HarperElement
An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
and HarperElement are trademarks of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
First published in the US by Little, Brown and Company, Inc. 1991
This edition HarperElement 2006
© Torey Hayden 1991
Torey Hayden asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780007218646
Ebook Edition © 2012 ISBN: 9780007370825 Version 2015-02-03
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Contents
There were 152 miles between the city and Falls River and from there another 23 miles to Pecking. All of it was prairie, wide flat, and open, interrupted only by the interstate. There were towns along the way, of course, although “town” was a rather grand description for most of them. The names, however, were always hopeful: Harmony, New Marseilles, Valhalla.
I’d alloted myself two and a half hours to cover the distance, setting off in the early morning darkness with an egg salad sandwhich and a thermos of coffee. Given no nasty surprises in the January weather, I anticipated reaching Pecking by eight.
For much of the way mine was the only car on the road. In and