kerchief and daubed the blood from her nose.
The girl took a deep, hitching breath. "G-georgie's gone. Daddy went looking for him." With her next breath the hitching in her chest brought along fresh tears. They streamed freer down her cheeks. The doctor dried these, also. "Daddy said to stay put. But I got scared when he didn't come back." It seemed her fresh tears loosened her voice, and now her voice was both smooth and heartbreaking.
"Where'd your brother go? How long's he been gone?" Magee asked. Dr. Thompson shot him a look as he continued to console the girl.
"Last night. He snuck out after Daddy… after Daddy went to sleep. I waited awhile, until morning, just in case he came home on his own. Then I woke Daddy."
Dr. Thompson pushed some hair from her forehead. "Ellie, couldn't George just be fishing?"
"Georgie doesn't fish with guns. I woke up when he took the over/under from the rack. Georgie doesn't touch Daddy's gun for nothing. He took the gun and snuck out the window."
Cooper sat back and took in the whirling conversation.
"Why'd he leave like that?" Magee asked.
"Dunno, but he sure was in a hurry." The girl's tears had stopped for the moment. She put an arm around Dr. Thompson's neck, and she looked like she didn't want to let go.
"Does Sheriff Bergman know about this?"
"No. I knew you eat here, so I came to tell you."
"Well, we should probably let the sheriff know." The doctor stood, his movements much slower now.
"Don't go!"
"I'm not going anywhere alone. You're coming with me."
"Find Georgie for me, Doc. Find my Georgie."
"I'm sure he'll turn up in no time at all. Don't you worry." Thompson and the little girl walked back through the store.
The bells above the door were still jingling when Henry Calder entered, a heaping pot of beef dumplings steaming in his hands. His expression wasn't especially pleasant when he counted heads and came up one short. He slammed the food down then left without saying a word.
7.
Wandering waist-high fields with a group of strangers, Cooper wondered why he decided to tag along at all. He didn't know George Banyon, and he didn't know these people, either. Maybe it was Ellie's desperation to find her brother, or perhaps he had been on the road too long and he had his own desperation eating away at him--desperation for human contact. In the end, he decided he might as well help a little girl along the way if for no other reason.
Not long after Ellie and Dr. Thompson bolted from Calder's dining room, they returned with the sheriff. Everyone but Jasper Cartwright and his failing vision volunteered to look for Ellie's brother. After leaving the dining room, the search party nearly trampled a man sitting on the plank walkway outside the market. Magee introduced the new man to Cooper as Arlen Polk. After a brief conversation with Sheriff Bergman, he joined their ranks.
Polk was dimwitted, Cooper could tell by his always-questioning eyes and slack jaw, but he seemed genuinely concerned about George's whereabouts. He was a shade over five foot tall, and his longish black hair and beard were greasy and unkempt. His eyes had a twitchy quality, and Cooper had a tough time deciding if Polk was closer to twenty years old or forty.
Sheriff Bergman's tan bowler cap seemed out of place sitting atop his pear-shaped head. He was no more than about thirty, and his excitability made him appear younger. Bergman led the way, pushing aside the dry, razor-sharp grass with a long tree branch he scavenged as they began their search. He looked like a scythe-wielding reaper intent on clearing all the land as they went. They would make good time with Bergman in the lead.
Cooper remained at the rear, matching strides with Magee, letting the others determine the direction of their search. He kept his eyes peeled for a boy of unspecified height and features, a boy everyone seemed terribly worried about. They were a good distance from town when they realized Polk carried their only
The girl took a deep, hitching breath. "G-georgie's gone. Daddy went looking for him." With her next breath the hitching in her chest brought along fresh tears. They streamed freer down her cheeks. The doctor dried these, also. "Daddy said to stay put. But I got scared when he didn't come back." It seemed her fresh tears loosened her voice, and now her voice was both smooth and heartbreaking.
"Where'd your brother go? How long's he been gone?" Magee asked. Dr. Thompson shot him a look as he continued to console the girl.
"Last night. He snuck out after Daddy… after Daddy went to sleep. I waited awhile, until morning, just in case he came home on his own. Then I woke Daddy."
Dr. Thompson pushed some hair from her forehead. "Ellie, couldn't George just be fishing?"
"Georgie doesn't fish with guns. I woke up when he took the over/under from the rack. Georgie doesn't touch Daddy's gun for nothing. He took the gun and snuck out the window."
Cooper sat back and took in the whirling conversation.
"Why'd he leave like that?" Magee asked.
"Dunno, but he sure was in a hurry." The girl's tears had stopped for the moment. She put an arm around Dr. Thompson's neck, and she looked like she didn't want to let go.
"Does Sheriff Bergman know about this?"
"No. I knew you eat here, so I came to tell you."
"Well, we should probably let the sheriff know." The doctor stood, his movements much slower now.
"Don't go!"
"I'm not going anywhere alone. You're coming with me."
"Find Georgie for me, Doc. Find my Georgie."
"I'm sure he'll turn up in no time at all. Don't you worry." Thompson and the little girl walked back through the store.
The bells above the door were still jingling when Henry Calder entered, a heaping pot of beef dumplings steaming in his hands. His expression wasn't especially pleasant when he counted heads and came up one short. He slammed the food down then left without saying a word.
7.
Wandering waist-high fields with a group of strangers, Cooper wondered why he decided to tag along at all. He didn't know George Banyon, and he didn't know these people, either. Maybe it was Ellie's desperation to find her brother, or perhaps he had been on the road too long and he had his own desperation eating away at him--desperation for human contact. In the end, he decided he might as well help a little girl along the way if for no other reason.
Not long after Ellie and Dr. Thompson bolted from Calder's dining room, they returned with the sheriff. Everyone but Jasper Cartwright and his failing vision volunteered to look for Ellie's brother. After leaving the dining room, the search party nearly trampled a man sitting on the plank walkway outside the market. Magee introduced the new man to Cooper as Arlen Polk. After a brief conversation with Sheriff Bergman, he joined their ranks.
Polk was dimwitted, Cooper could tell by his always-questioning eyes and slack jaw, but he seemed genuinely concerned about George's whereabouts. He was a shade over five foot tall, and his longish black hair and beard were greasy and unkempt. His eyes had a twitchy quality, and Cooper had a tough time deciding if Polk was closer to twenty years old or forty.
Sheriff Bergman's tan bowler cap seemed out of place sitting atop his pear-shaped head. He was no more than about thirty, and his excitability made him appear younger. Bergman led the way, pushing aside the dry, razor-sharp grass with a long tree branch he scavenged as they began their search. He looked like a scythe-wielding reaper intent on clearing all the land as they went. They would make good time with Bergman in the lead.
Cooper remained at the rear, matching strides with Magee, letting the others determine the direction of their search. He kept his eyes peeled for a boy of unspecified height and features, a boy everyone seemed terribly worried about. They were a good distance from town when they realized Polk carried their only
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