Part 20 (1/2)

He looked down at her hand, then up at her face ”I thank you fer your syoin' down to the boardin'house 'n' git theI'll be back in a little while”

Roscoe ca the sleep fro the faded bathrobe that Daniel used when he stayed over ”It's dark already,” he said in a faintly surprised voice ”Where's Dan'l?”

”He went to his boardinghouse for a few things,” she said ”He should be back soon” She crossed the roo ”I did the best I could, Mr Craig,” she said, giving it to hi the neatly pressed shi+rt and trousers and the freshly shi+ned boots

”I'll get supper ready while you're dressing,” she said ”And I'll fix some sandwiches for your journey”

”You don' have to go to all that bother, ,” she said She started for the kitchen, then turned back to hi to happen to Daniel now?”

He looked at her thoughtfully ”I don' rightly know,” he answered ”He's a man alone now, an' he'll be makin' his ownsupper It was a Daniel she had never seen before Gone were the white shi+rt and tie, the pressed store-bought trousers, the shi+ny black shoes In their place orn and faded denim overalls held up by crossed straps over a clean but tired-looking blue cotton shi+rt, and on his feet were heavy farmer's boots A broad-brimmed, faded black mountain er a boy but a man A man worn, hurt, embittered by life She felt a pain inside her It was then that she finally accepted what she had known ever since the

190

They ate supper in silence After it was over, she gathered up the dishes and took them into the kitchen She placed the dishes in the sink and went back into the parlor without washi+ng theh for that later

Daniel rose from the table when she came into the room ”It's almost ten o'clock,” he said ''We'll have tobe leavin'”

She looked at him for a moment ”I fixed some sandwiches,” she said She went back into the kitchen and returned with a large paper bag and gave it to Roscoe

The farratefully ”Thank you very kin'ly,at hi outside, Daniel,” Roscoe said with a gentle understanding, and went out the front door

They stood there silently for a long while just looking at each other Finally she let out a deep breath ”Are you going to Detroit with hioin' home The train kin leave ht miles from our place”

”And after that?”

”I don' know,” he said

”Will you be co

He looked into her eyes ”I don' think so Miss Andrews”

Her eyes began to fill with tears ”Just for now, Daniel, for this time, please call me Sarah”

He hesitated a moment, then nodded ”Yes- Sarah”

She went into his arainst his chest ”Will I ever see you again?” she whispered

He held her gently without answering

She looked up into his face ”Daniel, do you love me? Just a little?”

He looked down into her eyes ”Yes,” he an- swered ”Jes' how irl”

”Don't forget et et you I owe you so one and she was alone in her bed and she heard the train whistle at ht, she turned her face into the pillow and could still feel his ar the words she had never never been able to bring herself to say to him ”Oh, God, you'll never kno much I loved you”

pens to you, then all your father's life would of meant nothin”

Daniel nodded ”I'll think on it, Mr Craig”

''She's slowin' down,” the brakeit movin', Dan'l”

Daniel went out onto the tiny platform and waited on the bottom step as the train slowed to a crawl Roscoe and the brakeman came out onto the platform Daniel jumped, ran a few steps, slid down the embank his hand to let thean to pick up ain A few an walking through the hills toward home

He found the old paths as if he had never been away This here he had grown up, and he knew the land Hke the back of his hand He reme for the first tiht horossed as he ith ht miles to his house seemed only as many minutes, so he wasn't prepared for the shock when he came out onto the road where the house had once stood

He froze It was reduced to a charred shell, only the fra sun, the air seemed to shi+ver over the remains of the house Behind it the bam stood, untouched, empty of life He drew a deep breath and forced himself to walk into what had been the front yard

There was a heavy sound behind him He whirled quickly The mule ca round eyes looked at Daniel questioningly

The mule was the first to ed at him with his nose Daniel stepped to one side, and the h the yard into the barn

Daniel followed him The mule had his nose buried in the hay Daniel looked into the trough It was dry He went back into the yard to the well The big water bucket still hung there on the puthe puushi+ng up and fill the pail Daniel carried it back to the trough

The mule raised his head and watched hih Still h He looked down at it for a moment, then up at Daniel

Daniel nodded ''Yes, stupid its there Drink up”

Theas he cleaned his teeth of the hay Then he put his an to drink Daniel turned away

Without looking at the house again, he walked up the side of the sraves, the earth still black and new over them He took off his hat and stood bareheaded in the sun He had never been to a funeral, so he did not know the right prayer to say The only one he could reht him when he was a little child His lips ioved softly

''Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take

God bless Maw; God bless Paw; God bless my sisters and brothers'

His voice faded away, and for the first tiraves He stood withoutdown his cheeks After a while the tears stopped, but he re their way into his brain, the loss and hurt and e his soul Then suddenly it was over The pain stopped He closed his eyes for a longback, he left the small cemetery and went up the path to the hill He came around the sniall turn and there it was, as it always had been His father's still-the ss It was as if nothing had happened

He opened the door of the shed and went inside It was dark, and very little light cah the door He reached up to the top shelf and found what he had coers and found the small box that he kneould be next to it He took the tarpaulin-wrapped double-barreled 20-gauge shotgun and the box of shells into the sunlight Quickly, he stripped away the tarpaulin The gun was clean and shi+ning He cocked both haers They clicked in cleanly, the ha pin sharply His father had always insisted on keeping his guns clean and in working order He opened the box of shells It was almost fiill