"When I was young," she continued, "I laughed at all that, myself. Junior'll go through the same stage, most likely. But I've seen things." She paused and selected another potato. "Mind you, it don't prove anything. But it was queer. It was when I was a girl at home. Mamma and Dad and me had gone to a camp-meeting."
"Yes. Not here; I'm from the South originally. Arkansas. We drove over to the meeting-grounds in a wagon and afterwards, coming back, we slept out. It was my idea: I blame myself. It was low country and I should of known better. Mom and Dad were getting along: they were too old to act like that.
"Well, we got back home all right and then we was all sick. Malaria, I guess it was, or typhoid. I've always been as strong as a horse and in a little while I was up and around. But Dad didn't pick up the way he ought to and they took him to hospital. We thought Mom was all right. She just slept all the time." She shook her head and remained silent a moment.
"I didn't worry about Mamma. I ought to of. But I didn't know any better. We were all busy fretting over Dad. Then one night they said he was better and I gave Mom her medicine and went to bed. She told me she felt better too, on account of Dad. I went to bed. I don't excuse myself. There must have been something I could of done.
"Anyway when I woke up it was early morning and Mom was breathing real loud. I called the doctor in a hurry and he came running and took one look and sent her to hospital. He told me not to worry. He said it was a little relapse. I said, 'Yes, but what makes Mamma look so queer?' What it was, she was dying, and I didn't know."
She looked at Blake with wet, horrified eyes, and he waited.
"I went back to bed--I'll never forgive myself, but I wasn't in my right senses yet. The fever kept coming back. I didn't sleep very well, I _-will_ say that for myself. Even when I didn't know how bad it was I was worried. I dreamed I was running up the steps of a big building, a funny sort of building I hadn't ever noticed before, and it had big pillars along the front. All the time I was running--I remember it as plain as you are sitting here now----"
"I kept thinking I must hold on to myself and try to expect something nice that was waiting for me in the building. I can't quite say what it was like. As if I was fooling myself in my dream and knew it. I kept running and running and feeling worse."