Page Buck felt the hard clutch go out of his throat and chest then. He laughed out loud. He straightened up, quickly, and jerked the plow point out of the dirt. He tossed the handles slightly higher to point the plowshare straight down and drove it deep into the last unplowed spot. Then he lowered his head a little and looked upwards at his mother.

"Mother," he said,"this is the last time I'll ever follow a mule. I got twenty dollars and I'm headin' for town."