Elias closed the ledger with a soft thud . The air in the store suddenly felt heavy with the scent of iron and dry earth.
"Thinking about it," Miller said, his eyes wandering to the heavy bags stacked on pallets in the dim light of the warehouse. "Just wondering what the limit is. Like, if a man wanted to buy it all." how much ammonium nitrate can you buy
"Tell your dad to buy what he needs for the season and not a bag more," Elias said, returning to his stool. "Safety isn't just about the blast; it's about the eyes watching the pile. Now, you want that thresher belt or not?" Elias closed the ledger with a soft thud
"How much of the 34-0-0 you got left in the shed, El?" the boy asked, leaning against the counter. "Just wondering what the limit is
The bell above the door chimed, a lonely sound in the cavernous silence of Miller’s Farm Supply. Elias didn’t look up from his ledger. He knew the gait; it was young Miller, likely looking for a specialized lubricant or a part for the thresher that had been coughing gray smoke since Tuesday.
Elias peaked over his spectacles. "Ammonium nitrate? Enough to feed half the county’s corn, I reckon. Why? Your old man finally deciding to expand the north lot?"
"The 'limit' isn't a number on a receipt, son," Elias said, his voice dropping to a gravelly low. "It’s a matter of trust and paperwork. You want a couple of bags for the garden? You pay your cash and you go. You want enough to turn a field green? I need your name, your ID, and a signature that the Department of Homeland Security can read from space."