As he ate slowly, Jess thought heavy and savored both food and Francie. Yep, Francie set him straight all right, that day in Mort’s office. She called him her “little” brother. She made him smile that day, she just knew him so well. “Gallivanting all over creation” she had said, “little brother” she had said; and I had told Gil that she was MY kid sister. Its just that she was so small and slight he had just naturally felt older. He was more aggressive and protective of her...always hanging out together...until he left. He left her. It hung in his mind awhile. But, reasoning with himself, he knew that she knew firsthand and clearly understood why he had to leave. It was his “gut feeling”. Francie was towards the “inner circle” of understanding Jess’ gut feelings and how he was prone to them.
That “gut feeling” of his, at the time, had been to search; and search he did. This was the beginning of an even deeper search than he really understood at first. There was the Bannister gang, the first trail he took to; also the war which was a scar in many a mans life, but then there were many more trails and many more towns, and a never ending array of horizons for Jess Harper. Jess felt the wisp of a breeze in his face at that moment, yeah, he said to himself...I was “susceptible” to the drift. I caught the “scent” and drifted with the wind. A tumble weed that’s all I was...a searching tumble weed. First a little green, but soon “well seasoned” and “weathered”; and later starting to feel a little dry inside.
