Chapter 21

           Themoving,questingpeopleweremigrantsnow.Thosefamilieswhohadlivedonalittlepieceofland,whohadlivedanddiedonfortyacres,hadeatenorstarvedontheproduceoffortyacres,hadnowthewholeWesttorovein.Andtheyscamperedabout,lookingforwork;andthehighwayswerestreamsofpeople,andtheditchbankswerelinesofpeople.Behindthemmorewerecoming.Thegreathighwaysstreamedwithmovingpeople.ThereintheMiddle—andSouthwesthadlivedasimpleagrarianfolkwhohadnotchangedwithindustry,whohadnotfarmedwithmachinesorknownthepoweranddangerofmachinesinprivatehands.Theyhadnotgrownupintheparadoxesofindustry.Theirsenseswerestillsharptotheridiculousnessoftheindustriallife.

           Andthensuddenlythemachinespushedthemoutandtheyswarmedonthehighways.Themovementchangedthem;thehighways,thecampsalongtheroad,thefearofhungerandthehungeritself,changedthem.Thechildrenwithoutdinnerchangedthem,theendlessmovingchangedthem.Theyweremigrants.Andthehostilitychangedthem,weldedthem,unitedthem—hostilitythatmadethelittletownsgroupandarmasthoughtorepelaninvader,squadswithpickhandles,clerksandstorekeeperswithshotguns,guardingtheworldagainsttheirownpeople.

           IntheWesttherewaspanicwhenthemigrantsmultipliedonthehighways.Menofpropertywereterrifiedfortheirproperty.Menwhohadneverbeenhungrysawtheeyesofthehungry.Menwhohadneverwantedanythingverymuchsawtheflareofwantintheeyesofthemigrants.