Neighbour Rosicky

When he arrives home he explains to his wife that his heart “ain’t so good like it used to be.” Together they recall their loving marriage, and the difference between themselves and the other farmers in the area.

He was unhappy in the city, and realized that he needed to be in contact with the earth; so at the age of 35, he moved west to Nebraska to start a new life as a farmer.

On the day before Christmas, Rosicky is reminded of his time in London, where he was faced with the difficulties of finding food and shelter.

Mary attempts to lighten the mood by reminding him of a year in which the heat destroyed the crops around the Fourth of July, and how he showed no despair at that time.

This is followed by numerous stories told back and forth amongst the family, one of which recounts an episode when Rosicky was in London and stole a goose from his landlady.

Afterwards, he felt such guilt that he searched the city to find a way to replace it, eventually meeting wealthy Czechs who gave him the money he needed.

Polly is extremely moved by this story, and decides that she wants to invite Rudolph's family to their home for New Year's dinner.

At the end of the story, Rosicky imagines the future of his children and hopes that they do not suffer like he did throughout the beginning part of his life.

He reflects on Rosicky's fulfilling life and how it “seemed to him complete and beautiful.” Willa Cather migrated in 1883 with her family to the plains of Nebraska.