AROUND 3:00 A.M. IN the morning, I turned off the main road just south of Emmitsburg. I took the narrow paved road deep into the woods of western Maryland, the way illuminated only by my headlights. There were no signs of habitation anywhere, but I knew I was on the right road.
I finally saw what I was looking for. Two stone pillars indicating a driveway, both topped with lights that burned low and orange in the night. I had not thought before I left Myerton that the gate might be closed, as was usual at night. That night the gate was open, inviting me in.
I turned onto a dirt and gravel drive that was barely wide enough for the car. The trees were so close on both sides that if I met another car coming the opposite direction I wasn’t sure what to do. But I also knew that possibil
