Dave. “Can’t you tell God to make them grow faster?”
Again, Dave chuckled. “It doesn’t work that way, Isaac. These things take time. You have to be patient.”
“Patience is hard.”
“It is for someone young like you. I remember how difficult it was to wait for things when I was a child. There were times when I thought I’d never get what I wanted.” Since Isaac didn’t seem happy with his answer, he added, “When you’re grown up, time will go faster. In fact, some days will pass so fast you’ll swear you didn’t have time to blink.”
“Do you feel that way?”
“Sometimes.”
“Like when?”
“Well, like with you.”
“Me?”
Dave nodded. “It seems like it was only yesterday when you were born. Your ma and I wanted you so badly that we couldn’t wait for you to get here. Then one day you were. And now I find it hard to believe eight years have gone by, and you have a little sister and brother.” He glanced down at Adam and was surprised to note the boy had fallen asleep. No wonder he wasn’t squirming on the saddle anymore. Dave smiled. “If it was up to me, you kids would stay little forever. Being a pa is a lot of fun.”
“I don’t want to stay little forever,” Isaac said. “I want time to go faster. I want the stalks to be big.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t stay little forever. And those stalks will be tall soon enough. Let’s get back to the house. I need to put your brother down for a nap. Then you can help me check the henhouse for some eggs.”
“If I find more than you, can I get a cookie before supper?”
He winked at him. “It’s a deal.”
Isaac, seeming much more encouraged by the immediate promise of a cookie, urged his horse to go back to the barn.
With a smile, Dave kicked Jack in the sides and followed him.
***
After the children were asleep, Mary went to the parlor and continued working on the new dress she was making for Rachel. Her daughter was getting too big for the two she already had.
Mary had made sure to save all of the old clothes the children had worn so that her future children would have something to wear. So far, the only thing she hadn’t been able to keep was a pair of pants Isaac had worn last year. He’d gotten too close to a stall door, and a nail got caught on his pants, which resulted in his pants ripping from his knee all the way down. She could have mended the pants if the rip had been along the seam, but this had been a zigzag. She’d ended up making it into a rag. Dave had since pounded the nail back into the door and then checked the other stalls to make sure no more nails were sticking out. At the time, she’d been upset to lose the pants, but later, she realized it could have been worse. The nail could have penetrated Isaac’s skin.
It was nice that Rachel spent most of her time indoors with her. Things were safer in the kitchen than they were out in the barn. Children had a tendency to play without paying attention to what was around them.
Dave came into the house and took his boots off.
She couldn’t help but chuckle as she recalled how disappointed Isaac had been when he returned from the ride out to the cornstalks. “Isaac will learn to be patient as he grows up.”
Dave hung up his hat then went over to her. “I know. I told him time passes faster as you get older, but he didn’t believe me.”
“He’ll believe you when he has his own farm. As you say, it seems like you’re planting one day and harvesting the next.”
He sat next to her, put his arm around her shoulders, and put his feet up on the table in front of them. “I’m sure you feel like all you do is make clothes. You’re working on another outfit.”
“The kids grow fast. Rachel’s dresses are already getting too small.”
“I’m glad you do the sewing instead of me. I don’t know how you don’t prick your fingers with the needle all the time.”
“I use thimbles.” She let go of the needle and showed him the ones on her forefinger and thumb.
He took her hand and kissed the top of it.
She giggled. “Your lips tickle.”
“I’m not trying to tickle you.”
“I know, but it tickles anyway.”
With a teasing glint in his eye, he kissed the top of her hand again before leaving a trail of butterfly
