Not approval.
Not surrender.
Something closer to reluctant respect.
He climbed into his truck.
The following months were not magically easy.
The Mercer tractor still needed repairs.
Their corn yield remained poor.
Bills arrived.
Winter feed cost money.
The hydraulic pump they originally wanted at the auction never came back.
Ellis eventually rebuilt another used pump from parts acquired from three different machines.
It leaked slightly.
Then stopped leaking after he threatened it with language Mae did not permit at the supper table.
But one major uncertainty disappeared.
The valley's farmers knew where they stood regarding the spring system.
Under county supervision and updated records, the seven affected properties reorganized maintenance of the channel.
They cleared sections blocked by silt.
Repaired stone walls.
Removed brush.
Reopened drainage points.
Nobody became wealthy.
That was never the point.
Water moved reliably again.
During the following dry summer, that mattered.
Fields still suffered.
But less.
Cattle still needed supplemental water.
But fewer emergency loads were required.
Small differences kept small farms alive.
Calvin continued purchasing property.
His operation grew.
But people noticed a change.
Before buying land, he began asking different questions.