Never in her life had Kate worked harder than she did that fall;
but she retained her splendid health. Everything was sheltered
and housed, their implements under cover, their stock in good
condition, their store-room filled, and their fruits and
vegetables buried in hills and long rows in the garden. Adam had
a first wheat premium at the County Fair and a second on corn,
concerning which he felt abused. He thought his corn scored the
highest number of points, but that the award was given another man
because of Adam's having had first on wheat. In her heart Kate
agreed with him; but she tried to satisfy him with the blue ribbon
on wheat and keep him interested sufficiently to try for the first
on corn the coming year. She began making suggestions for the
possible improvement of his corn. Adam was not easily
propitiated.
"Mother," he said, "you know as well as you know you're alive,
that if I had failed on wheat, or had second, I would have been
given FIRST on my corn; my corn was the best in every way, but
they thought I would swell up and burst if I had two blue ribbons.
That was what ailed the judges. What encouragement is that to try
again? I might grow even finer corn in the coming year than I did
this, and be given no award at all, because I had two this year.
It would amount to exactly the same thing."
"We'll get some more books, and see if we can study up any new
wrinkles, this winter," said Kate. "Now cheer up, and go tell
Milly about it. Maybe she can console you, if I can't."
"Nothing but justice will console me," said Adam. "I'm not
complaining about losing the prize; I'm fighting mad because my
corn, my beautiful corn, that grew and grew, and held its head so
high, and waved its banners of triumph to me with every breeze,
didn't get its fair show. What encouragement is there for it to
try better the coming year? The crows might as well have had it,
or the cutworms; while all my work is for nothing."
"You're making a big mistake," said Kate. "If your corn was the
finest, it was, and the judges knew it, and you know it, and very
likely the man who has the first prize, knows it. You have a
clean conscience, and you know what you know. They surely can't
feel right about it, or enjoy what they know. You have had the
experience, you have the corn for seed; with these things to back
you, clear a small strip of new land beside the woods this winter,
and try what that will do for you."
Adam looked at her with wide eyes. "By jing, Mother, you are a
dandy!" he said. "You just bet I'll try that next year, but don't
you tell a soul; there are more than you who will let a strip be
cleared, in an effort to grow blue ribbon corn. How did you come
to think of it?"