Chapter 79 Chapter 78

Finally, they survived the winter. This winter is indeed long, especially for Stu who grew up in East Texas. The day after he returned to Boulder, his right leg was snapped back together and held in place with a thick cast until it was removed in early April.Almost all residents in the Free State have signed the plaster. Although it is an exaggeration to say that, when the plaster is removed, the outer shell does look like an extremely complicated traffic map. Since March 1st, survivors have been pouring into the State of Freedom. By the deadline for filing income tax returns each year, the State of Freedom has more than 11,000 residents.The figure was released by Sandy Ducien, who himself heads a 12-member Census Bureau that has its own computer terminal at First Bank in Boulder.

Now Stu, Franny and Lucy Swan are standing in the campsite on the mountainside watching the May Chase game.Most of the children (and a few adults) in the Free State attended.The May Day gift basket hung on Tom Curran (it was Franny's idea), and the basket was decorated with ribbons and contained various fruits and toys. Tom captures Billy Glick (even though Billy professes to be too old for the child's game, eventually volunteering).Together they captured a boy named Upson--or was it Upston?Stu couldn't remember their names either. Three more men caught Leo Rockwell hiding behind a rock.Tom put the tag on Leo himself.

As the chase unfolded west of Boulder, crowds filled the streets, mostly kids and a handful of adults.Tom carried the flower basket and kept shouting loudly in the crowd.Finally, the children returned to the camping area, which was sunny and breezy.There are more than 200 children who have been caught and tagged, and they are still looking for the few remaining "outsiders". At the Sunrise Theater two miles away, people are preparing for a big camping luncheon. By noon, two to 3,000 people will come here to sit down and eat venison, spicy eggs and peanuts, cream and jelly. Sandwiches, and pastries of all kinds of pies.This may be the last big party in the free state, and it will need to go to the big stadium in Denver.At present, foreign immigrants have grown from a few dozen people every day in early spring to hundreds of people today. The population has increased by another 8,000 in the two weeks since April 15, and the total population has reached 19,000—at least for the time being, the Statistics Bureau can’t keep up with the speed of statistics.There are very few days when the number of new immigrants falls below 500.

Peter was lying in the stroller, covered with a blanket.He suddenly burst into tears.Just as Franny turned around, Lucy walked over first, dragging her eight-month-pregnant body. "Careful," Franny said, "he's peed. I'll know it by the cry." "This little puddle can't hide from my eyes," Lucy hugged the crying Peter and shook him gently. "Hey, baby, what are you doing? Are you not full?" Peter was still crying "wow". Lucy put him on another list.Peter cried and got up on it.Lucy turned Peter over and undid his corduroy shorts, Peter's shins dancing in the air.

"Why don't you two go for a walk?" said Lucy.She smiled at Franny, but Stu felt a tinge of desolation in the smile. "Why don't we go for a walk?" Franny said, grabbing Stu's arm. Stu agreed.The two crossed the road and came to a piece of green grass.There are snow-white clouds floating in the blue sky. "What's going on?" Stu asked. "What did you say?" But Franny's expression was too innocent. "That smile." "What smile?" "I saw that look," Stu said. "Maybe I didn't understand what it meant, but I did."

"Come and sit with me, Stu." "Is that so?" They sat on the grass looking east, and there was a blue haze rising over the plains at the foot of the mountains, and Nebraska was in that direction. "There's something important, but I don't know what to tell you, Stu." "Just tell me what you think," Stu said, taking his hand. Franny didn't speak, her face twitched, the corners of her mouth trembled uncontrollably, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Frannie..." "No, I don't cry," she said angrily.But then she cried even harder.Stu put his arms around her bewilderedly, waiting.

Seeing that the worst of her pain was over, Stu asked, "Now tell me, what's going on?" "I'm homesick. Stu, I want to go back to Maine." The children were bouncing and bouncing behind them.Stu looked at her, feeling that this request was completely unexpected.After a pause, he grinned and said, "That's it? I thought you decided to divorce me." "I'm not going anywhere without you." Frannie took out a tissue from her coat pocket and wiped away her tears, "Don't you know?" "I know." "But I want to go back to Maine. I dream of it. Don't you dream of East Texas, Arnett, Stu?"

"No," replied Stu sincerely. "I'll live a healthy life and die a happy death without seeing Arnett in my life. You want to go back to Ogunquit, Franny?" "Maybe going back there eventually, but I don't want to go right away. I want to go to what people call the Great Lakes in western Maine. Remember when Harold and I met you in New Hampshire? It's not far from the Great Lakes this time. There are many beautiful places there, Stu. You can often see live fish on the lake. Maybe we can make a home on the shore in the future, but not the first year. I have too many memories." Frannie lowered her head, her hands were so tense that she didn't know where to put them. "If you want to stay here...to help them manage...I can understand. The mountains here are also beautiful, but...it just doesn't feel like home."

Stu turned his head and looked east.Since the snow melted, he has been troubled by an inexplicable impulse.Now, he finally understood: He wanted to leave Boulder. There are too many people here, although it has not reached the point where people trample on people, but it has already made him feel a little uneasy.There are some people in the Free State who like crowds, and Jack Jackson was one of them.He currently leads the new Free State Council (now expanded to nine members).There is also Brad Kitchener, who has engaged in nearly a hundred projects and mobilized almost all the available people here.Restoring Denver TV was his idea.The TV station now broadcasts old movies from 6:00 pm to 1:00 am the next day, with a 10-minute news break at 9:00 pm.

Also, Stu didn't have much affection for Hugh Petrella, who replaced him in his absence.What disturbed Stu most was that Petrella had done a lot of publicity for himself to get the position.Petrella was a hard, rigid man with a face that seemed to have been cut with an axe.He now has 17 vigilantes on his staff, but every time the committee meets, he asks for more.Stu thought that if Grant was still around, he would say that America's endless struggle between the rule of law and the struggle for individual liberty was about to begin again.Petrella is not a bad guy, but a ruthless guy who believes that the law is the ultimate solution to all problems.Stu thought that Petrella might be a better law enforcement officer than himself.

"I know they've reserved a seat for you on the committee," Franny said hesitantly. "I always feel like it's just honorary, don't you think so?" Franny seemed relieved all of a sudden, "Then..." "I think they'd be just as happy if I resigned. I'm the only one left on the old committee, and it was an emergency committee, and there's nothing urgent about it. What about Peter, Franny?" "I think in June he'll be old enough to travel with him," she said, "but I'd like to wait until after Lucy gives birth." Since Peter's birth on Jan. 1, 18 new babies have been born in the Free State. Four children died in infancy, the others survived.Babies with both immune parents will soon be born, and Lucy's baby is likely to be the first, with her due date on June 14. "How about our departure on July 1st?" Franny's face lit up, "You agreed! Are you willing to go?" "certainly." "You're not making me happy by saying that, are you?" "No," said Stu, "somebody's going to get out of here, not too many, but definitely." Franny wrapped her arms around Stu's neck and hugged him tightly. "Maybe it's just a vacation," she said, "maybe...we'll really like it there, maybe," she looked at Stu timidly, "maybe we'd like to live there." "Maybe," Stu nodded.But he really doubts that either of them can stay in one place for a few years now. Stu looked at Lucy and Peter not far away.Lucy sat on the blanket, hugged Peter's waist, and led him up and down.Peter couldn't help "giggling" and stretched out his little hand to grab Lucy's nose. "Have you ever thought that Peter might be ill? And you, what if you get pregnant again?" Franny smiled. "With books, we can learn to do all kinds of things. We can't live in fear, can we?" "Of course not." "There are books and good medicines, and we can learn how to use them. If there is a shortage of medicine...we can learn to do it ourselves. If someone is sick, very sick..." She looked back at the people running on the lawn. Sweaty kids, "These things happen here too. Remember Rich Moffat?" Stu nodded. "And Shirley Hammett?" "I remember." Shirley died of a heart attack in February. Franny held Stu's hand, "We should seize the opportunity and live the life we ​​want." "Okay! I understand you, and you're right." "I love you! East Texans." "I love you too, ma'am." Peter cried again. "Let's go and see what happened to the little emperor." Frannie stood up as she said, and brushed the grass off her body. "He tried to climb by himself, but fell down and scratched his nose." Lucy handed Peter to Franny, "My poor little one!" "Baby." Franny took the child and hugged her shoulders. Peter leaned close to his mother's neck, looked at Stu and smiled.Stu laughed too. "Speech me, baby," Stu said.Peter giggled. Lucy looked at Stu, then at Franny. "You're going, aren't you? You convinced him." "I think so," said Stu, "but we're going to be here until your baby is born." "I'm so glad," said Lucy. Loud and rhythmic bells sounded in the distance. "Lunch," said Lucy, standing up and patting her big belly. "You hear me, sweetie? We're going to dinner. Oh, don't kick me, I'll be right there." Stu and Franny also stood up. "Here you are, you hold him," Franny said. Peter had fallen asleep.The three went down the hill to the Sunrise Theater together. As the sun went down, Stu and Franny sat side by side on the porch, looking at Peter who was crawling around excitedly in the yard. Stu sat on a wicker chair, the cane of which had sagged from years of use.Franny sat in a rocking chair to his left.A swing made of tires hangs next to Peter in the yard. Under the last rays of the setting sun, the swing casts a doughnut-like shadow in the yard. "She's lived here a long time, hasn't she?" Franny asked softly. "Long, long time," Stu said, pointing at Peter. "He's all dirty." "There's water, and there's a pressurized well here. It's handy for everything, Stuart." Stu nodded and stopped talking.He lit his pipe and took a deep breath.Peter turned to see if they were still there. "Hi, baby." Stu waved him. Peter fell, got up on his hands and knees, and made another big circle on the ground. "Have you ever felt lonely?" Franny asked. "No, sometimes maybe." "Worried about the child?" Franny patted her flat stomach. "No." "There's probably a scab on Peter's nose." "It will fall. Lucy actually gave birth to twins," Stu smiled and looked at the sky, "Have you thought about it?" "I've been to them. Seeing is believing. When can we get to Maine, Stu?" He shrugged. "It's the end of July, it's okay, there is plenty of time to prepare for the winter. Are you worried?" "No," Franny smiled at him and stood up. "Look at him, he's so dirty." "I warned you a long time ago." Stu watched Franny go down the steps and pick up the baby.Mama Abagil used to like to sit here for a long time.Now Stu sat in his chair, thinking about the future of their lives: everything would be fine.They have to go back to Boulder from time to time so their kids have a chance to meet their peers, then propose, get married, and have more kids.Maybe, some people will move to them from Boulder too. In the previous paragraph, people often asked about their plans in detail, sometimes even a bit like a court investigation.But there was more desire in their eyes than disdain and anger.Apparently Stu and Franny weren't the only ones interested in leaving. Former optician Harry Dumbarton said he wanted to go to Minnesota. Mark also said that he was going to learn to fly a plane first, and then fly to Hawaii. "Mark, you're going to fall!" Frannie warned him. Mark just smiled mischievously, "Don't look at who I am, Franny." In addition, Stan Nogotri also claimed that he had been thinking about going south for a long time, planning to live in Acapulco for a few years, and then possibly go to Peru. "Tell you, Stu," he said, "I feel as uncomfortable with these people as a one-legged man in a shooting contest. I don't know nine out of ten people here. The doors are locked. Don't look at me like that, it's true. Listen, you don't think I lived in Miami, but I did live there for 16 years, and every night for 16 years Thinking of locking the door. Damn, I want to change this habit. Anyway, this place is too crowded. I've wanted to go to Acapulco for a long time, if I can convince Jenny..." Stu looked at Franny, who was pressing the water, and thought: Maybe the disintegration of the free state is not a bad thing.Grant Bateman would certainly agree, he would say that the mission of the Free State is done, and it would be better to disband before it... nothing yet? During the last committee meeting before Stu and Franny left, Hugh Petrella offered to issue weapons to his vigilantes.In the weeks leading up to their departure, the proposal became the focus of Boulder — and nearly everyone took a stand. In early June a drunk beat a vigilante and threw him through the bar's large window.The unlucky security guard needed more than 30 stitches after a blood transfusion before he was out of danger.Petrella said this sort of thing could have been avoided if the vigilantes had guns.The controversy intensified from this.Many people (including Stu, though he didn't make his opinion public) thought that if the sheriff had a gun, the result might have been a dead drunk rather than a wounded sheriff. Stu asked himself: What happens when the vigilantes are given weapons?And then there seemed to be the dry, slightly pedantic voice of Glenn Bateman: Then they were given more powerful guns, then police cars, then the state of the free spread up to Canada, down to Chile, and then Appoint Hugh Petrella as Secretary of Defense, possibly followed by a search team because... Those things are there, waiting for you to pick them up. "Let's take him to bed," said Franny, going up the steps. "it is good." "Why are you sitting here frowning and thinking hard?" "Am I frowning?" "Of course." Stu pulled the corners of his mouth with both hands and made a smile. "Is it better now?" "Much better. Come and help me." "It's a great honor." Stu followed Franny into Abagal's mother's house, still thinking in his mind: It would be better for the free state to disintegrate.The formation of the regime should be delayed as long as possible.In fact, it is always the regime itself that creates problems. Franny lit an oil lamp, and the room was filled with a soft yellow light.Peter watched them quietly.He was tired from playing and was about to fall asleep.Franny put a little vest on him. We've got time now, thought Stu, the time of Peter's life, the life of Peter's children, the life of Peter's children.Maybe all the way to 2100, but not much longer, maybe not that long yet.But enough for Mother Earth to recuperate for a while.A season of recuperation. "What?" Franny asked.Stu realized that he had said it unconsciously. "A season of recuperation," he repeated. "what does that mean?" "It doesn't matter how you understand it." Stu said as he held Franny's hand. Looking down at Peter, Stu thought again: Maybe if we told him what happened, he'd tell it to his kids too.Warn them: dear children, those toys are deadly - flash burns, radiation sickness, plague.These toys are dangerous.Do not play with these toys, dear children.I beg you, never.Never play again.Please... take this lesson.Let this empty world be your textbook. "Frannie," Stuart said, turning Franny so that he was facing him so he could see her eyes. "What, Stuart?" "Do you think ... do you think people will learn their lesson?" Franny opened her mouth to say something, hesitated, then closed her mouth again.The lanterns are jumping, and the blue eyes are shining. "I don't know," Franny finally said.Clearly not satisfied with her answer, she tried to say something more, to explain, but in the end she just repeated: I have no idea.