Drifting Snow

Page 1


AUNT MARY. l.;.

n

?

t

,K

'S, El'

i'r.,"F .4t.i

wi A1 **-*''

t1lt1uifrl

f u$*iI

Lr\ u?7t

t"t <t)

f

t_3

./

WdtP''""t...,

l"

t

b

'----"'-tr

b,u

,t

U

o

CC)

(--

o 0\)

TONrEAgeLLA,wRrrER,ANoESTEmNlnArcfo'ARTlSl' pR.ESENT THETR niinpr),r,oli'oC iUeqsf AERtETllS" '

/1

a

)( V

-41

56


'EAR,

,torlV'

:D HIM-- HAD

IRTHE DAY HE )W SHE STILL LE WHO mRED

I I

WE WERE WAITING

FoR HENRY oF WHoSE FATI{ER AUNT|E NEV6R SPOKE. ASIDE FROM OURSELVE9 ANP A COUPLE OF SERVANT9, HE'WAS THE OI{LY

HUMAN BEING gI{E EVER SAW

AUNT /vlARY'9 RECLUSTVENESS HAp CREATEDARoUND THE OLD \l(3fr^Atl AN

!

AURA oF sTRANqE...

WATCHFUIAI€SS, FoR t"AcK oFA

BETTER WORD.

wr.ro

AUNT.

I

/v1

1...rcR@T

ArcUT YOUR NOT

ruvteEv

Tl{E cuRliAtNS

FROA4 THE WEST

WINDOWS

OtO,

soRRY.

?

WANTING TT.IEM DRAWN AWAY.


r.at{'' x ...,;,

\

V

{--.

r DIDN'T THINK IT TO EXPLAIN WHY T N^ADE 'YI# SUCI{ A REAUEST. BUT

\

\

IS AVERY DEFINiTE OAilAER IN DRAWING AWAY

THER,E

t

THE CURTAI NS, ERNEST HAS

HEAR9II{AT BEFORE, BUT YOU. CLODETTA,HAVE

1

NOT

,mw:ft rAw4s&t*;

,u

I

1*,&,

STARTED TO FOLLOW

HER.I

WANTEO HER

1O EXPIATAI UCR. STATE/I4ENTS. UNFORTUruNTEUY, OEAR COUSIN HENRY cI{oSE THAT VERY MoMENT To /y1AKE HIS APPEARANCE.

BUT

I

SHOULDN'T

ADVISE YOU]O 8E SATIgFIEP WITI'{

58


FOR gOME

SAI/E

REASON,I DECIOED TO HENRY FROM THE WELL -

OESERVEO

I€CnURE

AUNT, _I HOPE YOU,VE lt\AOE

AUNT

tiE

'1ARY YOU AR,EN'T

AS

I

ISOLATED

AS

IHOUGI{T YOU'D BE UP HERE,AUNT

SoME PROt/lStOttl ,N CASE WEIRE suowsouuo. RAOIO'S REPORTING A

w=AREN,T nv oF/R, WHAT W|TH TELEPIIONES ANDALL. BUT WHEN ERNEST'S GRAAIOFATHER WAS

RLfiZZARO

ON THE WAY. 1

HAP THE DEVIL'S OWN TIME GETTINq THE CAR

Tnils ree

!

LIVING, MANY'S THE TIME HE WAS SAIOWSOUNO WITH NO WAY TO LET

EXCUSF ME.

IT'S TIME FOR

AAE

IO EETIRE, LISA, HELP AN OLD

DoN'T wohnv,

HENRY. l CAN HAVE SAM, MY HANDYMAN, DRVE YOU DOWN TO WAUSAU

WH€ilEV€R

YOU LIKE.

UPs7414g.

I/DY


T

M SURE

CLOOETTA

DIDN'T IAEAN TO GO AGAINST YOUR W|9HE9, AUNT MARY.

.;:,

v,t

{A

\

t#r\

.\r 'u

W

,

[

'l; I "nd!..';'

\

\{

r DIDN'T THINK IT WI# TO EXPLAIN WHY I SUCH A RrcUEST. BUT 'TAADE Ig AVERY DEFINTTE THERE OAAISER

IN DRAWING AWAY THE CURTAI NS. ERNEST HAS

HEAR9II{AT BEFORE, BUT VOU, CLODETTA,HAVE

NOT

wfii

IT'9

1 STARTED TO FOLLOW HER.I WANTEO 10 EXPIAIAI HER STATE/T,1ENTS.

ALLVERY

WELL TO 9ELIEVE I M GETTING ECVTVTRIC,

HER

UNFORTUNIATELY, OEAR @USIN HENRY CI.IOSE THAT VERY MOMENT TO /VIAKE HIS

APPEARANCE.

CLOPETTA.

gUT T SHOULDN'T ADVISE YOU TO BE SATISFIED WITH .l::9, ^.i l:

58

.;

SORRY...MUMFH...

SNOW...SNIFF... BIJSTED BAD WEATHER ... ,t1lSERABLE...


FOR gOME

REASON,I DECI9ED TO HENRY FROM THE WELL DESERVEO I€CTURE AUNT /I^ARY

SAI/E

YOU AR,EN'T

A9 ISOLATED AS

I

THOUGHT YOU'P

BE UP HERE,AUNT

^AUNT,

SQME

we AREN,T nv OEAR, WHAT WITH TELEPHONES ANDALL. BUT WHEN ERNEST'S GRAAIOFATHER, WES

ANYAOOY KNOW.

DoN,T woir.ev,

T CAN HAVE SAM, MY HANDYMAN, DR,IVE YOU DOWN TO WAUSAU WHEAIEV€R YOU L[KE.

You'vE IAAO? tN cAsE

suoweouuo.lni RAOIO'S REPORTING A ELiZZARO ON THE WAY. r HAD THE lvElRE

LIVING, AIANY'S THE TfME HE wAs S^VOVAOUNO WITH NO WAY TO LET

HENRY.

f fioPE

PROflSlotV

DEVILIS OWN

TIME GETTING THE CAR

nils

res.

!


f r D'N'T TH.NK so. r'vE IOEA KEEPS TI{E

PERHAPS

IN

AN

WHY SHE WINDOWS @VERED. GRANDFATHE? OIED AUI THERE -. HE WAS OVERCOME BY TI{E @LO ONE

,{OW

WEST

r

lT HAPPENED - -

WAS AWAY AT THE TIME. 1 SUPPOSE SHE

NlGlfT aNo FftOZE oN TI{E SLOPE OF TI{E I.IILL.

IT LIES

H€R--

SHE

MIGHT BE AFFECTED AND

AFFEcT

4S

IN

TURl.l. YOU'LL GET USED TO HER

STRilVEE

l

I\.,,^^

\

o|{, ERNEST./ T

KAnEW AUNT

/T4ARY'S

FEELINGS ABOUT THE CURTAINS.- AUT I FELT I HP TO DRAW THEM AWAY.

I

DIDN'T WANT TO BUT..

sqtETHtN@ &UAE /&lE oo f7.

WHY DI9N'T YOIJ TELL ,lrlE BEFORE?

HAaIG

ue

OLD 3IODY./ T

HAPPEN TO T.II<E THE VIEW FRO,}I THESE W|NOOT /|S./


AUNT MARY./ THE WEST WINDoWS./I sAw SO44EONE OUT

THERE.f

/S SOMEONE OUT THERE P

ERIIEST AND HENRY sAW T|{EM ,7OO.' A

4AN AND A

6IRI !

THEN WE |'|/AD

SETTER TAKE THEM

lfv

AUNT MARY.


A NlGt{T WHEN ERNE9T'S CRANDFATHER, ON fNDll'lG HETRf,S FATI.IER WITI.I A 9ERVANT GIRL, HN FI.OWN INTO

HENRY'S QUESTIONING OF AUNT TAARY'9 SANITT FLASF{EP INTO /vlY /V1|ND.

A HIOEOUS

AND THEN, 9HE BEGAN

RAGE

/

TO SPEAK tN SI-OW HAITIN@ TOt tEg OF A NIdHT DECADES P/sT.

gHE TOLD ME HOW, DESPITE lHE GtRu

s SLAnELESS^|ESS, H E

HAD SENT HER AWAY IN1OTHE

cnuo

NIGHT

-' AlOtVE.'

TRIJE, HE REPENTED t{IS RASH q' AcTtoN,t INUTES l'/ffER' OUT

9Y THEN/ A VIOLENT

SifOWSToRtn

H/qD SPRUNG uP.

N .';vt

'-'."24

w'

nD"

3

OF THE HILL TOTHE WEgT.

N

N]\

gHE cALrEo lic ERNEgrf s GRANDFATHER AND HE WENT OUT INTO lt|/qT CRI.JEL NtGHT.

YEARS LATER,THE GIRL CA&IE

AACK.SHECAME

glowstoRtvt,Ag boxE,'BuT sHE

IN

Sl{E HAD

HAo

*@ME

rAttPrRtc.

oo

n \) HIS FROZEN BODY IN SAfiE SPOT THE GIRL.g FIAD

TI{EY FOUND

lHE

BEEN FCUND.

'


t7

Y

A FEW yfiARs I.ATER,.. SHE RENURA|EO WITFI TI{E SNOW, AND SHE BROUGI.{T ALONG, TOO.THEY STAYED

HIN THE llsT sNoW

uNnL

ALWAYS TRYING

IIIRE

TO

So,lEoNE

/

C)(JT'

THERE.

7 '

COME ON, YOU T\,VO./ II{ERE ?rc?LE

Are

OUT ON TI{E WEST SIOPE --A €IRL AND

AN OLD MAN.-AND HENRY'S GONE OI.JT

TO FETCI{ THEM

fN..

THAT'g FUNNY/

TI{EY'RE

I

CAN'?

ilEilRf

NOW THER,E'LL

9e TIIREE

or

TI{EM OUT TI.IERE./

GOAIE! EVEN SEE

ANY/AaRE!


THEN, SO SUaAENLY THAT NOONE KNEW

WHAT'g Go|NG

ON HER€.g WHAT

WHAT HAPPENEO,SAIA

ABOUT TTIE TWO PEOPLE OUT IN

APPEARED, OPr468tNG HENRY INTO T}IE ROOVI.

WEILL

lvo, e?NEsT/ '@u Q461i7 @ OUT THER.E./

I

FOUNO HIM RUNNING

TOWARDS

fiIAU: I

HAD liC

KNOCK HIM OOWN

BEFORE T @ULD BRING

HIM BACK.IHEf WERE RIGHr SEtltuO ue.

SilOm l{e -- BEAUTIFUL HANDg, 9 LI7TIE, so Lot/Etr-- HER BFAUTIFUL (ANOS.. THE

Sttfo,rt/

AND lHE WOW:THE BEAUTIFUL LOVELY

stvolv

oRIFTING ANo FALLTNG AAQUT HER...

AaOUT

7H47! ^EE


I'M A4Y

@illMe,

LOVE.I T'M

@MrNG TO rOU.,

ilo,

'/l

HENRY./ YOU

,vlugTN'T LIgTEN TO

HE"--UilH!

65


>>A=E )\tt '.

or,Jt!.

t

7tt[r

.- IN THE WE FOUND HIM IN TI{E MORNING SAME PLACE WHERE lWO OHR BODIES HAP ONCE BEA{ FOUND. AND ALTHOTJGH HE HAD CLEARLY BEEN DRASGaD TO

TOMORROW WE MUgT €O TO TI{EIR GI?AVEg AND STAKE THS.'A DC} /N.

WE SHOULD HAVE €ONE BEFORE,

N\ 7/4. -.TI.IOSE THAT DI?A@ED LEFT NO FOOTPRIA|TS

HIM

DIED OF

Bu'r Hts FAaE

BORE TWO sfpN5l66

nARJ<S"

"'

tMry**!

m

TTIIS

.da'tr-

It(4

I.{E HAD APPARENTLY

i2spsueE,

r;'ry

"**re-r3 .-THE DELICATE SMALL

oFA YOUrue GfRUg

PRINTS

llAnlos.

@s


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.