Ice Palace (version 3), The

<h4>VI</h4> <p>The wealth of golden sunlight poured a quite enervating yet oddly comforting heat over the house where day long it faced the dusty stretch of road. Two birds were making a great to-do in a cool spot found among the branches of a tree next door, and down the street a colored woman was announcing herself melodiously as a purveyor of strawberries. It was April afternoon.</p> <p>Sally Carrol Happer, resting her chin on her arm, and her arm on an old window-seat, gazed sleepily down over the spangled dust whence the heat waves were rising for the first time this spring. She was watching a very ancient Ford turn a perilous corner and rattle and groan to a jolting stop at the end of the walk. See made no sound and in a minute a strident familiar whistle rent the air. Sally Carrol smiled and blinked.</p> <p>"Good mawnin'."</p> <p>A head appeared tortuously from under the car-top below.</p> <p>"Tain't mawnin', Sally Carrol."</p> <p>"Sure enough!" she said in affected surprise. "I guess maybe not."</p> <p>"What you doin'?"</p> <p>"Eatin' a green peach. 'Spect to die any minute."</p> <p>Clark twisted himself a last impossible notch to get a view of her face.</p> <p>"Water's warm as a kettla steam, Sally Carol. Wanta go swimmin'?"</p> <p>"Hate to move," sighed Sally Carol lazily, "but I reckon so."</p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />