"Sorensen, Virginia - Plain Girl" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sorensen Virginia)

nobody was about. If he was sorry to be through with school, it did not show in the least. Dan was lighthearted. A whole summer and a whole winter and
another summer he stayed contentedly at home. Mother and Father laughed when he made such a large light on his buggy. According to the laws of Pennsylvania,
every vehicle that moved on a road at night must have a light. "Well, Daniel, a light that big will be sure to wake a girl, no matter how sleepy," Mother
said.

36

Esther had looked at Dan and said, "What girl? Sarah?"

But Dan shook his head, laughing. "Any girl who will have me!" he said.

Esther knew that any girl among the People would have Dan if he so much as nodded toward her. But especially Sarah. Sarah would have cared all her life
what Dan ate and what he wore. She would have loved to listen to him laugh. And sing too, if only he could have been contented with the beautiful old songs.

But Dan never did shine the bright light of his buggy in Sarah's window, or any other girl's. Instead, he went away. It was about a year ago now, for it
was full harvest-time, and there were signs along the road saying in tall red letters, come to woodboro fair. It was from the Fair, in the town of Woodboro,
that Dan had disappeared. He had begged to take the horses there because he was proud of them. A Plain Man could be proud of horses even if he was not
supposed to be proud of himself.

Father had agreed to let Dan go. He even helped to prepare the horses and drive them into town. But afterward their nearest neighbor, John, brought the
horses home.

"Your son Daniel has told me to bring the horses," John said. Esther would never forget how he looked

37

when he said it, with his blood gone from his face. He did not look at Father as he spoke, but first at the ground and then at the sky.

"Where is Daniel then?" Father asked.

John said only, "He sent this letter."

It was terrible to remember how Father looked when he read Dan's letter. He stood reading it in the dooryard, the wind blowing around him, lifting his hair
and his beard. While he stood reading, John turned and went away, out of the place and down the road.

Father stood in the yard for a long time, holding the letter in his hand, at his side. Mother went to him. Esther could not hear what they said to each
other, and was afraid to go closer to listen. When Father came into the house at last, he had the look he brought into church with him on a special day.
He walked to the stove, walking so slowly that Esther knew when each foot came down, one after the other.

When the stove lid was lifted, fire shone upward onto Father's curling beard. He put the letter into the flames and stood still until it was entirely burned.
Then he took the poker and stirred angrily until even the shape of the letter had vanished among the coals.

It was then he said, "We will not speak of Daniel here again."

38

Downstairs, Esther heard a young man's light laugh. But it was Hans, not Dan. Had Hans ever wondered about whether buttons could harm a man's soul? No,
it was impossible to think such a thing of Hans.

Father and Mother were getting up. What a fine big breakfast there would be this morning, to celebrate! Esther jumped up and began to dress, not to miss