master, who brought his family in a wagon
over the only broken wagon-trail. The Widow
Steavens rode up from her farm eight miles
down the Black Hawk road. The cold drove
the women into the cave-house, and it was
soon crowded. A fine, sleety snow was begin-
ning to fall, and every one was afraid of
another storm and anxious to have the burial
over with.

Grandfather and Jelinek came to tell Mrs.
Shimerda that it was time to start. After
bundling her mother up in clothes the neigh-
bors had brought, Antonia put on an old cape
from our house and the rabbit-skin hat her
father had made for her. Four men carried
Mr. Shimerda's box up the hill; Krajiek slunk
along behind them. The coffin was too wide
for the door, so it was put down on the slope
outside. I slipped out from the cave and
looked at Mr. Shimerda. He was lying on
his side, with his knees drawn up. His body
was draped in a black shawl, and his head
was bandaged in white muslin, like a mum-
my's; one of his long, shapely hands lay out
on the black cloth; that was all one could see
of him.

Mrs. Shimerda came out and placed an open

[[132]]

p131 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p132w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p133

v?