Absalom and Kathleen were having a great supper. Although Absalom was trying his best to stay in a cheerful mood, Kathleen could tell something was weighing heavy on his mind. After supper they decided to take a walk around town. Absalom held Kathleen�s hand and they smiled and said hello to their friends as they passed them by. When finally they were alone just a little ways outside of town, Kathleen asked, "Absalom, what�s wrong? And don�t say nothing cause I can tell there�s something the matter with you."

"I�ve been dreading telling you this. I�ve been trying to figure out a way so that it wouldn�t have to happen." Absalom replied.

"Why what wouldn�t have to happen?" Kathleen was more intrigued than ever.

"I . . . well . . . I won�t be coming into Dreamville as much as I used to." There he had said it. Now how would Kathleen take it?

Kathleen was quiet for a few minutes and then she whispered, "Why?"

"Because we�ve lost a lot of business since people have been shipping most of their things by train lately. We are going to have to try and do business farther a field, so we won�t be in Dreamville as much. I�ll try to make it to Dreamville as much as I can though. I hope you understand." Absalom looked down at the ground. His heart was heavy with sorrow.

Kathleen walked over and took Absalom�s hand. "I understand." Absalom looked up into her face for reassurance. "Really, I do." Trying to make it not so hard on Absalom, Kathleen decided to make the best of a bad situation. "We can write letters. I don�t get any letters, and I would love to be able to go into the post office and say, Blythe has a letter from my guy, Absalom, come for me today? And when she says yes, it will brighten my whole day." Kathleen smiled at her beau.

"And what if she says no?" Absalom mischievously asked.

"Then I�ll say oh well, then surely I�ll get one tomorrow, and it will give me another excuse to go into town again." Kathleen replied as her eyes lit up and she smiled at him.

After seeing Kathleen home and promising that he would write her a letter the first chance he got, he then retired to his room in the hotel until morning when him and his mother would head out in search of potential customers.