broke up and washed down the crick.

Marthy's still got the cape thing. She's a powerful saving woman. We
never did tell Matt, though. Might make him feel funny to think he
didn't really b'long to us.

_But--but--Mr. Emmett, didn't anybody ask questions about the
baby--where you got it?_

Well, now, I'll 'low they was curious, because Marthy hadn't been in
the family way and they knew it. But up here folks minds their own
business pretty well, and I jest let them wonder. I told Liza Grace I'd
found her new little brother in the back pasture, and o'course it was
the truth. When Liza Grace growed up she thought it was jest one of
those yarns old folks tell the little shavers.

_And has Matthew ever shown any differences from the other children that
you could see?_

Well, Rev'rend, not so's you could notice it. He's powerful smart, but
his real Pa and Ma must have been right smart too to build a flying
contraption that could come so far.

O'course, when he were about twelve years old he started reading folks'
minds, which didn't seem exactly right. He'd tell Marthy what I was
thinkin' and things like that. He was just at the pesky age. Liza Grace
and Minnie were both a-courtin' then, and he'd drive their boy friends
crazy telling them what Liza Grace and Minnie were a-thinking and tease
the gals by telling them what the boys were thinking about.

There weren't no harm in the boy, though, it was all teasing. But it
just weren't decent, somehow. So I tuk him out behind the woodshed and
give his britches a good dusting just to remind him that that kind of
thing weren't polite nohow. And Rev'rend Doane, he ain't never done it
sence.

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ May 1954.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
typographical errors have been corrected without note.

End of Project Gutenberg's Year of the Big Thaw, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

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