Duke balanced with a foot on each brick wall, knelt over her. “Good-bye, Sis,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.” He covered her face and got carefully out of the grave. A little procession was coming up the hill, Hugh ‘assisting his wife, Joe helping Barbara. Beyond the shelter ‘their flag flew at half-mast.
They arranged themselves at the grave, Hugh at the head, his wife on his right, his son on his left, Barbara and Joe at the foot. To Duke’s relief no one asked that faces be uncovered nor did his mother seem disturbed at the arrangements.
Hugh took a small black book from his pocket, opened it to a marked page:
“’I am the Resurrection and the Life. .
“’We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can take nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken-‘”
Grace sobbed and her knees started to fail Hugh shoved the book into Duke’s hands, moved to support his wife. “Take over, Son!”
“Take her back down, Dad!”
Grace said brokenly, “No, no! I must stay.”
“Read it, Duke. I’ve marked the passages.”
“’. . . he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.
“’For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
“’0 spare me a little, that I may recover my strength.
“’Man, that is born of woman, hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery.
“’Unto Almighty God we commend the soul of our sister- of our sisters-and we commit their bodies to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust-‘”
Duke paused, dropped the tiniest of clods into the grave. He looked back at the book, closed it and said suddenly, “Let us pray.”
They took Grace back and put her to bed; Joe and Duke returned to close the grave. Hugh, seeing that his wife appeared to be resting, started to snuff candles in the rear bay. She opened her eyes. “Hubert-”
“Yes, Grace?”
“I told you. I warned you. You wouldn’t listen to me.”
“About what, Grace?”
“I told you she had to have a doctor! You wouldn’t call one. You were too proud. You sacrificed my daughter on the altar of your pride. My baby. You killed her.”
“Grace, there are no doctors here. You know that.”
“If you were even half a man, you wouldn’t make excuses!”
“Grace, please. May I get you something? A Miltown? Or would you like a hypo?”
“No, no!” she said shrilly. “That’s how you tricked me when I was going to get a doctor anyway. In spite of you. You’ll never again trick me with your drugs. And you’ll never touch me again, either. Murderer.”
“Yes, Grace.” He turned and left.
Barbara was on the stoop, sitting with her head in her hands. Hugh said, “Barbara, the flag must be two-blocked. Do you want me to do it?”
“So soon, Hugh?”
“Yes. We go on.”
Chapter 10
They went on. Duke hunted, Duke and Joe farmed, Hugh worked harder than ever. Grace worked too, and her cooking improved-and her eating; she got fatter. She never mentioned her conviction that her husband had been responsible for the death of their daughter.
She did not speak to him at all. When a problem had to be discussed she spoke to Duke. She quit attending church services.
In the last month of Barbara’s pregnancy, Duke sought out his father privately. “Dad, you told me that any time I wanted to leave-or any of us-we could.”
Hugh was startled. “Yes.”
“A pro-rata share, you said. Ammo, tools, and so forth.”
“Better than that; we’re a going concern. Duke, you are leaving?”
“Yes-but not just myself. Mother wants to. She’s the one who’s dead set on it. I’ve got reasons, but Mother’s wishes are the deciding factor.”
“Mmm- Let’s talk about your reasons. Are you dissatisfied with the way I’m running things? I will gladly step aside. I feel sure that I can get Joe and Barbara to go along, so that you will have unanimous support.” He sighed. “I am anxious to turn over the burden.”
Duke shook his head. “That’s not it, Dad. I don’t want to be boss and you’ve done a good job. Oh, I won’t say I liked the high-handed way you started in. But results count and you got results. I’d rather not discuss my reasons except to say that they don’t have to do with you-and wouldn’t be enough to make me leave if Mother weren’t hipped on it. She wants to leave. She’s going to leave. I can’t let her leave alone.”