BooksBarbecue
Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity; with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike.…

In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come.

When he finished speaking, she was so happy that she wept. She was fearful too, because she had seen up close how bad things really were. If there was one man who could guide the nation out of the wilderness, they had found him. He was like the Burning Man of her dreams, a beacon for the whole country to follow.

The next day, she got Charlie and Calla to take her out to the Lindquist farm again while Lee and Jim were away at church. When the Swedes came home, she had a big roast beef dinner waiting for them. She hugged Jim a good long while and apologized for getting so angry with him over Velma’s things. He had been far too kind for her to stay mad at him for long. He was a good man, as good as any she had ever met. Those women had simply taken advantage of his sweet nature.

Over dinner, they got to talking about the president and the things he had to say. For the first time since the country went skidding into this depression, they were all hopeful. He couldn’t fix everything at once, but he was going to make a start. Roosevelt would try to help the working man. That was more than Hoover ever did.

11.

EZRA PAINT CRAWLED OUT OF HIS BUNK WHILE IT was still darker than a stack of black cats. It was the first day of April 1933, the sixty-third birthday of the Paint twins. Juanita was baking a cake, there would be a quiet get-together at the big house. He rose cursing old age and forgotten horses, stoked the fire in the cabin, stepped outdoors in his stocking feet to pee. He peered to the east for some sign of dawn and saw nothing but streaks of pale cloud over a river of stars. He limped back inside and heard Ben still snoring on his cot. Ezra wondered how it was that, at twenty-one, Ben seemed to need about ten hours sleep a night while Ezra could make do with half as much. It ought to be the other way round. The more useless an old man became, the less sleep he needed.