After her mother left to get help, Peggy watched the snow. Against orders, she left the tent and stood at the window, peering out. The thick powdery white downfall fascinated her. When she was tired of that she went back to the tent.
“Do you think we pay enough attention to the children, Susan?” she asked Dickie. “You have a Daddy at last. Pretend we’re getting married. We’ll get a sitter for the baby.”
Dickie gave her a blow in the eye with the flat of his hand, smiled, and straggled away to examine the woodbin.
Hitting him back, Peggy turned guiltily to see if Martha had returned and seen her. For a full ten seconds Dickie remained immobile and then his eyes disappeared into the flesh around them, his small mouth widened, his face became pink, and the first shriek emerged.
“You hit m
