The old man sat, staring out across the Catskills toward the setting sun. The sky was turning violet above the intense pink glow of the horizon as the first, brightest stars were showing in the twilight firmament. It was cool up here, high above the river, and the scent of newly mown fields and pine filled the air.
He lifted a heavy cut glass tumbler to his lips and drained its contents. Raising himself slowly out of the carved high-backed chair, he walked over to a side table placed against the north wall. It was carved to match the throne-like seat at the center of the covered porch. On it sat a half-full decanter of whiskey, a leather-covered lap desk, and a circular silver dish.
The man refilled his tumbler and immediately emptied half of it in two gulps. Setting the glass down on th
