The Way Home Read Free

drifted by. Ty didn’t catch a fish but it didn’t seem to matter much. He’d forgotten all about the feeling of anticipation that had seemed so strong this morning. It was just another lazy summer afternoon.
    Meg was so quiet, it was almost possible to forget she was there at all. When she woke, she played quietly, picking a bouquet of dandelions and arranging them with all the care his mother would have shown for her finest roses. Sometimes she hummed to herself, wordless little tunes.
    It was late afternoon when Ty heaved a sigh and lifted his line out of the stream. He looked at the water with regret. He was sure that there was a big old trout just eyein‘ his line, thinking about biting. But he’d promised his mother he’d be home early. The whole family was going to the picture show. Ty liked picture shows well enough, but it seemed a waste to have to go home just when the fish were sure to start biting.
    Still, there was no help for it. He stood up, dusting off the seat of his trousers. Meg stood up too, saying nothing, just watching him with those big blue eyes.
    “I got to go,” Ty told her. “Can you get home by yourself okay?”
    She nodded, her expression solemn as she watched him stuff the crumpled lunch sack in his pocket, where it made a lump.
    “Come on, I’ll walk you back out to the road.”
    She hesitated for a moment before falling into step with him. Ty didn’t cut across Pettygrove’s field this time, not wanting to set a bad example. After all, it was one thing for him to do it. He was a boy and could run pretty fast if old man Pettygrove showed up with his shotgun. But Meg was hardly more than a baby and it wouldn’t be right to encourage her to do things she shouldn’t.
    The feeling of adult responsibility helped to make up for the annoyance of taking twice as long to get back to the road. He scrambled up the bank onto the gravel surface, turning to give Meg a hand up.
    From here, their ways separated. Meg’s home lay south, on the far side of town. Ty’s family lived a little way outside of town on what was known locally as the Hill.
    He squinted in the direction she’d go. There were some thunderheads building up to the west of town, promising rain before too long. The breeze held a cool edge to it. “If you want, I could walk you home. You bein‘ little and all.”
    She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
    Ty was relieved by her refusal. A gentleman always had to look out for women and children, his dad said, and he’d have done his duty, but he knew he’d have taken an awful ribbing if anybody saw him walking with a girl, even if she was just a baby.
    “Well, then, I guess I’ll be on my way. You get on home now. Looks like it’s goin‘ to rain.”
    She nodded but didn’t move. Ty found himself strangely reluctant to leave her. She was so little and there was something fragile about her, as if a strong wind might just blow her over.
    “Well, good-bye.”
    “Good-bye.”
    He hesitated but she didn’t say anything more, only watched him with those solemn blue eyes. Feeling awkward, Ty turned and started down the road toward home. It seemed to him that he could feel her eyes on him every step of the way, but he didn’t turn until he reached a bend in the road.
    Turning back, he saw his guess had been right. Meg was standing just where he’d left her. Distance had foreshortened her figure, making her look even smaller and more vulnerable. He lifted his hand, waiting until he saw her wave in return before resolutely turning back to the road.
    It wasn’t his problem if she wanted to stand there until dark. He’d done more than a body had any right to expect.
    Meg watched Tyler McKendrick go out of sight before moving from the spot where he’d left her. She hurried down the road, ignoring the sharp bits of gravel that dug into the bottoms of her feet. The only pair of shoes she owned were too small, and they pinched her toes something fierce. Her soles were toughened