空虚。他没有看到一个人，只有一个带有锡式座椅的大房间，在远端，是一个棺材，被鲜花包围。在一个小型的室内室，一个老式的芦苇泵风琴和几张木制折叠椅。太平间闻到了灰尘和花朵的气味，一种甜美的陈旧混合物使他震惊。想想所有爱荷华州的想法，他们在这个无登记的房间里拥抱永恒的想法。
(Emptiness. He saw no one, only a large chamber with pewlike rows of seats and, at the far end, a casket surrounded by flowers. Off in a small sideroom an old-fashioned reed pump organ and a few wooden folding chairs. The mortuary smelled of dust and flowers, a sweet, stale mixture that repelled him. Think of all the Iowans, the thought, who've embraced eternity in this listless room.)