Mrs. Lane patted Peggy's arm and said, "We won't keep you in suspense long, dear. Why don't you go out for a walk for a while and let us go over the situation quietly? We'll decide before bedtime."
Peggy nodded silently and walked to the kitchen door, where she paused to say, "I'm just going out to the barn to see if Socks is all right for the night. Then maybe I'll go down to Jean's for a while."
As she stepped out into the soft summer dusk she turned to look back just in time to see her mother throw her a comically exaggerated wink of assurance. Feeling much better, Peggy shut the screen door behind her and started for the barn.
Ever since she had been a little girl, the barn had been Peggy's favorite place to go to be by herself and think. Its musty but clean scent of straw and horses and leather made her feel calm and alive. Breathing in its odor gratefully, she walked into the half-dark to Socks's stall. As the little bay horse heard her coming, she stamped one foot and softly whinnied a greeting. Peggy stopped first at the bag that hung on the wall among the bridles and halters and took out a lump of sugar as a present. Then, after stroking Socks's silky nose, she held out her palm with the sugar cube. Socks took it eagerly and pushed her nose against Peggy's hand in appreciation.
As Peggy mixed some oats and barley for her pet and checked to see that there was enough straw in the stall, she thought about her life in Rockport and the new life that she might soon be going to.
Rockport, Wisconsin, was a fine place, as pretty a small town as any girl could ask to grow up in. And not too small, either, Peggy thought. Its 16,500 people supported good schools, an excellent library, and two good movie houses. What's more, the Rockport Community College attracted theater groups and concert artists, so that life in the town had always been stimulating. And of course, all of this was in addition to the usual growing-up pleasures of swimming and sailing, movie dates, and formal dances--everything that a girl could want.
Peggy had lived all her life here, knew every tree-shaded street, every country road, field, lake, and stream. All of her friends were here, friends she had known since her earliest baby days. It would be hard to leave them, she knew, but there was no doubt in her mind that she was going to do so. If not now, then as soon as she possibly could.