I wished he’d picked on someone else, but I answered. “Mr. Caldwell says it will, and Pops Jensen and the other LEMs think so.”

“I’m asking you,” Mr. Lundgren told me. “You grew up on a farm. What do you believe?”

“Louisiana’s different from here,” I said, while my mind raced ahead, picking my next words. I could feel Maggie and Nate willing me to say the right thing.

“But I’ve seen a lot of what’s not working, all the way from there across Texas and up,” I said. “I think farmers and ranchers have got to find new ways of doing things, and I don’t know how better than to listen to folks who’ve studied it all scientifically.”

I glanced at Nate.

“At colleges,” I added.

Ignoring that last, Mr. Lundgren pinned me down, “So you’re for it?”

I didn’t want to answer more directly. I didn’t want him resting any part of such a big decision on my say-so, and it seemed preposterous that he might. I didn’t know the first thing about farming in country like this.

But Maggie and Nate were staring at me, their eyes begging, Say yes, Moss.

Reluctantly, I nodded.

And after a moment, Mr. Lundgren nodded back. “Well, you’ve already shown me you’ve got good sense.”

Maggie started to say something, but Nate caught her eye and motioned that she should leave well enough alone.

The three of us slipped away, just after Mr. Lundgren said to Mr. Caldwell, “Now, if I was to go along . . .”

Outside, Nate thanked me, though his voice was a bit stiff. I couldn’t blame him for having mixed feelings. Mr. Lundgren was considering the project, just like Nate had wanted, but he’d asked me instead of his own son for an opinion.

“You’re the one who made the model so good,” I said.

“Yeah,” he answered. “And I’m the one who wants to go off to college and become one of those scientists.” He glanced from me to his sister. “Look, why don’t you two go for a walk if you want. I’ll see you later.”

Maggie and I took the long way around, along a path that ran behind the mess hall. When we were out of sight of everybody she suddenly threw her arms around me. Just brieflike, but I knew I’d been hugged.

“Dad’s going to go for it,” she said. “He will, I just know it, and it will be your doing, and—” She broke off with a sharp, “Moss, watch out—”

Down the path came waddling the best-fed skunk I had ever seen, right toward us. It wasn’t skunklike behavior at all, and the two of us started backing up, though Maggie was giggling.

“That must be Thief!” she said, as the skunk climbed the steps to the kitchen.