Then he rose, got dinner, and called Brown to eat it.

He ate nothing himself, saying that he'd lost his appetite somehow or other.

After the meal he harnessed Joshua to the little wagon and started on his drive to Eastboro.

"I'll be back early, I cal'late," were his last words as he drove out of the yard.
After he had gone, and Brown had finished clearing away and the other housekeeping tasks which were now such a burden, the substitute assistant went out to sit on the bench and smoke.

The threatened easterly wind had begun to blow, and the sky was dark with tumbling clouds.