the woods close to Treegap. His mother, father, and brother have become immortal in the same way, and he warns Winnie not to drink from the spring.

The Tucks cannot remain in one place for too long because, at some point, the people around them will inevitably notice that they never grow any older. They tell Winnie about a time in the past when this happened. Miles, Jesse's older brother, was married, and the family had been settled on a farm for about twenty years. However, Miles's wife became increasingly suspicious that he never appeared to become any older, and she came to believe that he must have sold his soul to the devil. Their friends and neighbors reached similar conclusions, and the Tucks had to leave for their own safety. Since that time, they have been careful to move around regularly and not to maintain any close ties or friendships, for fear that their secret will be discovered.

"But they can't stay on in any one place for long, you know. None of us can. People get to wondering." She sighed. "We been in this house about as long as we dare, going on twenty years."

The above quote comes from chapter ten of Tuck Everlasting. Mae Tuck is explaining to Winnie how the family has been operating for just about the last century. They get together at their current home every ten years in order to spend time together as a full family. The Tucks' "current home" must change with regularity, though. Mae says that they never stay in one place for more than twenty years. The Tuck family can't stay longer than that because people would begin to get suspicious about the neighbor family that doesn't appear to age—at all. The Tucks tell Winnie what happened the last time they were in the same area for nearly twenty years: The residents began thinking the Tuck family were witches and devil worshipers.

"I was married. I had two children. But, from the look of me, I was still twenty-two. My wife, she finally made up her mind I'd sold my soul to the Devil. She left me. She went away and she took the children with her."

"I'm glad I never got married," Jesse put in.

"It was the same with our friends," said Mae. "They come to pull back from us. There was talk about witchcraft. Black magic. Well, you can't hardly blame them, but finally we had to leave the farm.

The Tucks can't stay in any one place for very long because they are concerned about their own safety and well-being and don't want to frighten other people.

The Tuck family can’t stay together because they never age or die and they do not want to make people suspicious by hanging around one place for too long.

The Tuck family stays on the move. Mae and Angus Tuck will set up a household for few decades and then move on. Since they are immortal, if someone were to see them too often they might wonder why they never age.

"We been in this house about as long as we dare, going on twenty years. … Then, too, it's off by itself, plenty of fish in the pond, not too far from the towns around. When we need things, we go sometimes to one, sometimes the next, so people don't come to notice us much" (Ch. 10).

Another reason the Tuck family can’t stay together is that even though they can’t have families of their own, Miles and Jesse like to travel and see the world. They can see a lot over the years, since time moves on without them.

"Tuck and me, we got each other," she said, "and that's a lot. The boys, now, they go their separate ways. … But they come home whenever the spirit moves, and every ten years, first week of August, they meet at the spring and come home together so's we can be a family again for a little while (Ch. 10)."

Mae comments that Miles and Jesse do not always get along. That is another reason why it is best that they do not all stay in one place. I guess when you live forever, you might get pretty sick of each other.

Miles had a family once, but his wife and children left him when it became clear that he was immortal. His wife thought that he was bewitched and was afraid to be around him. As a result, Miles lost his family. It was not possible for Miles or Jesse to have families unless they got their wives to drink from the immortal spring.

The Tucks live in an isolated area so that people will not notice that they don't age.

Being immortal brings with it a host of interesting problems.  One problem is that people will notice that you never get any older.  Your friends will age, but you will not.  As a result, the Tucks decide to not make friends.  The consequences are just too great.  The closer you get to people, the more questions they ask.

"They come to pull back from us. There was talk about witchcraft. Black magic. Well, you can't hardly blame them, but finally we had to leave the farm. We didn't know where to go. …” (Ch. 7)

As a result, the Tucks live a pretty lonely existence.  Ma and Pa Tuck have each other, of course.  They have their children, Jesse and Miles.  However, neither of the boys can have a family.  Miles’s family left him when they found out, and his wife and children aged without him.  Jesse never risked getting married because he knew what would happen.

Jesse and Miles travel the world, never staying in any place long but exploring and seeing new things.  Their parents live a quieter and simpler life at home in their cabin.  Since they have lived there so long it is a little chaotic, but homey.

Mae and Angus are comfortable in their house, but they know they will not be able stay there forever.  They have to keep moving in order to avoid suspicion.  Mae explains to Winnie that Angus is very attached to their house.

Then, too, it's off by itself, plenty of fish in the pond, not too far from the towns around. When we need things, we go sometimes to one, sometimes the next, so people don't come to notice us much. And we sell where we can. But I guess we'll be moving on, one of these days. It's just about time." (Ch. 10)

Sadly, the Tucks do not get a chance to make a quiet move.  The man in the yellow hat finds them, and in the altercation Mae accidentally kills him.  She is going to be tried and possibly hanged, something that they really can’t let happen.  If May were to be hanged, she wouldn’t die, and the secret would be out.

The Tuck's house is symbolic of their existence.  It is removed from other people, but it is full of nature.  It is comfortable and focused on what matters to them.  The Tucks get by, and live a harmonious life, but they live it by themselves.