第5部分(第1/7 页)

posed　anything；　that　the　girls　had　decided　to　take　a　walk　and　pick　flowers　by　the　dawn's　early　light。　That　or　some　similar　green…girl　foolishness。　One　look；　and　she　understood　why　Howie　had　been　white。

She　screamed　for　Klaus　…　shrieked　for　him　…　and　Klaus　came　on　the　dead　run；　his　workboots　whitened　by　the　half…full　pail　of　milk　he　had　spilled　on　them。　What　he　found　on　the　porch　would　have　jellied　the　legs　of　the　most　courageous　parent。　The　blankets　in　which　the　girls　would　have　bundled　themselves　as　the　night　drew　on　and　grew　colder　had　been　cast　into　one　er。　The　screen　door　had　been　yanked　off　its　upper　hinge　and　hung　drunkenly　out　into　the　dooryard。　And　on　the　boards　of　both　the　porch　and　the　steps　beyond　the　mutilated　screen　door；　there　were　spatters　of　blood。

Marjorie　begged　her　husband　not　to　go　hunting　after　the　girls　alone；　and　not　to　take　their　son　if　he　felt　he　had　to　go　after　them；　but　she　could　have　saved　her　breath。　He　took　the　shotgun　he　kept　mounted　in　the　mudroom　high　out　of　the　reach　of　little　hands；　and　gave　Howie　the　。22　they　had　been　saving　for　his　birthday　in　July。　Then　they　went；　neither　of　them　paying　the　slightest　attention　to　the　shrieking；　weeping　woman　who　wanted　to　know　what　they　would　do　if　they　met　a　gang　of　wandering　hobos　or　a　bunch　of　bad　niggers　escaped　from　the　county　farm　over　in　Laduc。　In　this　I　think　the　men　were　right；　you　know。　The　blood　was　no　longer　runny；　but　it　was　only　tacky　yet；　and　still　closer　to　true　red　than　the　maroon　that　es　when　blood　has　well　dried。　The　abduction　hadn't　happened　too　long　ago。　Klaus　must　have　reasoned　that　there　was　still　a　chance　for　his　girls；　and　he　meant　to　take　it。

Neither　one　of　them　could　track　worth　a　damn　…　they　were　gatherers；　not　hunters；　men　who　went　into　the　woods