"Until the snow gets too deep," she said.
"I'll see you, then," Oliver said, stopping. "I'll leave you to your peace and quiet."
"Be safe," she said. Oliver waved and walked back the way they had come. The sun was clear of the horizon, promising warmth.
"Yes!" he said. The Early People had an air of being off duty. They had waited for the sun, welcomed it, and were now free to enjoy it.
9.
Oliver changed planes in Chicago and landed in Oregon at one o'clock,
Pacific time. "Funny thing," he said to a cab driver. "I always thought
Portland was on the ocean. It's a river port."
"The Columbia," the driver said. "Where you from?"
"The other Portland—in Maine."
"Back east. I'm from Worcester, Mass, myself. Long time ago."
"You like it out here?"