The Sorcerer's House Read Online Free PDF Page B

of my astonishment when I discovered their source. There was a cage of steel wire, not large, on the floor not far from the trapdoor. In it was a large fox. There was no food in the cage and no water.
    (Nor is its bottom soiled, something I observed only a moment ago.)
    As you will easily understand, I could not and cannot imagine how it got there. Someone must have entered the house while I was having lunch with Doris and carried the cage and its occupant into my attic. But why in the world would anyone do such a thing?
    Certainly Winkle cannot have been there long or she would have starved or died of thirst. (Do you recall Mother's pretty white cat, George? The one whose kittens you killed? Never having been an original thinker, I have borrowed her name.)
    My first thought was to open the cage at once, but the fox (or vixen,which I believe is the technical term) might have hidden in a thousand places in that attic. I could not descend the ladder while holding the cage, which would have required both my hands. My solution--for I did solve it--I think rather clever. I removed my belt and put it around a bar at an upper corner, lay on my belly, lowered the cage as far as my arm and my belt would reach, and dropped it.
    I would have fed the poor creature if I had any food, but I have none; after thinking things over, I found that my only recourse was to free her outside. There she could certainly drink from the river and feed herself, catching field mice, rabbits, and so forth. After climbing down, I carried her into the wood between my house and the river and opened the cage.
    Winkle remained inside, huddled opposite the door--I suppose because she was afraid of me. I walked some distance away and waited; when I returned, the cage was empty. Why did I bring it back into the house? I confess I have no immediate use for it; but when one is desperately poor, one conserves everything.
    Since then, I have seen her half a dozen times at the windows. Most of them are closed or boarded up, but I have opened a few for ventilation. They are screened, and the screens keep her out. She must believe that there is food inside, poor creature. I only wish she were correct.
    You dislike me, George, I know; and I cannot blame you for it. You are in the majority, after all. I know, too, that you believe all my misfortunes to be my own doing. In that you are at least partially correct--nor shall I argue about the rest.
    Honesty compels me to say that I am not fond of you, either. Perhaps I have less reason.
I am your brother even so.
The face you see in the mirror is mine. Have you thought of that? I have never sought to do you harm, and have done my best to keep my misfortunes from reflecting upon you. I would help you, if I could, any time that you needed help.
    Can you say the same?
    Yours sincerely,
    Bax

Number 6
F RESH A IR

    Hey, Prof!

    Got this paper from the chaplain. You know, I never thought I would be writing anybody from here except my old lady. Feels funny. But good. I liked getting your letters.
    I got another hearing coming up in Sept. If God's on my side I might get to this haunted house you got before Halloween.
    It is not that I hate being in here a whole lot. I know it bothered you a lot more than it ever bothered me. It is that it is not what I want. I want to be able to do whatever I want to do, and what I want to do is get away someplace where there is no sidewalks or streets or phone wires or any of that crap. A place where you listen and what you hear is the wind and birds singing.
    When I was a kid I got sent to this summer camp one year. I do not know how long I stayed, but it seemed like a long time back then. We played ball and went canoeing, and it was all right, especially the baseball which I was pretty good at.
    But the best part was getting lost when we went on hikes. I would drop back and drop back until I could hardly hear them, then go off to one side and hide because I knew they were going to send a couple of