How Grandfather Whitmire Came to Stay in Harper (cont.)
Around campfires late into the night the men shared tales of big cities and open spaces, of strangers who had befriended them and family members left behind, of lonely nights and rip-roaring adventures. Their stories accompanied by cricket songs took on the measure of poetry and sent him to sleep having dreamed sufficiently for the night.
During his sixth year out, for some reason, perhaps to see first hand places he had heard about, he began to plan his travels. Discipline crept into his life. At first he resisted and gave up on some plans, so he could stay longer with certain comrades, but gradually he fell into a pattern of scheduling his time and setting priorities. Somewhere in the transformation he took a real job--not working a few hours a day for a meal or a piece of clothing, but duty with set hours and responsibilities. He promised himself he would stay only until he made enough to finance his next adventure.
Tomorrow: Settling Down
Hollis' funny names:
Dan Druff is unsightly
Linda Hand is helpful
Harper Lake
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