They walked for an hour or so and sat on a patch of grass to rest. The day had dawned clear and warmer. Tim reached for the map and spread it out against his knee. They had made good time the night before, heading straight north over level, lightly wooded country, following a road for a while and crossing a deep-cut river on a stout wooden bridge. The night had been just right for walking; just nippy enough to give them spirit. They must be close to the border now.
Tim marked an X where he thought they were and read the compass. They had kept the Broad River on their left to a point a few miles south of MacNeil’s farm. There the river had parted from the northwesterly direction of the track, flowing straight down from the north. They had crossed it on a high bridge. Now as they moved due north they would strike the river again just after they crossed into North Carolina. They made up their minds to follow the Broad until they reached the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
In the mountain country Kate’s map seemed less than complete, but on the far side of the mountains, in the upper left-hand corner of the map, KNOXVILLE was neatly lettered. The railroads and roads that converged on the city were clearly shown.
As Tim put the map away he slapped at his pocket and remembered that Kane still had his diary and album of photographs.
Tim didn’t mention his loss to Red. He lay back on the grass and closed his eyes and tried to bring Kate’s face to mind. He started by remembering her photograph but that didn’t work. He thought of how she walked and danced and the way she turned her head. That brought her alive but try as he would he couldn’t make her face come clear.
Red chewed the end of a piece of grass. “A penny for your thoughts.”
“You don’t have a penny.”
“I’ll owe it to you.”
“I wouldn’t have you carry a burden of debt.” Tim opened his eyes, sat up on the grass and watched a little gray bird fluttering and chirping in the underbrush. “I was trying to remember Kate’s face but it wouldn’t come clear.”
“Nancy’s face doesn’t often come clear any more.” Red stood up. “We better find cover and sleep a while.”