There was no fence where Elmer's cornfield met the grasses behind his barns. Alex came among an antique Farmall tractor and a rusted seed drill. Alex came alongside the steel pole-barn with the old wooden livestock barn broadside in front of him. All of the doors to the barns were wide open and the barns were empty. At the corner of the pole-barn Elmer's place opened up in front of him. The house was quiet and dark and the back door was open behind the screen door. There was a wide lot with Elmer's K car and a cat was sleeping on the hood of the car. The lot was gravel underneath but the grass and creeping Charlie were encroaching across it. In the front yard by the road was an aluminum for-sale sign. Alex hadn't known they were selling off in whole. He turned to look on his father's place and then up onto the ridge of hardwoods far beyond. He still couldn't see Bunny. There was the fence line and the swamp far down.

He went across the lot to the house and came up past the white and blue lilacs and onto the porch. At the back door he stopped and looked in. He could see the red light of the coffee maker on the counter. He knocked hard on the frame of the screen door and the door rattled on its hinges. A couple of cats scattered from the kitchen. Things were quiet inside. Alex knocked again and stepped away from the door.

"Elmer. It's Alex."

There was movement in the front room. Alex stepped further back. Elmer came up and stood looking at Alex from behind the screen door. He was an old, squat man, rough around the face and hands.

"Elmer. It's Alex. From over at John's."

The old man seemed to come around and opened the screen door wide.

"Come on, come on."

Alex went in past him. The kitchen smelled of cat urine.

"Sit down."

Alex took a chair alongside the table. Elmer took a clean cup and put it on the table in front of Alex.

"Bunny came by and said you were home."

Elmer poured half a cup of old coffee. It was the last of the coffee and dark and thick.

"He had a new rifle and was going up under the ridge after coyote."

Elmer went back into the living room. Alex stood, went to the counter and turned off the coffee maker. Elmer came back with his cowboy hat and boots in his hands. He sat down at another chair with the cowboy hat was on the table. He bent down with some effort to pull on his boots.

"He said you're selling off."

"We're selling off everything."

"The house?"

"Sure am."

"Where you going?"

"I'm getting married." Alex drank off some of the coffee.

"You going dancing tonight?"

"Sure am."

"How about Bunny?"

"Don't know," Elmer said.

"You get the field in?"

"Last week."

"When did you decide to sell off?"

"This week."

"Seen any pheasants?"

"Nope."

"Any fox?"

"Not lately."