The sky might as well have been nonexistent, and he was scarcely conscious of the cool night air fanning his cheek. It was not Elias alone. It was not his ruined crops alone. It was more that he couldn't stretch without bumping someone else's ribs. Unless a person had enough money to start with, or was exceptionally lucky, he was lost here. It was not the way to live and certainly it was not the way for his family to live. Mechanically Joe strode toward the store and he was on the point of entering when a man moved toward him.
"Hi, Joe," Elias Dorrance said.
"Hi."
"I heard," said the other, "that you lost your crops."
Joe waited an interminable moment, until it occurred to him that, by now, everyone must have heard it. Then he said, "That's right."
Elias Dorrance asked, "What will you do now?"
"Plant more crops."
"The frost will get them."
"That's a chance I take."
"I'm sorry," Elias said. "I'm really sorry, and I know you're worried about me. You don't have to worry. You're a good farmer and a man of your word, and you're honest. I'll take another note until next fall."