The Trees Read Free Page A

Worth! Where’d you git sticks for a cabin? It’d take you all winter a-maulin’ those big butts.”
    “Oh, it’s got light timber here and yonder,” Worth said. He looked up tolerantly at the wild grape and other creepers roping tree to tree withsloping leafy thatches that shut out every wandering speck of God’s free air.
    Jary opened her mouth no more except to swoop in what breath she could in this choked-up place. She had had her say and what good did it do her? The time to have set herself against this place was away back in the old state when Worth claimed the squirrels were leaving the country. Now she and her young ones were here and here likely they would stay.
    The sun must have been straight overhead, for at one place a shaft of light filtered through. It was pale and thin but it looked golden as a guinea. For a hundred feet it fell straight to the ground. Woods flies were rising and falling in it. Jary watched them. When they dropped, they seemed to be falling down some deep, dark well. And she and her young ones, she told herself, were on the bottom.

CHAPTER THREE
RIDGEPOLE
    T HE YOUNG ones hailed the end of their journey like the start of a frolic. They threw off the packs they never need carry again and swarmed over the ground like young foxes or wolves at play, racing and tagging and yelping at each other. Genny was the swiftest. None of them could catch her. She’d tear around with her thin white legs, her torn shortgown and hair flying behind her. But Achsa could keep going when the others played out. Long after you couldn’t see them any more, their shrill cries came like bird calls from the forest. Wyitt hid in a hollow log and it was a good while till they found him, though now and then you could hear a muffled bark like it came from the ground.
    Little Sulie climbed a young tree, holding on to the ropy creepers.
    “I’m up higher’n a chimly!” she yelled. “I’m up so high I kain’t even see you.”
    Worth’s square axe rang in the woods and small trees here and there began raising dust and twigs as they came toppling down. After the first few fell, Sayward saw her mother piddle over to peer up where they had stood as if they must have left a hole where she could see the sky. But the high roof of leaves stayed unbroken.
    When he had the notion, Worth could be a handy man with tools, and now the white chips spun from sunup to early forest dark. He wanted to finish this stint of a cabin and get at the more important chore of game. He hadn’t even time to answer the questions of his favorite young one. Every so often during the day Sulie would come trotting over and stand by him until he stopped to wipe his forehead of sweat.
    “Pappy!” she would begin.
    “Wha-a?” he would encourage her in the patient tone that always came out of his beard when he spoke to her. As she started to talk, he would nod understandingly and sympathetically and go on chopping, softly at first, then more strongly until the sound of the axe would gradually drown out the small earnest voice and off she would trot, halfways satisfied till the next time.
    Oh, you would think Worth was the hardworking home body to see him. But once he winded afox or the young ones came running in with news of a fresh bear track before Sayward could stop them, he would change right in front of your eyes. A sharp look would come in his eyes. He couldn’t wait now till he got this out of his system. The axe handle slipped from his hand and the powder horn over his head, and likely they wouldn’t see him again till the shadows were so mighty thick you couldn’t tell if that thing coming through the big butts was a white man or an Indian. Most always he had on his back a skin or two wrapped around the choicest parts of the carcass.
    The first time he had gone off without saying anything and left the cabin stand all day, Sayward expected her mother to sull and lay for him when he got back. But Jary took no more interest in the