through the red grass and over the edge of
the world, which could not be very far away.
The light air about me told me that the
world ended here: only the ground and sun
and sky were left, and if one went a little
farther there would be only sun and sky, and
one would float off into them, like the tawny
hawks which sailed over our heads making
slow shadows on the grass. While grandmother
took the pitchfork we found standing in one
of the rows and dug potatoes, while I picked
them up out of the soft brown earth and put
them into the bag, I kept looking up at the
hawks that were doing what I might so easily
do.

When grandmother was ready to go, I said
I would like to stay up there in the garden
awhile.

She peered down at me from under her sun-
bonnet. "Aren't you afraid of snakes?"

"A little," I admitted, "but I'd like to stay
anyhow."

"Well, if you see one, don't have anything
to do with him. The big yellow and brown
ones won't hurt you; they're bull-snakes and
help to keep the gophers down. Don't be
scared if you see anything look out of that

[[18]]

p017 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p018w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p019

v?