Гроздья гнева
Chapter 19
Amanmaystandtouseascythe,aplow,pitchfork;buthemustcrawllikeabugbetweentherowsoflettuce,hemustbendhisbackandpullhislongbagbetweenthecottonrows,hemustgoonhiskneeslikeapenitentacrossacauliflowerpatch.
Anditcameaboutthatownersnolongerworkedontheirfarms.Theyfarmedonpaper;andtheyforgottheland,thesmell,thefeelofit,andrememberedonlythattheyownedit,rememberedonlywhattheygainedandlostbyit.Andsomeofthefarmsgrewsolargethatonemancouldnotevenconceiveofthemanymore,solargethatittookbatteriesofbookkeeperstokeeptrackofinterestandgainandloss;chemiststotestthesoil,toreplenish;strawbossestoseethatthestoopingmenweremovingalongtherowsasswiftlyasthematerialoftheirbodiescouldstand.Thensuchafarmerreallybecameastorekeeper,andkeptastore.Hepaidthemen,andsoldthemfood,andtookthemoneyback.Andafterawhilehedidnotpaythemenatall,andsavedbookkeeping.Thesefarmsgavefoodoncredit.Amanmightworkandfeedhimselfandwhentheworkwasdone,mightfindthatheowedmoneytothecompany.Andtheownersnotonlydidnotworkthefarmsanymore,manyofthemhadneverseenthefarmstheyowned.
Andthenthedispossessedweredrawnwest—fromKansas,Oklahoma,Texas,NewMexico;fromNevadaandArkansasfamilies,tribes,dustedout,tractoredout.Carloads,caravans,homelessandhungry;twentythousandandfiftythousandandahundredthousandandtwohundredthousand.
