live very long, so I'm just enjoying every day of this fall."

'After the winter begun she wore a man's long overcoat and boots, and a
man's felt hat with a wide brim. I used to watch her coming and
going, and I could see that her steps were getting heavier. One day in
December, the snow began to fall. Late in the afternoon I saw Antonia
driving her cattle homeward across the hill. The snow was flying round
her and she bent to face it, looking more lonesome-like to me than
usual. "Deary me," I says to myself, "the girl's stayed out too late.
It'll be dark before she gets them cattle put into the corral." I seemed
to sense she'd been feeling too miserable to get up and drive them.

'That very night, it happened. She got her cattle home, turned them into
the corral, and went into the house, into her room behind the kitchen,
and shut the door. There, without calling to anybody, without a groan,
she lay down on the bed and bore her child.

'I was lifting supper when old Mrs. Shimerda came running down the
basement stairs, out of breath and screeching:

'"Baby come, baby come!" she says. "Ambrosch much like devil!"

'Brother William is surely a patient man. He was just ready to sit down
to a hot supper after a long day in the fields. Without a word he rose
and went down to the barn and hooked up his team. He got us over there
as quick as it was humanly possible. I went right in, and began to do
for Antonia; but she laid there with her eyes shut and took no account
of me. The old woman got a tubful of warm water to wash the baby. I
overlooked what she was doing and I said out loud: "Mrs. Shimerda,
don't you put that strong yellow soap near that baby. You'll blister its
little skin." I was indignant.

'"Mrs. Steavens," Antonia said from the bed, "if you'll look in the top
tray of my trunk, you'll see some fine soap." That was the first word
she spoke.

'After I'd dressed the baby, I took it out to show it to Ambrosch. He
was muttering behind the stove and wouldn't look at it.

'"You'd better put it out in the rain-barrel," he says.

'"Now, see here, Ambrosch," says I, "there's a law in this land, don't
forget that. I stand here a witness that this baby has come into the
world sound and strong, and I intend to keep an eye on what befalls it."
I pride myself I cowed him.

'Well I expect you're not much interested in babies, but Antonia's got
on fine. She loved it from the first as dearly as if she'd had a ring
on her