"Even the Tallivers gave up on it."
Hazel crouched again and examined the wooden frame.
She wasn't particularly interested in explaining herself.
She wanted to understand why the smaller sheller had moved.
Rafe watched her.
Then shook his head.
"Some people just like throwing away money."
Hazel looked up.
"How much are they asking?"
Rafe grinned.
"You serious?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
He pointed toward Tilman Goforth, the neighbor managing the estate sale.
"Ask him. He'll probably pay you to take the junk."
The men laughed again.
Hazel ignored them.
She walked toward Tilman, who stood beside a folding table counting receipts.
"Mr. Goforth?"
He looked up.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"How much for the three old pea shellers?"
Tilman stared.
For a moment, he seemed uncertain whether he'd heard correctly.
"The ones in the back?"
She nodded.
He glanced toward the shed.
Then toward Rafe, who was already smiling.
Tilman laughed.
"Those?"
Hazel waited.
He scratched his chin.
"Honestly, I was going to send them with the scrap iron."
She took a breath.
"Would you take four dollars and fifty cents for all three?"
Tilman looked at her.
Then began laughing.
"Tell you what. Three dollars, and you haul them yourself. No complaints if they fall apart before you get home."
Hazel nodded immediately.
"Deal."
Rafe slapped his knee.
Clay laughed.
Ned stared at her in disbelief.
Tilman held out his hand.
Hazel took three crumpled dollar bills from her pocket.
He wrote a receipt on the back of an old sale flyer, signed it, and handed it to her.
She folded it carefully.
Then placed it in the front pocket of her overalls.
The transaction was finished.
But the laughter wasn't.
Rafe turned toward Wy.
"You really going to let your niece haul all that junk home?"
Wy looked toward Hazel.
Then toward the machines.
He shrugged.
"She bought them."
Rafe laughed.
"That doesn't mean you have to help her make a fool of herself."
Wy smiled faintly.
"Wouldn't be the first time I've hauled home something everybody else wanted to throw away."
Hazel looked toward her uncle.
He winked.
Then retrieved his loading ramps and straps from the pickup.
Together, they prepared to move the machines.
The large sheller was heavy enough to require careful handling and additional help, and Wy refused to let anyone get beneath or beside it where shifting equipment could cause an injury. He arranged a safe loading method using the equipment available at the sale, while Hazel secured smaller detachable parts and checked that nothing would move during transport.