"Hi!" the man said.

The boy opened his eyes and sat up quickly.

"Hi, yourself!" he said warily.

The man was sitting on the ground a few feet from him, looking at him. steadily.

"Nice day," the man said.

"Yeah."

The man pulled a lumpy, mashed loaf of bread from one pocket. From the other he took a piece of paper-wrapped cheese. He began sawing away at the bread with a little knife.

"Yessir," the man said. "Sure is a nice day. Want a sandwich?"

The boy looked at him and saw how young and bearded and dirty he was. "No, thank you," he said fastidiously.

He stared at the man. It was the first time he had seen a tramp this close. Granny wouldn't let them on the place. He could smell the man's sweat from where he sat.

The man bit off a huge chunk of his sandwich and started chewing. "What's your name, sonny?" he said.

"David-alfonsus-Trask, Jr." the boy said. He did not like being called 'sonny.' The man grinned and used a dirty fingernail to dislodge a bit of bread caught between his teeth. When he spoke, his voice sounded muffled.

"Well, David Alfonsus Whatever-the-rest-of-it-is, be sociable and eat. I hate to eat alone." His huge fingers tightened on the remainder of the loaf and tore it in half.

David let the proffered bread hang limp in his fingers.

"Go ahead" the man said. "Eat."

Obediently, he took a bite.

They chewed in silence, watching each other with an exaggerated, owl-like solemnity.

"How old are you?" the man said, suddenly.

Startled, David nearly choked. "Eleven going on twelve" he said.

"Eleven going on twelve" the man repeated softly. "Eleven going on twelve." He looked around him. "I like this place" he said. "It's quiet. Peaceful."

"It's my Hill."

The man's head swiveled around to David.

"YOUR hill? I'm not trespassing, am I?" David was silent.

"Listen" the man said. "Do you have a girl?" "No."

"Why?"

David blushed. He laid the unfinished bread carefully on the ground beside him.

"I don't know," he said. "I guess I just never thought 'bout it very much." "Ah, but why haven't you thought about it, that's the question! Do you LIKE girls?"

"I guess" David said. He wished the man would talk about something else. "Girls are all right. Amelia Sanders used to do my homework for me."

The man chuckled inwardly, finding something funny in this. He stopped laughing and watched David quietly. After a moment, he leaned forward and put his hand high up on David's thigh. He began to rub back and forth, moving very slowly. There were little black hairs on the back of his hand.

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