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Let me fill you in to the extent that I am able on the details of the case

The child will be born in September The faeneral practitioner in Si the nancy

For your protection and for that of the child, Dr Therrian and I have investigated the background as thoroughly as possible Naturally, any specific infore remains confidential But I am authorized to tell you that there are no faeneral health and intelligence of both parents are substantially above average The ht, with dark brown hair and blue eyes The father is tall and slender, with brown hair and eyes; he is exceptionally well coordinated, with a great deal of athletic skill

That is all official information I will add, unofficially, that I know both parents personally, and feel certain that their co to this child an unusual combination of attractive characteristics I have no hesitancy about recoood adoptive risk

Let me tell you briefly what the adoptive procedure involves At some point in the next month or so, Hal MacPherson will have you fill out the necessary Petition for Adoption for to me After the birth has taken place, I will have the o to a probate judge Since you have already been investigated and approved by the state agency, there is no reason to suspect that he would not readily grant the petition

The Bureau of Vital Statistics will issue an ainal birth certificate will be sealed by the court

I s

The ns the petition after the birth of the child, is free to change her mind about the adoption I do not believe she will do so Nevertheless I would be re you to the fact that it would be her privilege, and that there have been cases in which the natural e of heart after the child has been born

Secondly, the name of the natural parents will not be made known to you, nor yours to them Hal MacPherson will not know the names of the parents, and Dr Therrian will not know your names I will be the only party who knows the naly about not divulging that information

If you have ether with Hal and sign your part of the Petition for Adoption, so that he can send it along toyou in September when the birth has taken place, and I take this opportunity to wish you great happiness

Sincerely,

Foster H Goodwin

The final paper in the s on top of the car keys and checkbook, was a folded yellow telegram

PETITION HAS BEEN SIGNED AUTHORIZING ADOPTION OF SIX POUND EIGHT OUNCE HEALTHY BABY GIRL BORN FOUR THIRTY AM SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH PLEASE BE AT MY OFFICE 43 MAIN STREET SIMMONS' MILLS 2 PM SEPTEMBER NINETEENTH AND I WILL GIVE YOU YOUR DAUGHTER CONGRATULATIONS FOSTER H GOODWIN

Natalie realized she eeping, and that the anger had gone Foster H Goodwin, she thought, knew my real parents, and he liked theh he didn't say it And even though he talked of "the child" and "the birth," which set e, he only did it because he had to And when I was born(at four thirty ah the warm tears on her face)he was thrilled, and happy for hter" to Mo to be hard, after all Even though he said he felt strongly about not divulging the infore his h the bookcase in her rooe United States atlas that, she realized with a siven her one Christmas when she would much rather have had a neeater

The e 32 She tilted the lae, and searched the state for Simmons' Mills Finally she found it; the name jumped out at her from a space in the north-central er there and looked at it for a long time The se of the Penobscot River, was keyed to indicate that Simmons' Mills had a population between 1000 and 2500

"Oh, I' to herself

She folloith her finger the route she would take froor; beyond that, to the north, it would be increasingly s the river, to the tohere she was born The tohere she would find Foster H Goodwin and, through him, her real parents

Then her eyes slid to the coast, and she saw Ox Island, a tiny dark blue dot in the lighter blue of French with joy at the sculpture that was now in shadows in the dark corner of the rooo to see Tallie Tallie has a way of putting everything in perspective, and before I set off on that long road that curves to a place called Sies of eable shapes

9

ON THE MAP, coastal Maine had the erratic pattern of cardiograms that Natalie had seen often in her father's office; it looked as if soular line, without looking, froe of the Atlantic Ocean The linepeninsulas and promontories; it opened into harbors and coves where rivers arrived to e northeast on Route 1, Natalie was less aware of the randoain on her right; she saw it curving around the edges of the ss that for plants It appeared in the desolate places that came now and then suddenly, after a bend in the road, where there were nothing but rocks and wind-sheared trees; and occasionally it was there against a short expanse of sand, where children would be playing with buckets and shovels and touching their toes into the icy water with shrieks of delighted pain

It took her four hours to reach Northeast Harbor, a pleasant and uneventful drive in the small new car The brilliant blue of the cove around which the little town clustered in a semicircle was spectacular Northeast Harbor was a picture-postcard town; she could see the groups of tourists strolling the , their summer-vacation outfits so new the store creases were still visible At the boat landing, she could pick out the ferries that took tourists to the bay islands on daily cruises Natalie glanced down at her own faded jeans as she parked the car at the landing, and was devoutly glad that she was not wearing double-knit slacks, rhinestone-ri a car with New York plates