He turned and ran from the table.
“Tom, come back!”
But the boy ran off along the canal toward the distant town.
“Where’s Tom going?” asked Anna, returning for more dishes.
She looked at her husband’s face.
“Did you say something to bother him?”
“Anna,” he said, taking her hand. “Anna, do you remember anything about Green Lawn Park, a market, and Tom having pneumonia?”
“What are you talking about?”
She laughed.
“Never mind,” he said quietly.
In the distance the dust drifted down after Tom had run along the canal rim.
At five in the afternoon, with the sunset, Tom returned.
He looked doubtfully at his father.
“Are you going to ask me anything?” he wanted to know.
“No questions,” said LaFarge.
The boy smiled his white smile.
“Swell.”
“Where’ve you been?”
“Near the town.
I almost didn’t come back.
I was almost” — the boy sought for a word — “trapped.”
“How do you mean, «trapped»?”
“I passed a small tin house by the canal and I was almost made so I couldn’t come back here ever again to see you.
I don’t know how to explain it to you, there’s no way, I can’t tell you, even I don’t know; it’s strange, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“We won’t then.
Better wash up, boy.
Suppertime.”
The boy ran.
Perhaps ten minutes later a boat floated down the serene surface of the canal, a tall lank man with black hair poling it along with leisurely drives of his arms.
“Evening, Brother LaFarge,” he said, pausing at his task.
“Evening Saul, what’s the word?”
“All kinds of words tonight.
You know that fellow named Nomland who lives down the canal in the tin hut?”
LaFarge stiffened.
“Yes?”
“You know what sort of rascal he was?”
“Rumor had it he left Earth because he killed a man.”
Saul leaned on his wet pole, gazing at LaFarge.
“Remember the name of the man he killed?”
“Gillings, wasn’t it?”
“Right. Gillings.
Well, about two hours ago Mr. Nomland came running to town crying about how he had seen Gillings, alive, here on Mars, today, this afternoon!
He tried to get the jail to lock him up safe.
The jail wouldn’t.
So Nomland went home, and twenty minutes ago, as I get the story, blew his brains out with a gun.
I just came from there.”
“Well, well,” said LaFarge.
“The darnedest things happen,” said Saul.
“Well, good night, LaFarge.”
“Good night.”