Our old farm was ten miles west of town and it was a real trial getting out there after dark, especially with my bruises complaining every time that careless mare stumbled. A lot of Nanticoke used to live out that way, but most of them had either drifted away or gone white. The area had gone back to weeds and new growth trees. When Ma was alive, we used to make a little money off a couple of pigs and some chickens, minus whatever Pa drank up.
When I came out of the trees the moon hadn’t set, so it must have been before ten. The crickets stopped chirruping when they heard the mare and a big owl flew off, rustling the leaves behind him. I hadn’t been out there since I started at Miss Lil’s. But even in the half-dark, I could see Daniel had let the place go to shambles. Both front windows we
