Read the excerpt from The Land.I shrugged, as if that was the best I could do for him. "I figure I lose my job, I can get along on that for a while 'til I find another one. Can't do it for less."Mister Ray Sutcliffe from Alabama did not look pleased. "All right. All right. I'm going to pay you what you asking, this four times a rider's wages—but only if you win, you hear? You lose, boy, and you get nothing."
Read the excerpt from The Land.Mitchell almost smiled. "Well, don't want that. Thing is, though, Paul, this here's a dangerous-looking animal.""Dangerous enough for me to reconsider?""Well, that's up to you. You the one hafta ride him."I walked up to the grey and looked into his eyes. "I'll ride him," I decided right then for a fact. "I've got only my neck to lose and four times a rider's pay to gain."
Read the excerpt from The Land."I have to finish brushing down these horses first," I said.Ray Sutcliffe's face took on a look of exasperation. "What? You got a race to tend to, boy!""I'm sorry, Mister Sutcliffe, but I told Mister Logan I'd brush these horses down for him, and he taught me a long time ago to do what I say I'm going to do."
Read the excerpt from The Land."Well, Mister Sutcliffe, I know what a rider's pay is around here, and it's not worth losing my job because of it. My boss told me not to ride a horse that's not his, so I know I'd be in real trouble with him if I did. No, sir, I thank you for your offer, but I don't figure to risk my job for just rider's pay."
Read the excerpt from The Land.Ray Sutcliffe looked me up and down, and I knew he hadn't liked what he'd heard from me. But he gave me the leeway. "You just make sure you win. We've got less than two hours before that start."
Read the excerpt from The Land."Well, who's going to be your rider?" asked the man of my daddy.My daddy looked at me. "This boy Paul here."The man gave me a look-over and said, "He seems a bit mite to me."My daddy nodded, as if he hadn't considered that. "Could be you're right. He sits a horse well, though."
Read the dialogue between Mitchell and Paul from The Land."You know, you could be lookin' for a broken neck.""You sounding like my daddy now."Mitchell almost smiled. "Well, don't want that. Thing is, though, Paul, this here's a dangerous-looking animal."
Read the excerpt from The Land."You know," I said quietly when we were to ourselves, "maybe this race isn't important to you, but it is to me, so I figure we best get to knowing each other quick. I'm Paul Logan, out of Georgia, and you need to know I've ridden a lot of fine horses, maybe some not as fine as you, maybe some better. Now, I know we don't know each other, but I understand from your rider, Eddie Hawks, you've got a real mind of your own. You like to win if you do it in your own way. Well, that's all right with me, long as you let me ride you and help you out a little bit. See, I figure to prove my daddy and Robert wrong. I figure to ride you, even though I don't know you, and Ole Grey, I figure to win."
Read the excerpt from The Land.We looked at each other then. We both knew there was little our daddy ever changed his mind about. We knew, too, our daddy figured sending us off to school was what was best; still I couldn't help but feel something was being wedged between Robert and me.
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