It ober 1946, and Noacation-style o sit er    scious dire. It was ine her.

        o look at trees and tions in trees are beautiful in deep autumn: greens, yelloime, Noa things.

        t in 1772, making it one of t, as ,    ation, and    it riger t t eleven montune repairing it. ter from ticle on it a fe    restorations    least ty ory, and t    of the day.

        t on t to Brices Creek, and    liy, c or termites, replag posts , especially on t side, and as    tools ae to call and o t tea, t ter igue.

        Afterea, and goo t,    time.

        retc to ted tine.    good and    nole sore tomorro     of o do.

        Noaar, remembering rummed once, adjusted tension s, trummed again. time it sounded abo play. Soft music, quiet music. tle , to sing as nigil the sky was black.

        It tle after seven led bato o rock. By , ars (iion Ursa Major大熊座), Gemini双子星座 and tar北极星, tumn sky.

        arted to run topped.    almost ire savings on to find a job again soon, but    ao enjoy toration     it. It    for    al money usually bored o enjoy simple t couldnt be bougime uanding people herwise.

        It rait    from her.

        Clem, o    . "; ted ly,    round eyes peering up aken    sill moved well enoug    nighese.

        y-one no too old, but old enougo be lonely.    dated since    met anyoed     a distaed to get close, somet sure ried. And sometimes in ts rigio be alone forever.

        taying o ts and tling leaves, t ture ion tural took, and t o to be. times during ter a majagement,    about t;Itll keep yoing crazy," old . "Its Gods musid itll take you ;

        ea,    inside, found a book, turned on t on . After sitting do orn, and tained er. It    man, and     t aken a bullet for him once.

        ing it off just a little. t t of him:

        thy hour O Soul,

        t into the wordless,

        A,

        the lesson done,

        th emerging,

        silent, gazing, p t best,

        Nigars.

        o man al of people    of t    surprising.

        Like so many souto gre older.

        friend ty-year-old black man er Noa te evening togetting drunk and telling stories.

        No out of t blame er talking for a little imes they played for hours.

        ard Gus as family. t anyone else, at least not since    year. ed to at oime, he had never married.

        But    ime ago.

        And it    love did t to a person, and t.

        Coastal clouds sloo roll across turning silver ion of ted it against tomatically, keeping a steady r evenings,    ing back to a een years ago.

        It    after graduation 1932, t of tival.

        to in full, enjoying barbecue and games of c o a girl ty,    kept on ing. "; s;Fiold me a lot about you."

        An ordinary beginning, somet en    been a    as    triking emerald eyes, aken    breat s of    never find again. S good, t perfect, wrees.

        From t    like a tornado old        some cayed at tival until t.

        t ter t, and t Sunday o Fort totten Park,    time in a small to t ely neo augo bait a line and fisook an Forest.

        ts, and to    seemed as ther.

        But    toobacco barn, it z and do ton, and tumbled t feually paid off, and togetil terime and    o t told    one day o o and fix it up. t ogetalking about tist - and on a    in August, t ty.

        ter, sook a piece of    of summer coc    slept t before, t    t week alone on harkers Island.

        Noac-to t of t in sig be ing.    back to    again.

        alking to Gus about    time ioned arted to s;So ts t you been running from."    , Gus said, "You kno, tc, slavin so ime to catc for tupid, or tryin tet. And ryin tet. I just didnt kno;

        about    of    totten Park, time ting on tanding by te, alouche color of emeralds.

        on t nigar, ening quietly as he music of his childhood.

        t to Gastons Drug Store, or to ter, or even own. Everyw brougo life.

        It een years     Ne summer, togets, pieces here of growing up, and few, if any, evoked any feeling.

        old Gus about it one nig only ood, but    to explain o tell me t t time you fall in love, it cter ry, tellin me about    love. And no matter ;

        Noao fade, uro man. o see ras and possums scurryi y    upstairs to te in ions and ty minutes later, airs, sniffed , and t t of his bed.

        Earlier t evening and a    alone on ts    ly damp    t toars,    for days - and ruggled some more t in t tunity slip away.

        Lon didnt ko    s    to visit some antique s.

        "Its just a couple of days," s;and besides, I need a break from planning t; S bad about t kneell ruto do     be fair of o ask o uand.

        It le before eleven. So a small inn doo to case,    and putting everythe drawers.

        Sress for dires to t antique stores, t t few y she was ba her room.

        S on t speak long, , but before taying and promised to call t ion, not of to make him suspicious.

        S four years no    , and seering at tal doo it    ted. t ered bodies. roduced    a Cmas party, sly ure and a sense of    drove all her fears away.

        elligent, and driven, a successful la also making a name for ood    of success, for    of t in    e (social position, class) system of ts en t important sideration in marriage. In some cases, tion.

        tly rebelled against ted a fe described as reckless, so Lons easy o leman, boture and responsible, and during terrible periods of to urned    secure    was wed his proposal.

        ty about being    once before, long ago, and if s noo return book (purse, , ated, and almost made it to t ce    tbook do if s no.

        S to tarted a bater cemperature, so taking off , and pulled out a razor and a bar of soap, t of tiful since s ioned, breasts softly rounded, stomac, legs slim. Sed     feature o say. taking t to turned off t, set a toepped in gingerly.

        Ser. tense, but so go back to Raleigangible, and t e to find tores in t area, ted so. Lon    type to co s about s and    ther.

        ed    it noter w reason she gave.

        Sub before finally getting out and toweling off.

        S to t and looked for a dress, finally c dipped slig, t h.

        S on and looked in turning from side to side. It fit    sually decided against it and put it ba the hanger.

        Instead s t on. Ligouc buttoned up t, and t didnt look quite as nice as t o veyed an image s e.

        Stle makeup, just a touco at her eyes.

        Perfume , not too mu, lo oo mud s it back doter.

        epped bad evaluated    too dressy, not too casual. S    to overdo it. After all, s knoo expect. It ime - probably too long - and many different t    to sider.

        Se; s normally t, even as a c it    times, especially    imidated most of the boys her age.

        Sbook and car keys, tur over i give up    instead sat on tch.

        Almost six oclock. So leave in a fees - s    to arrive after dark, but stle more time.

        "Damn," s;; but once s s    true. thing here.

        If nothing else, she would have her answer.

        Sbook and t until so a folded-up piece of aking it out slo reverently, being careful not to rip it, s and stared at it for a ; so ;t its all about."

        Noa up at five and kayaked (lig single-person oe    dowo cups of coffee.

        of ts t . It e autumn or early er (in Nortemperature ime    and tired and glad for the break.

        e at ts cimes and glide to ter) somey) er. For some reason    t tinct    s of thousands, of years.

        Sometimes incts    time and al t. At least in t primal o domirying to trol t. t.

        tle after to a small s sat near    in, found s    on    to ted    his line.

        Fis on    noer    uttered badly as a ceased for it. o speak less and less, and by t speak at all. arted classes, eac arded and ree    of school.

        Instead, ook matters into    ero ack ;Its good t ime toget; ;just like my daddy and I did."

        During time togetalk about birds and animals or tell stories and legends on to Nort eaco read ry. "Learn to read to say anyt to."    again, and by t utter. But io go to tman and tennyson aloud as ry ever since.

        a little older,    most of ions alone. an Forest in    oe, folloy miles until o t.

        Camping and expl became    , sittirees, ly, and playing ar for beavers and geese and    isolation in nature, far from people and tified s.

        Alt, years of ing at ts, and ic success led to popularity. ball games and track meets, and t of eammates spent time toget; most simply figured    faster t none had ever made an impression on him.

        Except for one. And ser graduation. Allie. his Allie.

        alking to Fin about Allie after t tival t first nigions: first, t t it    .

        t tug at    tuggiually stopped, and after reeling ,    again.

        Fin ended up being rigs. Most of to make excuses to s o see eac    t t like        class, too poor, and ter became serious ;I dont care s t; s;ell find a o be toget;

        But in t. By early September tobacco ed and s to return o inston-Salem. "Only t us," . "ell never be over." But t fully uand, tters e    unanswered.

        Eventually o leave Neo     also because t impossible.    first to Norfolk and    a so Nehere.

        ually found a job in a scrap yard, separating scrap metal from everytent on colleg as mucal as    a o start in Europe and t America    t o have a job.

        ougo type of labor, and    only did it    it    o do. ;Give a days ealing. t attitude pleased ;Its a s Je;You’re suc; It    pliment Goldman could give.

        io t Allie, especially at nige    never received a reply. Eventually e a final letter and forced o accept t t t heyd ever share.

        Still, tayed er t letter,    to inston-Salem in t to    ser talking to some neig reize t s t Allies fat t no fored. t trip    and last time he ever looked for her.

        For t eig first    as ted. By 1940 ered tire operation, br taff of ty. t scrap metal dealer on t Coast.

        During t time, ed a fe ed feto feel t    Allie.

        But     o touco lio ire day in bed,    fully satisfied bothem.

        S be togetoionsold ;I    I dont kno is. t of you t you keep closed off from everyone, includis as if Im not t;

        ried to deny it, but s believe ;Im a    me sometimes, I knos like you keep ing for o pop out of to take you a;

        A monter sed    old    someone else. ood.

        ted as friends, and tcard from    heard from her since.

        mas.

        time fisalking, and on a rip to t to go camping on ter Banks near Ocracoke.

        In December 1941, y-six, t as Goldman ed.

        Noao ent to enlist, turo Neo say good-bye to er    camp. ter from Goldman togetificate entitling o a small pertage of t ever sold. "I couldnt     you," tter said. "Youre t young man w Jewis;

        ttons tramping ts in Norts in Europe y pounds on ry unit never far from a. cg over him.

        er in Japan. Just before ter from a laing Moldman. Upoing t t Goldman ate liquidated. t seventy ted about it.

        turo Neing out teo make. her seemed weak as he walked around, coughing and wheezing.

        Noa old    to worry, assuring    he flu.

        Less ter    to ery. Noaried to stop by regularly to leave some floe. And every nig fail ook a moment to remember aug mattered.

        After reeling in t t back to to ts in appreciation for w hed done.

        ired so raise ter        through.

        Once s,    in tered Dodge trud    to see Gus. opped to tore because Guss family didnt have a car.

        One of ters    Capers General Store.     unpack t aead    to sit on the porch.

        Sill rouble believing it, even as s    s o tco get a cup of coffee, and o table, ed at a small picture.

        "Remember t;

        er an ued first glance, someture caugook a closer look. "It t be," s    doicle    speaking. So table and sitting opposite    aside taring at    moments before.

        "Are you okay?" ;You look a little pale." S ans    siced     started.

        "And    ; s it back, remembering t s s er t day    out ticle. S again before s to bed t nigrying to fat again t m as if to make sure t a dream. And er tra, it he reason shed e.

        ic beo stress. It    excuse; everyone uood, including Lon, and ts o get aressful to everyone involved.

        Almost five ed, including tor, and to Peru. It oo muc t    like running ao get married    t s agree; like ti er of attention.

        Sook a deep breatood again. "Its no; s to tly before opening it and going doairs. t and    to     time, tarted turned rigo Front Street.

        S surprised t sill kne been     large areets easily.

        After crossing trent River on an old-fas doo permit or urned onto a gravel road and began the final leg of her journey.

        It iful ry, as it al it y, fertile soil t ton and tobacco. timber kept to of tate, and as sside to    attracted people to this region.

        to     c all. Broken sunliger oaks and rees a    tall, illuminating t, a river tourned as life to a different, larger river anotself s ebellum (pre-Civil ar (in t for some of t cy of t back a flood of memories, and s igten.

        t above trees on , and as s still standing. S t summer, looking for souvenirs from tates, and as    day became stronger, as if t erday.

        A majestic oak tree on to vie, and te looked t retcally along ttiree on a    July day     took everyt    t moment t s fallen in love.

        ime, o focus once again.    of someone slig like a farmer ing er    came to t faint lines o form around t seemed to read .

        all and strong,    bro o ree    t    and fluent, almost musical in quality. It    belonged on radio, and it seemed to o ening closely, aing touc coaxes me to the dusk.

        I depart as air, I se locks at the runaway sun...

        imes.

        op, and talk. Sell    sed in ure - and en ily and to make it all e true. And t made    to alk about icular poem and , and at otimes    studied    intense way of his.

        tce togetars. It ting late by ts    t moment, t really didnt matter to    ed toer, ook    t warmed he whole way back.

        Anoturn in t in taically from o tree-lined dirt drive t led to t had summoned her from Raleigh.

        Soook a deep breatce, ,    seemed to vaniso the sery.

        inued foropped beree t s of turaking tered to a .

        epped off to approacopped cold as sime all tare at eac moving.

        Allison Nelson, ty-nine years old and engaged, a socialite, searoed by t t o dominate his life.
请记住本书首发域名：966xs.com。966小说手机版阅读网址：wap.966xs.com