As it happened, this was oneof his lucid hours: all
the phantoms had gone to their graves.
Well, she said with a risingvoice, why shouldnt I,
Id like to know.
Already the catch that had held it was
broken.
During the night he awoke many times; but he did
not feel cold. Why dont you pray to theLord to send us a little doggone rain once in
a doggone while?
To his left, it merrily rippled over a gravelly
bar. She had recovered her breath and was arranging her veil.
It was past four oclock when at last they went to
the front of thehouse.
Therail of the slide-door in the north wall of the
barn had sagged. Unable to rise, he crawled forward on hands and knees. Hes taken
care ofin that asylum in Brandon.
Why, sure, Isabel exclaimed, I can put father up.
And again she nudged Cathleen with herelbow. In harvest time it is nothingunusual,
contrary to western customs, to see a man travellingafoot.
Yet, even for death he must wait the call. To his
left, it merrily rippled over a gravelly bar. But he, in his usual way, frowned and
went to acorner where he sat down in a huge, soft arm-chair. He focused his whole
mind on that idea: home!
Gladys nodded, pressing her lips together. Without
knowing it, he thus shortened hisroad by following diagonals. John Elliot did not go
to sleep that night.
And thus, by a series of steps, his consciousness
was brought backto the immediate present.