The Harrows of Spring by James Howard Kunstler Read Free Book Online

hydroelectric system for his property.
    â€œI mean out for good here,” Bullock said. “As in over and out. That’s all she wrote. Good night, Missus Calabash, wherever you are.”
    â€œUh, gee. Sorry about that, sir,” Terry said.
    â€œI laid in three goddamn replacement Pelton wheels for that turbine, and now the last one’s shot to hell. I can’t believe it.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Robert said.
    â€œI’m going to scour the countryside to see if anyone can fix the goddamn things. You can’t weld them without special equipment and materials. And, of course, you’d need electricity to do the welding. I should have bought twenty or thirty of the goddamn things instead of just three. Goddamn shortsighted of me.”
    Robert and Terry shared a glance.
    â€œUh, Stephen,” Robert said. “We just saw something kind of horrifying down on the River Road—”
    â€œSo that’s it for the goddamn stereo, among other things,” Bullock continued undeterred. “I suppose I could get hold of some more musical instruments for my people and have them put on live music, like you folks do over in the village. But, hell. I couldn’t summon them every time I wanted to, like at the dinner table. And there are things they’d never be able to perform correctly: Erik Satie, Mahler, the Doors—”
    â€œUh, Stephen, there’s a guy nailed to a tree down there,” Robert said.
    â€œOh?” Bullock said, coming out of himself. “Is that so?” He craned around and looked up at Dick Lee, still mounted. “Is that so, Dick?”
    â€œYessir,” Dick Lee said.
    The men swapped glances all around.
    â€œWhat did he do?” Robert asked Bullock.
    â€œRemind me: what was it, Dick?”
    â€œStealing a horse,” Dick said. “Attempted, anyhow.”
    â€œThere you go, horse thief,” Bullock said. “I’d forgotten in all the excitement today, I guess.”
    â€œIsn’t the punishment a little harsh?” Robert said.
    â€œHell no,” Bullock said. “Historically it’s punishable by death in many jurisdictions. Horse theft is serious stuff.”
    â€œWas it necessary to nail him to the tree through the head like that?”
    Bullock appeared to flinch slightly.
    â€œWas that your idea, Dick?” he asked.
    â€œYessir.”
    â€œHe was alive when they drove that spike through his head, you know,” Robert said.
    Bullock again glanced up at Dick Lee, who rolled his eyes.
    â€œHow’s that?” Bullock said.
    Robert explained about all the blood.
    â€œWell, it’s a bit over the top, I guess,” Bullock said. “But what’s a fellow to do in these times, with savage riffraff everywhere creepy-crawling around the property, filching things, threatening life and limb? You remember those jokers who broke into my bedroom last October? We can’t have that sort of thing. Now this fellow down on the River Road was a solitary picker, skulking about the property. Imagine how many more like him are out there. You have to send a message. By the way, I’m done serving as magistrate for a town that just can’t even keep a homicide suspect in lockup. You got my letter of resignation, I presume.”
    â€œYes, I did,” Robert said. “And under the circumstances it’s a little shocking to see you take the law into your own hands out here.”
    â€œWell, Robert, there is no law anymore, is there, really?”
    â€œSure there is,” Robert said. “But the system for running it is broken.”
    â€œWell, exactly,” Bullock said. “Which is why we do what we can over here in our domain to protect our people and our property. I also presume you’ll hold an election and get yourself a new magistrate.”
    â€œYes, we will. I think Sam Hutto will make a fine one.”
    â€œLast time I heard, he was