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George Singleton
BeTWeeN WrecKs
(fm
 River Styx
)
 T
h kid’ mth t m pat f iv k takd t b th divwa, h aid, t mpt th thand awhadn d fm chap chif chai’ adid attatin dwn naMt Bah, amng th pa. Th wman intdd h-f a sa rnfw, and aimd that th hadn vin bw  Andw Jakn Pp—h n stan’ h—na “d t.”sa rnfw aid that h had n a fak awhad bin fftn a; that h nw ndtd Math’ ntin f pp and dmand; that it wan’t a bing a ing mth anwhn th pant bt md patia dift ff sni High- wa 11 m twnt mi fm at at an At Zn, stap,pbi iba, g t hain, GNc,  hadwa t that piaizd in dab hi; that h dn’t tn what at k h’d aad w tn (and I nv ntid, ing aI’d awd th fami iv k bin t fai whi I hp  wkd n m w-idn mat’ dg in thn ttdi) v th pat mnth; and that h wa wid miab that h b wan’t ging t fw thgh with g nh gadatd fm high h in th nxt a. sh attd n. Ithght that mab h fad I wd ti h p, thw h inta t bak m, and tt h f th npakab im hpfmd pn a man, nam m, wh pgnant wif tk 
 
222
George Singleton
ff n him in d t ai thi hid fa fm sth caina. Thn I ft  git abt tanding th n m wn and nth bank f th unknwn Banh f th sada riv, bkingsa rnfw’ xit tatg, that mwh ding h manimng I agd nt n t hp h ad k, bt a t ba “big bth” f t. sh hattd n and n abt hw stannt mt hi bigia fath, th fath did in a mtaidnt, and th kid had it in hi mind that h d kip gand bm a tand-p mdian. I kd dwn at th iv. I wndd if m fath  gandfath v had pah f thit, and tid t think f hw th might hand th itatin.I aid, “sht p. Gt a th k  want. I t  what—mak  awhad, and giv m tn pnt f  gpt. I knw a abt th awhad makt,” whih wa a i. Ikd at sa rnfw— if h had a vntn a-d n hmt’v had th kid at ag ixtn, I thght, f h appad tb m ag—and tk m hand t.“W iv abt tw mi awa. I pmi that I havn’t tnfm  bf thi pat mnth. I didn’t ta bak whn dad pd iv k t and d thm t andap,  vnth p a whn  fath kind f akd ff aft mth’ dath,  whn  gav p atgth in d t g bak t tding f-tim. o whn Abb tk ff f Minnta.”I kpt  ntat. “y tain m t knw ngh abt  what g n and h.” I wndd if h
 knew
that I wating t mpt a w idn mat’ dg pgam inthn t tdi fm o Mi–Ta, and that I waitd dai f m kind f mn t nd m in th ight ditin ingad t a nw and daing thi.sa rnfw hggd. sh pad a ni at pi f at that might’v bn pat f m h’ f m ixt a ai. shaid, “I’ t stan t m v h tmw. H’ nt mhint pt. Bt h at. Mab ’a d g hang t and at bakfat. T him hw imptant it wa f  t td a ththing  tdid bf  am bak h with Abb and gav
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