
In the midst of an April thunderstorm, Sarah Brailsford battles rain‑soaked roads to reach her family’s farm, lantern in hand, her heart racing with worry. The storm reveals a drenched, hat‑less stranger—a young woman named Early Ann—who has been whisked to the Brailsford homestead by the powerful, song‑loving husband, Stanley. As Sarah shelters the shivering newcomer, the scene captures the raw, seasonal beauty of southern Wisconsin and the fierce devotion that binds the family together.
Beyond the tempest, the Brailsford farm emerges as a bustling hub of agricultural pride. Stud Brailsford, a renowned breeder, tends prized livestock—Poland China boars, Jersey cows, and a majestic Percheron—while the surrounding fields, lakes, and woods echo with the rhythms of rural life. Early Ann’s arrival hints at new relationships and challenges that will test the close‑knit community, setting the stage for a story steeped in love, labor, and the timeless pull of the land.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (273K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Giovanni Fini, Bruce Albrecht and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2014-07-06
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1906–1974
Best remembered for the beloved memoir Rascal, this Wisconsin writer turned his small-town childhood into one of the classic animal stories in American children's literature.
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