CHAPTER TWO
None of your brothers stayed in school much past the age of 12 or 13. Why should you?
Some things you can’t learn in a classroom. What proper furrows look like, how to look after the animals, rotating fields — you need to be working to know all that. Besides, if you try something with your own hands, you remember it much better.
Over the years, your parents have acquired a lot of land — more than 200 acres. But your father has sold or leased much of that land to your brothers. By the time you’re ready to work your own land, there’s hardly anything left!
“It’s a good piece, Jacob,” Father says.
“It’s tiny!”
“But good!”
You grit your teeth. It’s too small. Simple as that.
You could farm with one of your brothers, but they still call you “little Jacob”. Or you could move away and find land on your own. The thought makes you nervous — not that you’d ever tell anyone. Are you ready for such a big step?
Do you move away, or share the family land?
