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Temple looks at the empty place beside Richard Grierson

I suppose we’re waitin on your brother?

James will be down directly, Mrs Grierson assures her

And al roo open and James Grierson comes in and drops hiuest, Mrs Grierson says

Buzz, buzz, says James

It is evident that he is the older of the two, not because of any physical indications but rather si around on his shoulders He is paler than his brother, and dark in the places where his brother is light His eyes are sunken and weary, broken of all the plastic dignity in Richard’s gaze Nonetheless, he is handsome in a severe way--the kind of man who makes Temple’s insides roil around all curious and bothered

Sarah Mary, Mrs Grierson says, would you like to say grace?

Oh, uh, I best not I never get the words right

So Richard does it instead:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you

Amen, says Mrs Grierson, and Temple folloith an amen of her own

And praise Jesus that we’re not dead yet, James Grierson says Then he looks at his brother and adds: Some of us

James, Mrs Grierson warns

The food is the best that Tes, a puffy corn casserole, greenbeans with mushrooms and crunchy onions on top, cornbread, and for dessert a peach cobbler that et every last bit of it

So, Sarah Mary, Jah he’s not too fond of it, where are you from?

She’s from over in Statenville, Jaht? he asks You like Statenville?

It’s okay, I reckon

I didn’t know there were still survivors in that town

There’s a few

It irl your age to be exposed to such s

He shudders

They ain’t so bad, she says They just doin what they supposed to do Like we all are, I guess

Are they supposed to eviscerate children? Ja-of-ith the intestines of God-fearing ain--

Are they supposed to digest entire populations?

Jas at randmother You refuse

Then he pushes back his chair and tosses his napkin onto the plate and o and collects herself and then srandson’s behavior, she says

Ain’t no probleet yourself put back together

Life has been hard on him, Mrs Grierson says

He was in the aret out of this place, dummy We can stay a few days to try and lose ole Moses, but I ain’t got this far in et familied down inside an electric fence

She looks at hiertips poking at the air as though so were there and his concentration intent upon it

It’s an enigma what you seein in this world, dummy

She considers

Still, this ain’t a half bad place for you Give eot you a new hoet yourself hurt

She nods her head and puts the curtain aside to look out the

They’re a little nutty, sure--but it’s about as nice a place as you or onna see in this life

Later, after the sun sets, she creeps out to the car to surkha knife, because she doesn’t sleep well unless she’s got it at hand The car is parked behind the house where the hill continues to climb into a densely forested part of the landscape Froh the trees--and a diettin an eyeful? she says, loud enough for whoever it is to hear