place, merely opening a can of vegetable or meat or whatever and warming it over the coals in a saucepan. Candles furnished what light she needed, which wasn't much, as she was so tired she slept through most of the hours of darkness.
When spring came her body was in good condition. The work of carrying the wood up the stairs had kept her slender in waist and hips. The use of gloves and constant attention with hand lotions had protected her hands from scratches and chapping. Released from the necessity of using so much time getting fuel, she pre- pared to enjoy her feminine facilities during the sum- mer. She swam in the pool, dozed in the sun, drove around the countryside, played her various characters, devoting herself to extracting all the pleasure she could from what she now knew would be her last summer in Pittsburgh, for she decided to leave before winter set
in.
However, she continued to play until the first frost. She then began her preparations to journey south. selected, discarded, selected and discarded again and again, till she had a wardrobe of what she thought she would absolutely need and what she liked to wear the best. These she packed in three suitcases, and she filled an overnight bag with her beauty aids. She dis- carded all the wigs, as she would from now on use her own hair. She put the suitcases behind the seat of the Cadillac, set the o'night case on the floor across from the driver's seat, put some blankets in the car trunk, and drove off.
She planned to drive due south to Columbia, South Carolina, then perhaps to Florida. But she had to de- tour frequently. Trees had fallen across the roads, completely blocking them in many places. Through mountain stretches slides had often covered the road or torn great gaps in the paving. She sometimes had to retrace her journey many miles, and several times had to try four or five different roads before finding a way through. The roads were rough anyway from lack of maintenance, and she was a month reaching Columbia.
She provided her food by simply breaking into a store and getting what she wanted when she was hungry.
43.