Beyond the Horizon Read Free Page A

business,’ he said.
    The stranger unfurled a length of cord and laced it between the poles to hold the cloth flat. His lithe fingers worked quickly, tying knots. ‘What about it?’
    The man looked out beyond the homestead, out beyond where the sky and earth met. He squinted. ‘You said I’d have to go to the territory seat, to register her an the baby.’
    In his throat the stranger made a grunting noise. He asked what about it again.
    â€˜Caint say I ever heard that bein done,’ the man said.
    â€˜It’s a census year.’ The stranger said it real flat like the answer should be explanation enough. Then, as the man opened his mouth to ask for clarification, the stranger continued. ‘You said your woman was a wayward—her people left her here. Something tells me that shes not part of this country. And something tells me that baby—the one you have nothing to do with creating—hes gonna be dirty skinned too.’
    â€˜Dont see what thats rightly got to do with anything.’
    â€˜There’ll be a census marshal coming around. They find out youre housing a couple non-citizens and they’ll take them away.’
    The man appeared to be physically knocked off-balance and he staggered about for a second. ‘They caint do that,’ he protested.
    Stranger nodded in agreement. ‘They cant if you register them out at the territory office.’
    â€˜Whereabouts that?’
    For a moment the stranger closed his eyes and appeared to be visualizing a place of myth, constructing it in his mind. Then he opened his eyes. ‘A ways from here, place I never been before.’
    â€˜How far?’
    â€˜You know,’ the stranger said, ‘you could not register your family. You could hide them whenever a passer-through came near.’
    â€˜Office is far away then.’
    â€˜It is, yes.’
    â€˜Whereabouts?’
    â€˜Farther west, out Colorado way, place called Fort James.’
    â€˜You be able to get me direction of some kind?’
    â€˜Yes,’ the stranger said. ‘But you should be warned: this might be hard country here, but out that way, thats no country at all.’
    The next night provided more of the same—the man insisting on legitimizing his woman and the baby, the stranger reluctant to provide details.
    â€˜I can find Fort James just fine,’ the man said.
    The stranger grunted as he used a piece of driftwood to brace the porch roof. ‘It’s a ways from here,’ he said.
    â€˜Need a headin, a direction—thats all.’
    â€˜You sound confident. Did you used to be a scout in the army?’
    The man squinted, folded his arms. He did a rare thing and considered his words before he spoke them. ‘Got some maps,’ he said. ‘Know how to guide myself usin the stars.’
    The stranger quit working and devoted his attention to the conversation at hand. ‘You know celestial navigation?’
    â€˜No,’ the man said. ‘Just know how to follow the stars to get where I needs to go.’
    The stranger snorted. He threw his head back to look into the sky above. Evening swirled the tongues of red cirrus clouds into the mellowed lighter shades of aged day. A ghost moon, nearly full, waned into existence. There were no stars yet. It wouldnt be long. The stranger looked at the man. ‘You’ll have to travel in the night then,’ he said.
    â€˜I know it.’
    â€˜Some people say the country is more dangerous at night.’
    â€˜They say that. I figure it’s about the same, just darker.’
    The stranger chuckled to himself. He went back to constructing his porch space. After a moment he quit again.
    â€˜Wheres a man like your kind learn to travel by the stars?’ he asked.
    The man seemed to anticipate the question and his delay in answering seemed to be a predetermined measure for effect. ‘Father was a sailor,’ he said.
    The stranger nodded.