Page 10 (1/2)

To the west, she could see the sun hanging lower in the sky over the mountains: an incredible view from the top of each hill, as the road lifted itself now and then above the level of thick forest and held her there for a moment at a brief crest She could see lakes, brilliant as broken glass in the reflected light of the low sun, to her left in the distance; and again and again she saw the river with its Indian na heavily in its endless trip south to s were sent south on the river in great log drives; she noticed, along its banks, occasional logs caught and wedged by rocks, held fir the sater to part and move around them in foamy interrupted patterns

The woods, she kneere filled ild creatures: deer, moose, and bear, and the srowth and moved in and out of their deeply hidden burrows in search of food She had never been, before, to the great central uninhabited part of Maine It seemed a trip into a primeval time

When from the top of a hill, suddenly, she could look down and see the town of Siray river and the vast deep green of woods, she pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped

The forest parted only slightly for the town, as the river had reluctantly parted to surge around the caught logs A huge papers above theed pink by the sun that was setting now Natalie glanced at her watch uneasily; it was almost seven She had, she realized, made this journey without sufficient preparation for the simple practicalities She had expected a town to have motels She had never been in a toithoutdown at Simmons' Mills as she eased the car back onto the road and started down the hill, she realized that Simmons' Mills was not a place that tourists would come to From the hill, she could see that the outskirts, the place where one ordinarily found motels and restaurants, consisted only of a few farmhouses on land carved fro fro--the road--that fell in curves as if it had been dropped in haste

She passed the farms, poor ones, with boulders in their pastures, and barn roofs sagging froht of snointer, and drove into Si that she had wondered briefly why Foster H Goodwin's letter to her parents had had no street address Now she realized that it wouldn't be necessary in a town the size of Sira that now: a brick building, two stories, with a drugstore on the ground floor Offices upstairs, she supposed That's where I will find Foster Goodwin That's where, she realized suddenly,it must have been, for them, to come to the top of that hill, to look down at this town, and to think "Our daughter is there"

Finally she breathed deeply and smiled in relief Around the corner from Main Street, beside a church, she sahite fraht Natalie, I will be a guest in my own home town She pulled her car into the driveway, and went to the front door

The wo was pleasant, with a pink, lined face, bifocal glasses, and so in one hand From another rooiving the evening news in solemn tones So Simmons' Mills isn't the end of the earth after all; they still listen to the news of wars and criht I bet they haven't had a crime here in years Who would bother?

"Are you all alone, dear?" The wolanced over Natalie's shoulder, toward her car

"Yes I need a place to stay tonight Maybe toive you a nice room You'll have to share the bathrooht now He's permanent; he works at the ry The thought of a warht But that includes breakfast, dear" The woht That sounds perfect My na"

"And I'm Mrs Talbot Anna Talbot Please cos from the car, Mrs Talbot And is there soet sooodness This is Thursday I'm afraid every place is closed by now On weekends, you know, there are places that stay open in the evening, but Thursday--well, you run out and get your bag, Natalie, and I'll fix you a bowl of soup and a sandwich Would that be all right? I'll just add a little to your bill"

Natalie sratefully and went to her car for her sht, should have an Anna Talbot, to ht, as she took her things to the room that Anna Talbot pointed out, that she knows my parents As she washed her hands, she looked in thedrive I wonder, she thought, who it is in this toho has dark hair and blue eyes, like etable soup and a thick chicken sandwich, and drank a glass ofsure she didn't need anything else, and then took her knitting to the s room where the television set was still on When she was finished eating, Natalie rinsed her dishes in the sink, and then went tentatively to the door of the sitting room

"That was delicious, Mrs Talbot Thank you"

"You're welco"

"Well, I wondered if you ht let me look at your telephone book, Mrs Talbot I have to see someone in Simmons' Mills toive you the phone book" She reached to a nearby table and handed Natalie the thin volume "But you could just ask me I know everyone in this town I can tell you where they live, whether they're home, how their health is, and who they voted for, for president"

Natalie laughed "I caht place, then You can probably tell me if Foster Goodwin's office is still at 43 Main Street And whether I ht be able to see him without an appoint, startled, as if she had dropped a stitch Then she looked carefully at Natalie through the top half of her bifocals Across the small room, the television screen had made the transition from a cheerful weatherent Aa frustrated housewife about the grease stains on her husband's shirt

"Foster Goodwin," said Anna Talbot, puzzled, "has been dead for ten years"

16

Das of tears rising hot behind her eyes I a that everything would fall into place Find Foster Goodwin, I thought He's the only one who knows everything Just find hio

No, I didn't forget But I thought it didn't es in seventeen years Foster Goodwin is dead Nohat?