Two strangers stood on the threshold, a bearded man and his younger, smooth-faced companion. His son perhaps. “Hello,” said Philemon. “How may we help you?” The younger man smiled and removed his hat, a strange round cap with a shallow brim. “Good afternoon, sir,” he said. “We are a pair of hungry travelers, new to this part of the world. I wonder if we might trespass upon your good nature . . .”
