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sidelong.
          “Do you like me?” she asked.
          He looked at her curiously. “I guess,” he responded.
          “Can I touch your hair?”
          “My hair?” He frowned.
          “It’s so shiny and all. Is it soft?”
          “I suppose.” He sat still and she reached up timidly and touched his hair lightly.
          “It is,” she smiled and sighed. “Where are you from?”
          “Minnesota,” he responded, curious about the girl.
          “Is that far?” She studied his face.
          “Pretty far I guess.”
          “I never traveled far. I was born right here, right on the other side of the creek. I have to get back pretty soon before my Pa knows I’m gone. When he wakes up I have to be there, but he won’t be up for a little while. He got a big jug of that yesterday,” she giggled.
          Mark realized that although she was very poorly dressed she might not be as simple as he had thought earlier. He had seen her drink a good amount of the moonshine and perhaps that had affected her. He had never seen a female drink that much before.
          She stood up and moved to sit beside him on the log and she smiled sweetly. “So you like me alright?”
          He looked at her oddly. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
          “I want you to like me.” She leaned over and kissed him full on the lips.
          Mark stood up suddenly and backed away from the girl.
          “What’s wrong?” She stood up and faced him.
          “Why did you do that?” He looked around the clearing at the others sleeping soundly.
          “I like you,” she explained, “and I thought you liked me.” She put her hands on his chest and smiled up to him.
          “I-I don’t know you very well,” he stammered.
          “I could make you really happy,” she smiled provocatively. “I know exactly how.” She reached down and placed her hand boldly against his trousers.
          “No,” he blurted out. “Don’t.”
          “Ah, come on,” she tried again.
     
          “Sam.” Mark kicked his companion with his boot. “Let’s go.”
          Sam sat up suddenly and blinked his eyes.
          “What?” he choked.
          “We’re leaving.” Mark turned from the girl and headed for his horse.
          “Alright.” Sam stood up and brushed himself off.
          Lem turned over and cursed under his breath as he watched the two head into the woodland.
     
          “She was worse than Bernadette, Sam,” Mark spoke to his friend angrily.
          “Maybe she was just trying to be friendly.” Samuel tried to shake the cobwebs from his head and cleared his throat.
          “She was far beyond friendly,” Mark scowled.
          “Well, maybe it’s time we started finding out more about girls,” Sam suggested.
          “Not with that kind of girl, thanks anyway,” Mark shook his head.

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
           T imothy Elgerson walked along the road to the Vancouver house in the brisk afternoon sunlight. Snow covered the road and hung in heavy wet clumps on the branches of the pines silhouetted against a vibrant blue sky. He recognized the prints of a fox that had crossed the road earlier that morning and he stopped and walked into the woods several feet to examine a moose antler dropped in the underbrush. The antler would have been shed right after the mating season and he noticed that it appeared to have come from a large healthy buck.
          His mind drifted to a time he had spent hunting with his son. He recalled having taken him out after months of target practice and a hundred shattered bottles and apples nailed to stakes. He was proud and pleased how quickly and accurately the boy had learned to fire the weapon. That season Mark had brought down a large mallard. It was the first time he had seen the boy smile since he had lost