noon
Cook an egg for him , while I hitch Pier to the cart . Then , while he and I work in the field , you can put the house in order . There is only one more load to bring in , and we can do that by ourselves . '' By noon the last of the wheat had been garnered , and this time Jan drove Pier home , while his mother sat on the load . In the afternoon the three unloaded the wagon and stowed the grain away in the barn to be threshed ; and when the long day 's work was over , and they had eaten their simple supper of bread and milk , Mother Van Hove and the children went together down the village street to see their neighbors and hear the news , if there should be any . There were no daily papers in Meer , and now there were no young men to go to the city and bring back the gossip of the day , as there had used to be . The women , with their babies on their arms , stood about in the street , talking quietly and sadly among themselves .