Blue Shadows Farm: A Novel

50. Purified Corn Water—Summer 1920

Summer 1920 Just as they had promised, Bernardo and Little Louie drove into the Starkweather farmyard a week later, an hour or so after dark. This time Abe was waiting for them. During the week, he had cleaned up the mess the exploding potato beer had left in his secret room in the back of the potato cellar, swept up the broken glass, and brushed down the cobwebs that had accumulated in the corners. He’d even shaved, combed his hair, and put on a clean shirt. Bernardo walked up to the kitchen porch where Abe stood. Bernardo was smoking a big black cigar. “You like a cigar, Abe?” Bernardo said by way of greeting. “Sure,” Abe said. He had never smoked a cigar before. He mostly smoked an old corncob pipe with strong tobacco he bought at the mercantile in Link Lake. He stuck the big cigar in his mouth; it felt like a small tree limb. “Here, I’ll light it for you,” Bernardo said as he struck a match and held the yellow flame to the long black cigar. Soon a big cloud of gray smoke swirled around Abe’s head. “Pretty good, huh?” Bernardo said, taking another big drag on 292 50 Purified Corn Water 293 Purified Corn Water—Summer 1920 the one he was smoking. Little Louie was walking around the farmyard , peering behind the buildings, opening doors here and there. “What’s he doin’?” Abe asked. “Oh, just lookin’ around. Can’t be too safe, you know. Never know what’s out there hidin’ in the corners and movin’ in the dark.” “You thought about our proposition?” “Well, I have given it some thought,” Abe said. “What’d you come up with?” “Decided I’d like to give your idea a try. Can’t hurt none to try somethin’ new. Always said that. Can’t hurt to turn in a new direction once in a while,” Abe said. “Pleased to hear it. Al’ll be pleased, too. Won’t he, Little Louie?” Little Louie had appeared around the corner of the house. Abe hadn’t heard or seen him coming. Little Louie shook his head up and down a couple times. “You got that recipe for this here purified corn water?” “Got her right here. What say we go over to your office and discuss it,” Bernardo said. “Yeah, my office,” Abe said, not sure where he would take them. “The place where you made the wild potato beer.” “Yeah, sure. First let me light this lantern. Little dark there in the potato cellar.” Abe lifted the globe on the barn lantern, then struck a match and touched it to the cloth wick. “Just follow me over here to the potato cellar. Got a special room in the back, all boarded off so those not needin’ to see what I’m doin’ can’t,” said Abe. The threesome walked across the farmyard toward the little building, now hidden in the shadows. A slice of a new moon hung in the eastern sky, and a hoot owl called away off in the deep woods to the north. A whippoorwill called its name again and again from somewhere on the hillside near the pond. “Dark as Hades out here,” Bernardo said. “Does turn a little dark when the sun goes down. Like it that way though. Like it when it’s dark,” Abe said. “Not me. I like the lights. We got electric lights in Chicago you know. Had ’em for years,” Bernardo said. “Don’t think I’d like that,” Abe offered. “Some things best left in the dark.” They arrived at the potato cellar, and Abe pushed open the outer door, holding the lantern high so the two men could see their way inside. “Can’t see a blamed thing in here. Even with your lantern, it’s still dark.” “You get used to it,” Abe said, fishing in his pocket for the key to the padlock on the door to the secret room. Once inside, the two men began inspecting Abe’s equipment, looking at each piece of it. “Pretty good stuff you got here, Abe. Will work just fine for making purified corn water,” Bernardo said. “You got the recipe with you?” Abe asked. “Little Louie, Abe wants the recipe,” Bernardo said. He snapped his fingers. Little Louie fumbled in one pocket and then...