Hope's Highway by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock [Garlock, Dorothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Published: 2004-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

ELMER WAS SITTING IN HIS CANVAS CHAIR beside his truck, his hands tucked into the bib of his overalls, his feet stretched out in front of him, when Margie passed by carrying the dresses she had ironed for Anna Marie. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of even looking at him, she went on to the Putmans’ camp and placed them on the back of the straight chair.

“He came back.” Grace spoke in low tones. “Alvin wasn’t sure he would.”

“Neither was I. Where’s Anna Marie?”

“She and Mona went to look at the chicken again. She thinks it’s grand.”

“It is strange. Several carloads of people stopped today to look at the snake, the chicken and the buffalo. All but one of them bought gas.”

Grace’s laugh was soft … and nice. “Mona won’t go near the snake. She made Jody lift Anna Marie up so she could see it.”

“Mona and Rusty danced last night. You would have been so proud of him.”

“I am proud of him. It’s been good for him to be with young folks.”

“I guess you know that Mona has a crush on him.”

“Yes, and I hope to God she don’t break his heart.”

“Or he hers. Young girls can be hurt easily.”

“I know.”

Grace watched Margie walk back past her father without giving him as much as a glance and wondered how she could put up with that cantankerous man.

Under lowering clouds darkness came early. It was nearly dark when Margie returned to the truck with her neatly folded clean clothes. She laid out the clothes she would wear the next day and repacked her suitcase. After mulling it over in her mind she had decided to ride with Elmer until they reached a town where she could catch a bus. It would be a clean break from the others in the caravan. There would be no explaining to do and no good-byes.

She would ask Deke to keep her box of “keepsakes” until she could send for them. She sat on the bunk and waited for the light to go off in the garage and for Brady to go to the Putman camp before she carried the box up to the house.

Weariness overcame her. After a while she lay down and pillowed her head on her bent arm. She was tired not only in body but in mind. It had been a stressful day, not knowing if she had been abandoned here … again. She dozed fitfully, aroused briefly, then fell into a deep sleep.

She awakened with a startled cry and became instantly alert. Strong gusts of wind rocked the truck, and she heard the insistent rumble of thunder. She sat up in total darkness clutching the edge of the bunk. The back flap had been let down and tied. As a rule she was not afraid of storms, but sitting here alone in the darkness unable to see what was going on outside, she was desperately afraid and began to tremble violently as she dressed.

It seemed to her that she had been sitting there for hours when she heard a voice over the roar of the thunder.

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