Tobias carefully led the horses through the street. "It was there before," Tobias replied. "They just painted the front, I guess. We used to pass it to school. Donald Barry got caught kickin' 'is football into the milk bottles there once."

But it didn't surprise him that Nate had forgotten the house. He had hardly been back since father had died. He hadn't been there for his wedding to Sallie, though he had had to decency to show up for her funeral. He had been there for Bess's wedding, but not for Tobias's to Flo, though again, the remains of civility between them had forced him back for her funeral. He had showed up once to see Bess's boys. But overall Nate seemed to do his best not to return, whether due to a busy job, or contempt for his own rural roots, Tobias did not know, but he often suspected the latter. Nate had always thought rather too highly of himself.