Terpin

Terpin — page 1 — For John Bass

Terpin — page 2 — Excuse me Your Honor sir but North Haven is the next stop bout twenty five minutes Awakening Terpin Taft blinked up at a face with a long white beard For an instant this gave him a start for once before in his life many years ago he had awakened to see a face with just such a flowing white beard But he realized it was the conductor North Haven is next Your Honor the conductor repeated touching the brim of his cap Or North Tafton as I hear they're changing it to Terpin Taft thanked him As the old man bowed and shuffled off down the train car Terpin turned from the ogling eyes of the other passengers and

Terpin — page 3 — glanced out the window at the hills still mottled with snow He leaned back and closed his eyes again Soon he heard passengers whispering Is it really him Of course it is can't you tell He was born in North Haven you know I read it in the paper It's funny somebody so important should be traveling alone don't you think Well you know what they say all great people are lonely deep down Don't you think there's something lonely about his face In a minute Terpin heard a throat cleared and reopened his eyes which silenced all the whis pering around him The elderly conductor was standing over him again cap in hand a sheepish look on his face Excuse me Your Honor sir but I thought maybe you'd give me your autograph for my missus She'd be tickled pink Terpin took the man's piece of paper and the conductor mur mured Lands this is the most excitement we've had on the line since well since the tragedy on the North Trestle thirty odd years ago On the piece of paper Terpin wrote To my old

Terpin — page 4 — friend George who once let me ride without a ticket and his wife with best wishes Terpin Taft Lands the conductor said reading the inscription You mean to say you've ridden this train before Your Honor And I let you ride for free Indeed he had ridden this train before dozens of times But that was long before he was Your Honor long before there was anything lonely about his face Now Terpin was on his way back to his hometown to be honored now he was a great man But why dwell on his great ness As an ancient Greek philosopher said Being is nothing becoming is everything Thirty odd years ago Terpin who was then a schoolboy with a clean face and slightly moppish brown hair was riding this same train home to North Haven after a dutiful Thanksgiving visit to his grandmother downstate It had not been a very entertaining visit His grandmother was can tankerous and deaf the turkey had been cooked three hours too long and the bed in her guest

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