" Cletus and his father go out looking for the hired man and find him lying in a ditch a quarter mile from home . . . The next day he is up in time to help with the chores. He is deathly pale and his hands shake. Nobody mentions his absence and he is not apologetic--just withdrawn. As if he had answered a summons and is in no way responsible for what followed. "

― William Maxwell , So Long, See You Tomorrow