Galloway.
"No, we had no easy time of it. But still, them were happy days. We didn't have a lot, but what we had we enjoyed. If I got a rag doll at Christmas, and a stocking full of nuts and an orange, I was happy. Now little children gets everything and in no time it's tore up. And the grown-ups are the same way. Money, money, money—they'll sell their souls to get the dollar."
"Your husband was in the Service too, wasn't he?" said Galloway. "How did you meet him?"
"Oh, I met Leford in 1914. He was from Buxton, but he lived down in Hatteras Village." A thousand wrinkles deepened on her cheeks. "I met him at the dance at Wahab's Hotel. We moved down there and lived there and then in Rodanthe for right many years. My oldest son was born in Rodanthe, and my daughter was born in Raleigh when I was visiting my sister out there.
"And, yes, he went into the Coast Guard there in the first war, and we were stationed here and there—Poyn-ers Hill, and Kitty Hawk, and in Norfolk for two year even. But I didn't go there, the children was small. And he got transferred back to the Banks in 1937. And finally settled down in Avon, where I was born. I buried him close to twenty year ago."
"Mercy, this is interesting. Hearing about the old days. Let's talk about a little later now. About the war."
"The first one or—"
"The second war. Do you remember that?"
"Lord yes. That was when things changed so much, you know. You could go down to the base, if you had family in the service, and buy just what you wanted. Didn't have to order it, and wait and wait for the mail. I remember Leford bought me a gold watch once." Her hand twisted a plastic bracelet. "I never saw a ship actually get torpedoed; but we could hear it, boom boom boooom. Everything was blacked out. They had the shutters on the Light. I could sit out on my porch in the dark and see the blaze out to sea. I asked my husband one night, 'What'll we do if the Germans come to land on Hatteras?' And Leford said, 'We'll kill 'em, Mercy. That's what that shotgun's for.'"
Keyes was leaning forward; Galloway shot him a warning glance. He said, "That's something I wanted to ask you about, Mercy. You know the men who used to patrol the beach then, during the war?"
'You mean from the station. Yes I do. It was Leford and William Tolson, Dunbar Hooper, Jamie O'Neal and those. And that Aydlett boy."
"That's right. Mercy, one night they caught some people coming ashore. In a rubber raft. What happened to them? Did you ever hear?"
"Oh yes. They come ashore that night in the spring of forty-five. But Leford swore me never ever to—"
The nervously moving hands stopped.
"He swore you what?" said Keyes, leaning forward, despite Galloway's warning gesture. "Did he tell you? What happened?"
The old woman was silent for a moment more. Then she said, 'You boys got to forgive me. My mind's not so clear as it was. And sometimes I take to talkin' nonsense. I'm not bodily sick, but I broke my hip a couple of year ago and something happened that it got twisted. I don't think I've got enough time for it to ever heal."
Tiller said, 'Yes, Mrs. Baum, but let's go back to what you were telling us about. Did Leford tell you what happened that night? Did he ever mention anything they'd taken, anything they had with them—"
"I don't remember it well. I don't remember who you are. But let me tell you something important."
"We're listening," said Keyes.
Galloway found himself fixed by her eyes. "I don't know what you boys are wantin' to hear, or what you're after. What you're strivin' for, or what your trouble is. I've had a lot of trouble in my life, yes I have. But you got to put aside this striving and sinning and live the best way you can. I did and I'm happy now because I know the Lord's going to take care of me. Although I'm suffering, that'll be over after a while. I know I've got to die soon. But when the Lord sees fit for me to go, I got no dread."
Over her bent head Galloway met Keyes's eyes.
"No, we had no easy time of it. But still, them were happy days. We didn't have a lot, but what we had we enjoyed. If I got a rag doll at Christmas, and a stocking full of nuts and an orange, I was happy. Now little children gets everything and in no time it's tore up. And the grown-ups are the same way. Money, money, money—they'll sell their souls to get the dollar."
"Your husband was in the Service too, wasn't he?" said Galloway. "How did you meet him?"
"Oh, I met Leford in 1914. He was from Buxton, but he lived down in Hatteras Village." A thousand wrinkles deepened on her cheeks. "I met him at the dance at Wahab's Hotel. We moved down there and lived there and then in Rodanthe for right many years. My oldest son was born in Rodanthe, and my daughter was born in Raleigh when I was visiting my sister out there.
"And, yes, he went into the Coast Guard there in the first war, and we were stationed here and there—Poyn-ers Hill, and Kitty Hawk, and in Norfolk for two year even. But I didn't go there, the children was small. And he got transferred back to the Banks in 1937. And finally settled down in Avon, where I was born. I buried him close to twenty year ago."
"Mercy, this is interesting. Hearing about the old days. Let's talk about a little later now. About the war."
"The first one or—"
"The second war. Do you remember that?"
"Lord yes. That was when things changed so much, you know. You could go down to the base, if you had family in the service, and buy just what you wanted. Didn't have to order it, and wait and wait for the mail. I remember Leford bought me a gold watch once." Her hand twisted a plastic bracelet. "I never saw a ship actually get torpedoed; but we could hear it, boom boom boooom. Everything was blacked out. They had the shutters on the Light. I could sit out on my porch in the dark and see the blaze out to sea. I asked my husband one night, 'What'll we do if the Germans come to land on Hatteras?' And Leford said, 'We'll kill 'em, Mercy. That's what that shotgun's for.'"
Keyes was leaning forward; Galloway shot him a warning glance. He said, "That's something I wanted to ask you about, Mercy. You know the men who used to patrol the beach then, during the war?"
'You mean from the station. Yes I do. It was Leford and William Tolson, Dunbar Hooper, Jamie O'Neal and those. And that Aydlett boy."
"That's right. Mercy, one night they caught some people coming ashore. In a rubber raft. What happened to them? Did you ever hear?"
"Oh yes. They come ashore that night in the spring of forty-five. But Leford swore me never ever to—"
The nervously moving hands stopped.
"He swore you what?" said Keyes, leaning forward, despite Galloway's warning gesture. "Did he tell you? What happened?"
The old woman was silent for a moment more. Then she said, 'You boys got to forgive me. My mind's not so clear as it was. And sometimes I take to talkin' nonsense. I'm not bodily sick, but I broke my hip a couple of year ago and something happened that it got twisted. I don't think I've got enough time for it to ever heal."
Tiller said, 'Yes, Mrs. Baum, but let's go back to what you were telling us about. Did Leford tell you what happened that night? Did he ever mention anything they'd taken, anything they had with them—"
"I don't remember it well. I don't remember who you are. But let me tell you something important."
"We're listening," said Keyes.
Galloway found himself fixed by her eyes. "I don't know what you boys are wantin' to hear, or what you're after. What you're strivin' for, or what your trouble is. I've had a lot of trouble in my life, yes I have. But you got to put aside this striving and sinning and live the best way you can. I did and I'm happy now because I know the Lord's going to take care of me. Although I'm suffering, that'll be over after a while. I know I've got to die soon. But when the Lord sees fit for me to go, I got no dread."
Over her bent head Galloway met Keyes's eyes.
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