[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

, as if the crazy old woman would pounce on it and twist it into something
mocking or obscene.
  settle things, he finished, lamely.
She screamed more loudly, a long and piercing wail. He stood right in front of
her now, his hands outstretched. And suddenly he was conscious of movement
behind him and Mikkelson, the tall, sad man, pushed past his shoulder to take
the old woman by her monkey hands and lead her past him and away to a door in
one wall of the alley that opened on blackness and took her in.
The door closed and Mikkelson turned back to face Barin.
 She s old, he said in his tired voice,  and not quite right, sometimes.
 I guessed something like that, said Barin.  You know, I was only trying to
be friendly. I ve just been thinking of staying. Settling down here  He
thought he saw the shadow of a frown beginning to form on the tall man s face.
  Of course, you re right, she s not quite 
He hesitated. Mikkelson turned and began to lead the way out of the alley.
Barin followed, feeling a sudden spurt of anger.
 She ought to be in an institution! he said.
 Some of our people here, Mikkelson turned his head as he walked,  have ideas
brought over from the old country. They don t believe in sending away
relatives. They keep them to themselves, in some dark room.
The words struck Barin with an odd ring; but they were back out on the street
now and he saw a chance to show his agreement with the spirit of the local
people.
 And why not? he said.  Probably the best way, when you come right down to
it. Are there many around here like her?
 A few, said Mikkelson.  Some. Maybe more than you d think by outside
standards.
 Oh, not me, said Barin. He made an open gesture with his hand.  It s like
the stories about this place.
I ll be honest with you. The rest of the country around here seems to think
you people are haunted. In fact, that s the article I actually came up here to
do. Quaint country superstitions, you know. Well, very possibly it s this
practice with the old and senile that s given them that notion about you.
After all, it s all relative. Who can tell? Who can set the standards of
sanity or insanity? Looked at from one point of view
everyone is a little insane. Or everyone is sane.
Mikkelson turned his large eyes upon him.
 That s true, said the tall man.  I suppose you lost your way?
 Why, yes. That s what happened, said Barin.  Your streets and I was so busy
thinking I didn t notice where I was going. He smiled at Mikkelson.  It was
quite easy.
Page 73
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
 Very easy, said Mikkelson,  even in a small town like this. He pointed up
the street.  There s your hotel, now. I have to turn off here.
Barin looked up and saw the porch and sign of the hotel half a block away. He
turned to thank
Mikkelson, but the tall man had already turned and was striding off down a
street to Barin s right.
Barin went on to the hotel.
==========
In the dining room that evening, he caught Dineen by the wrist after she had
brought him his dinner coffee and held her.
 Sit down, he begged.
She looked from his face to his hand, his long fingers enclosing her slim
wrist with the white hand limp beyond it. She looked back with no expression
on her face and sat down. When he released her arm she drew it to her and out
of reach below the edge of the tabletop.
 I love you, he said.
 No, she said, and shook her head.
 You don t understand, he said, leaning toward her.  You think it s
impossible, the sort of thing that happens in movies, that I could come in
from nowhere and see you once and fall in love. But it is possible. It is!
She shook her head again.
 Listen, he said, putting his face close to hers.  If love is something
different to you, it can happen this way. You think I m just talking that I ll
be going away again. But I won t. I ve been looking for a place to settle; and
I like it here. You think about that. He put his hands under her elbows and
lifted, so that she got to her feet. He pushed her toward the kitchen door.
 Go on, think about it.
She went off, turning about like a sleepwalker. He watched her go.
==========
The next morning, the waters of sleep were turgid and heavier, harder to brush
from him. He woke to a feeling of heavy dullness and indifference so deep it
seemed to hold his body in near paralysis.
He rose and dressed with great effort. Nor, this morning, could he bring
himself to make the effort of shaving and washing. Dully, he went out of his
room and downstairs.
The front door of the hotel opened under the pressure of the palms of his
hands and he stepped out again into the sunlight. He went down the three steps
to the sidewalk; and, turning right, began to walk
aimlessly through the town.
There was a thought, vague but insistent in his mind, that he should look up
some local owner or dealer in real estate. With someone like that, he could go
through the motions of renting, or why not, he had the money buying a place.
But he hesitated at asking directly from Rosach or Dineen where such a man
could be found. Dineen might not believe it.
It would be better to stumble across someone like that on his own.
For the first time, now, having walked a little ways, he lifted his eyes from
the greyish pavement of the sidewalk that streamed slowly past his plodding
feet, and looked around. This day, it seemed, there were more people moving
about the village, as if they were all losing their fear of his strangeness.
He saw them on every street he turned into; standing, walking or talking,
although those who talked were always at such a distance that the sound of
their voices did not reach him; and on several occasions, he could see through
some magnification of the haze their very lips moving, but could not catch a
word.
And of the others, there were many within easy hailing distance, across the
street or a few feet away, up on wide, shadowy verandas; but for some reason,
he had a disinclination to call out to them, as he might have on his first day
here. It seemed to him now that so abrupt and unwarranted an action might
Page 74
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
easily shatter the fragile web he was weaving to bind himself into the
structure of their isolation.
Yet he must ask directions.
He looked around. On a nearby veranda, a woman was sweeping listlessly at the
dust on the painted surface of the boards. He took his politeness in both
hands, and turned in through the gate in the wrought iron fence that guarded
the parched and dying front lawn.
The click of the metal gate, opening and closing, the Last Dream announced his
coming. The woman looked up. Her broom stopped and she stood waiting in
silence, defensively, for him to come up.
His feet rang hard on the concrete of the walk and hollow on the wooden steps
to the porch level.
 Pardon me, he said.  But I m looking for a local real estate agent. You
couldn t tell me where to find one, could you? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

forum-gsm.htw.pl