Chapter
5

I do not want you out in the woods by yourself.” Rune made sure his son was looking at him.

“But Onkel Einar said—”

“Be that as it may, your far says nei. I will deal with Einar.”

“But I can work in the shop?” Bjorn made a face. “I thought I could catch up on the limb stacking.”

“I figured that, but then you would decide you could finish limbing that tree.” Rune knew he had hit home when the mask fell over his son’s face.

Bjorn slumped slightly and heaved a sigh. “All right.” He dropped his voice. “Will you get the ash for the skis?”

“If I can. I plan to talk with the men at the lumber store. Surely they know someone who makes skis around here who might be willing to share some information with me.”

“Did you make the ones we had at home in Norway?”

“Nei, my far did, years ago. Like everything else, if you take care of what you have, it will last longer.” Not like Einar. He did take good care of his tools for lumbering, but the junk pile in the corner of the shop gave the boys plenty of things to sand and refinish to make them functional again, like the plane they used to smooth boards. The shavings made a great fire starter up at the house.

“I should spend some of the time splitting wood,” Bjorn said.

Rune nodded. “I’ll help you put that log up on the sawbucks so you can saw more spools for firewood, too.” He heard the harness jingling. Einar was ready to leave, and patience was not part of his makeup. “Come on.”

Signe met them at the door and handed Rune the page she and Gerd had put together. “Here are our lists. Takk.”

“Make sure you get the coffee. Although Einar usually sees that we have that.” Gerd swayed with Kirstin on her shoulder.

Outside, Rune and Bjorn dragged the dried tree to the sawbucks, but when they tried to lift it, they had to let it down with a thunk. It was just too big.

“All right, drive a wedge under the trunk where you want to cut so the saw doesn’t bind up. You wouldn’t be able to drag it up by yourself anyway.”

Bjorn nodded. “You better get going, or he’ll leave you behind.”

Rune laid a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You better work on this first.”

“I figured.”

Rune swung himself up onto the sledge seat, once again aware of how hard Bjorn tried not to set Einar into a rage, or even a simmer.

Einar set the team to a trot, getting them to the turn at Benson’s Corner in record time. All that time he never said a word.

Rune ignored him and enjoyed studying the other farms, dreaming of his own one day. They had the land, so step one was building their house. It would have been good to dig the cellar before the ground froze, but looking back never worked. He was saving every dollar of their wages to buy lumber for their house. But buying wood for skis was important too.

Finally, Rune broke the silence. “You ever thought of hiring one of those traveling sawmills to saw our logs here?”

“Ja, but the lumber will be too green to build with this summer.”

Rune nodded. That made good sense. “You ever thought about adding on to the shop?”

Einar glared at him. “What we got works fine.”

“We could close in the remainder of the machine shed and add on a shed for the machinery.”

“Ja, we could.” Einar’s forehead furrowed deeper as he glared at Rune over his shoulder. “You sure are good at spending my money.” His bark bit. “We do not need more space in the shop. You want to build something bigger, you just go build your own shop.”

Rune debated arguing but deliberately chose to let it drop. In these last months, he had learned that the best way to deal with Einar Strand was to drop an idea into his head, then let him work it around until it became his idea. “Just a thought. I figured that when you run out of pine logs to sell, you could use some other ideas for bringing cash in.”

“I am going to farm. I told you that.” The growl deepened with each word spaced to cut.

“I know, but from what I see, that soil isn’t real good for growing things. Going to take a lot of building up. Lots of rocks to pick out too.”

“That’s what those boys are good for.”

My boys will be working on our own home, at least part of the time. Not yours. “I’ve been wondering how to get those stumps out. A lot of stumps out there.”

“Dynamite works.”

“Dangerous.”

“Not if you know how.” At least Einar’s voice was back to his normal growl. “I was hoping to get another couple of acres ready for spring planting. Going to need more hay if we get more cows. That wife of yours going to make cheese?”

Rune shook his head. “Her name is Signe. And now that Gerd is stronger, once the cows are out on pasture again, she is hoping to.”

The snow cover gave Blackduck a crisp, clean appearance. Still, even if you flattened out Norway’s hills and mountains into a level plain, this town looked totally different. In Norway, you were either in the town or not. Here, you passed a few farms, then more farms, and then a feedlot, and then the stores, which were, Rune assumed, the town proper. It was so spread out. Scattered. Norway’s towns were compact, the buildings all huddled together.

Rune suddenly realized why. In Norway, land was precious and you used every inch. Here, there was plenty of land for everyone. Einar’s generous offer of acreage was not nearly as generous as it had sounded when Rune was still in Norway. Land in Minnesota was cheap and plentiful.

He pointed toward what appeared to be a mill. “How about leaving me off at the lumberyard, then I will meet you at Bergen’s General Store?”

Einar nodded. “Going to the feedstore too. If you buy any wood, we need to load that before the feed.”

Rune nodded. It would be easiest if Einar just waited for him at the lumberyard, but the thought of Einar getting impatient while Rune talked with someone there did not seem like a good thing.

Einar lined the team over in front of the lumberyard office. Rune barely had his boots on the ground before Einar clucked the team forward.

“Takk.” Rune didn’t expect an answer, and he didn’t get one. He strode up to the building marked Office and opened the door. Overhead, a bell jangled. Monroe’s Lumber was one of the largest businesses in town, and praise to God, the storekeeper spoke both English and Norwegian.

“Ah, Mr. Carlson, I haven’t seen you for a long time. How can I help you?” The clerk greeted him with a smile.

“Good day, Mr. Hechstrom.” Rune nodded. “I need both wood and information.”

“Well, hopefully I have what you need on both counts. Let’s start with the information.” Mr. Hechstrom leaned on the counter. “What are you thinking to build now?”

“Skis for my boys to get to school easier.”

“They know how to ski?”

“That they do. Don’t all Norwegians know how to ski?”

“Depends on when and where they came from. You made skis before?”

Rune shook his head. “We used the ones my far made but could not bring them along. I know he used hickory, but I was thinking perhaps birch would be easier to find here. Or ash?”

“Most folks use black ash. Hickory is so heavy, and birch warps more easily. But if you soak black ash and bend up the front, when it dries, it stays that way. Keep ’em well waxed and stored straight, and you got skis for a lifetime. You heard about the ski clubs popping up? Big group down in Red Wing.”

Rune shook his head. As if he went anywhere to hear any news. “So who is making skis? I just thought to make ’em for us. Skiing makes good sense here. Faster than horse travel and easier on the horse.”

“The Halversons over in Bemidji are shipping skis back to Norway.”

“Really?” Rune nodded slowly. “You have any black ash here?”

“I do, have to keep it in stock. Have birch too. How much you want?”

Rune reined his mind back to dealing with the here and now. “Ash, please. Enough for two pairs. Start there.”

“I heard you got some land from old Strand. When you planning to build?”

“How did—?” Rune cut off the question. Probably from the sheriff. Folks said women did the gossiping, but men told stories. Getting the best of Einar Strand seemed to be worth a tale or two. “Hope to start digging the cellar soon as the ground thaws.”

“So we’re probably looking at late June to build, then?”

“Depends on how fast my boys and I can dig it out.”

Hechstrom snorted. “I’m sure old Einar’s not going to help you any.”

“Probably not. All he thinks about is cutting trees.”

“You thinking a log cabin?”

“The trees are too big for that. I’ll be ordering milled lumber when we get closer. I thought about using some of our trees for the lumber, but that will be too green, right?”

Hechstrom nodded. “So for now, you just need ski planks?”

Rune held out his hand, measuring from the floor. “Knute is about this tall and Leif about here. But they sure are growing fast, so I suppose I should make all the skis six foot and let Leif grow into them. That way we could all use them easy enough.” He shook his head. “I know my wife would love to ski again. You ever seen anyone carry a baby in a sling or backpack while on skis?”

“Might make her the talk of Benson’s Corner, but . . .” He shrugged. “You do what needs doing.” He grinned.

Rune smiled and nodded. “So where can I get good ski wax?”

“Over at Bergen’s. They carry about everything. You going to build your house out of white pine?”

“Dry as it can be.”

“We got some of last year’s under a roof. Should be good by then. Still a lot of building going on around here. Makes you wonder, if you think about the diminishing acres of white pine left. Those big companies, they just clean out an area and move on. Watched ’em do that all across the northern part of this country.” He leaned his elbows on the counter.

Rune nodded. “Farming will keep expanding.”

“Yeah, but so much of that soil is only good for growing trees. Fella I met talked about planting hardwoods. That’s what nature does, replants. Pine trees take a lot of years to grow back, but they will eventually.”

“Planting hardwoods, eh?” Rune thought of all the birch already growing where the pines had either fallen or been cut down. “Black ash grows here?”

“Yup, and maple. Some make orchards of sugar maple too. Then cut the wood when it is big enough.”

So how did you feed your family while the trees were growing? Rune couldn’t see Einar being that patient, but . . . on his own five acres . . . he could plant trees on part of it. Half pasture, half trees. His head teemed with questions and ideas. He nodded. “Takk. You give me a lot to think about.”

Mr. Hechstrom slapped his hand on the counter. “So, I got some real straight black ash, one by four by eight foot. You might want to get an extra board or two, just in case something goes wrong.”

Rune counted out his carefully hoarded cash and paid, and together they walked out into the back of the long tall building where they kept the finer woods. He picked out six lengths. “We’ll be back for them.”

“I’ll keep them right here for you.”

Rune looked longingly at the different kinds and cuts of wood. He had always known he liked working with wood, a desire that came down from his far and his far’s far. He inhaled the deep, rich fragrance of the gathered woods. Some, like cedar, smelled stronger, even drove the bugs away. He hated to be in a hurry to leave, but he had no desire to get left behind. “Takk. Tusen takk. I will see you later.”

He walked out to the main street and turned toward Bergen’s General Store.

Einar was inside, waiting at the counter. He had already amassed a pile of purchases. “You got the list?”

Rune pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Einar. He smiled at the woman behind the counter. She smiled in return.

Einar frowned. “This all?”

Rune nodded. “Gerd and Signe both went over the list.”

Still scowling, Einar slapped the list down on the counter.

To the clerk, Rune said, “Mr. Hechstrom at the lumberyard said you carry ski wax.”

“Ja, we do. Comes in a block.” She reached behind her to some wrapped cakes that looked rather like soap packages.

He thought a moment and nodded. “I would like two, please.”

Einar gave a snort of disgust.

Rune ignored him, something he was getting better at doing. “How long until the order will be ready?”

“Give me half an hour.”

“Good, we need to pick up some other things.” He turned. Einar was already halfway to the door. Rune turned back to the woman and smiled. “Takk.”

She smiled and nodded, then sent a glare in Einar’s direction. Seemed like he had a bad reputation in Blackduck too.

Outside, Einar untied the team. “How much wood you got?”

Rune told him. “Thought it would fit straight along the side of the bed.”

“We’ll get feed after that. You talk to that Hechstrom fellow about that addition to the shop?”

Rune stared at him. “But you said—” He cut off the rest of his surprise. “We haven’t measured yet to see what we need. Besides, we can’t add on until the snow is gone.”

Einar grunted. “We can put the floor down and continue that front wall. Build a door like the barn.”

“You want to talk to him?”

Einar shook his head. “Tell him to put it on my tab, and we’ll pick it up next Saturday if it ain’t storming.”

As if they had time right now to build that in. “When you thinking to move the logs?”

“Better do it soon, before the frost goes out. Tell him we need a pulley and tackle too. Need that today, and hawser rope, couple hundred feet. Tell him what we’re doing. He’ll know how much.”

“We could use a pulley in the haymow, too. Especially since you’re expanding your hayfields this spring.”

Einar shook his head. “Just get one.”

Rune returned to the lumberyard feeling a bit smug and with a lighter heart. He was finally becoming able to direct Einar’s thoughts toward the future, away from negative things and toward positive things. And that was something he had not thought could happen.

But then, coming to this lumberyard always lightened his heart. Besides the wood aromas and stacks of milled lumber, there was Mr. Hechstrom. Together, by guess and by golly, they figured out approximately what would be needed for the extension on Einar’s shed in only ten minutes.

Once the ash planks, pulley, and rope were loaded, they drove to the feedstore, then returned to Bergen’s.

“You remember this here dynamite needs to be kept dry,” the man loading the wagon cautioned.

The look Einar sent him made him shrug and shake his head. But he carefully set the wooden box at the front of the bed on the floor. They tied down the load and climbed back up on the seat.

“Takk.” Rune smiled at the store employee who had helped them load. “Appreciate the help.”

Einar slapped the reins, and the team settled into their collars, somehow knowing that pulling the loaded wagon would take more effort on their part.

Rune’s happy thoughts dissolved under Einar’s black cloud. He gritted his teeth. Couldn’t Einar Strand at least be a little polite?