That was exactly what her grandfather would have said.
Look first.
Compare the evidence.
Then decide.
The next morning, May opened the notebook again.
She copied the stamped number into a clean page.
Then she began comparing the tractor's visible features with the old drawings.
She noticed three unusual details.
The steering housing was wider than the one shown in the standard production manual.
A small control lever appeared near the transmission.
And a reinforced bracket beneath the seat matched a handwritten diagram in her grandfather's notes.
She showed her father.
He studied the drawings carefully.
Then he went to the workshop cabinet and retrieved an old technical bulletin.
For nearly an hour, they compared the photographs and diagrams.
Finally, he looked at her.
“I don't know what you've found, sweetheart.”
May felt disappointed.
Then he continued.
“But I agree that it doesn't look like an ordinary production tractor.”
She smiled.
He tapped the notebook.
“Your grandpa would have loved this.”
May looked down at the worn brown cover.
“I wish he were here.”
Her father's expression softened.
“Me too.”
They sat quietly.
Then May asked whether they could return to examine the tractor again.
Her father shook his head.
“The estate is moving everything to the auction yard next week.”
She looked disappointed.
“Can we go there?”
“We can look.”
“Can we buy it?”
Her father laughed.
“Sweetheart, we can barely afford to fix the machines we already own.”
May looked down.
He immediately regretted how sharply the words had come out.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I'm not saying your curiosity is wrong.”
She nodded.
“I'm saying we have to be careful with money right now.”
“I know.”
He smiled.
“Keep studying the notebook. Maybe you'll learn something worth writing about.”
May nodded.
But she was already thinking about the money hidden inside a small envelope beneath her mattress.
Fifty-five dollars.
Almost every dollar she had saved from feeding chickens, gathering eggs, helping neighbors collect fallen apples, and doing small chores.
She had been saving for a new bicycle.
Now the bicycle seemed less important.
She looked toward the notebook.
Then toward the faded sketch.
And a thought began forming.