She usually ate a cold lunch, but in the evening she would find an empty house to spend the night in. She would build a fire outside (there was always plenty of wood), cook her dinner, then go to bed. Next morning she would cook breakfast and resume her journey. On cool evenings she built her fire before she went to get food.

She arrived at Columbia one evening late in October There had been a driving rain till well past noon and the air was damp and cool. Charlene found a house with a "For Rent" sign, which told her it was empty. She built a fire, heated water, bathed, and put on clean under- wear, skirt and sweater. She then started walking to the supermarket she could see just a few blocks away.

At the door of the store she stopped in amazement and her heart stood still. The glass in the door was broken. She told herself that some animal had run against the glass and broken it. But when she reached in to unlatch the door, she found it already unlatched. She looked around in great excitement. She knew there must be somebody else alive, but she could see no sign of anyone. It was now almost dark and she ran back to the house, her high heels clattering on the sidewalk. Her mind was boiling with thoughts of the unknown per- son or persons.

"Persons!" she thought.

"There may be more than one. There may be a bunch of men. What would happen if they caught me?"

In a panic now, she took off her shoes, held them in her hand, and raced to the car. She leaped in, turn- ed the ignition key and pressed the starter button. The motor turned over but didn't start!

11

"Okay, sister, growled a voice from the darkness, "get out, with your hands up! That's it. Now, over by

the fire."

In terror she obeyed. She saw a handsome young man step out from behind the house and come into the circle of the firelight. He carried a small rifle of som kind.

44.