Blood From a Stone (238 page)

W
ill
ow
nodded
and
a
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
er
he
w
a
l
k
ed out
t
he door
i
n
t
o
t
he c
ri
sp
m
o
r
n
i
ng
a
ir
.

S
a
m
son
f
e
l
t
li
k
e
a
s
tr
an
g
er
i
n
a
s
tr
a
n
g
e
l
and,
and
y
e
t
,
i
t
s
til
l
f
e
l
t
g
ood
t
o
be
back
‘
ho
m
e
’
.
T
o
w
a
l
k
t
he
str
ee
t
s
w
he
r
e once
g
r
assy
p
l
a
i
ns
and
ho
r
se
tr
a
il
s
w
ound
t
he
i
r
w
ay ac
r
oss
t
he un
t
ouched
l
and.
E
v
e
r
y
ti
m
e
he
’
d
co
m
e
back
he
r
e
s
i
n
c
e
h
i
s
fir
st
Aw
a
k
en
i
n
g
,
i
t
had
chan
g
ed
a
b
i
t
m
o
r
e,
a
lt
hou
g
h
t
he
r
e s
til
l
r
e
m
a
i
ned
pa
rt
s
of
t
he
l
and near
t
he
m
oun
t
a
i
n
s
,
t
hat
hu
m
an
f
eet
had ba
r
e
l
y
tr
ead and hu
m
an e
y
es
had sca
r
ce
l
y
seen.

H
ow
he
w
i
shed
i
t
w
e
r
e
su
mm
er
no
w
,
so
he
cou
l
d
s
i
t on
a
g
r
assy h
ill
s
i
de
w
it
h
her
w
r
apped
i
n
h
i
s
a
r
m
s,
and
ad
m
ir
e
t
he
g
o
l
den
sun  as
i
t
s
li
pped  beh
i
nd 
t
he
ho
ri
z
on 
i
n
t
he e
v
en
i
n
g
s.
B
ut
f
a
t
e
had not
been so
k
i
nd, and so he
w
ou
l
d ha
v
e
t
o
do
h
i
s
best
t
o
m
a
k
e
as
g
ood
a
m
e
m
o
r
y
f
or
t
hem
i
n
dead
of
w
i
n
t
er
as
he
w
ou
l
d ha
v
e o
t
he
r
w
i
se.

H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
do
w
n
one
of
t
he
busy
s
tr
ee
t
s
t
o
a
nea
r
by
fl
o
r
al
shop
and
p
i
c
k
ed
up
a
do
z
en
r
oses,
and
t
y
ped
i
n
t
he nu
m
ber
of
t
he
i
nn
he
had
i
n
m
i
nd
f
or
t
he
i
r
s
t
ay
f
or
t
he
next
f
ew
da
y
s
on h
i
s
ce
ll
.

H
e
w
as
d
i
sappo
i
n
t
ed
t
o
fi
nd
t
hat
due
to
an
ill
ness
i
n
t
he
f
a
m
il
y
,
t
he
i
nn had sudden
l
y
c
l
osed
f
or
t
he
w
ee
k
.

A
h,
w
e
ll
….
t
hey cou
l
d
j
ust
as
eas
il
y stay at
t
he
p
l
ace
t
hey
w
e
r
e
now
ca
m
ped ou
t
.
E
v
en
t
hou
g
h
i
t
w
asn
’
t
out
i
n
t
he coun
tr
y
s
i
de,
i
t
w
as
i
ndeed beau
tif
u
l
,
i
n a d
iff
e
r
ent
m
o
r
e
l
ux
u
ri
ous
w
a
y
.
T
he
c
it
y
he
l
d
a
cha
r
m
a
l
l
it
s
o
w
n
a
n
d
t
he
r
e
w
as
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y p
l
en
t
y
t
o
see
and
do.
B
es
i
des
i
t
w
as
t
he
dead
of
w
i
n
t
er
and
t
he
h
ill
s
i
des
w
ou
l
dn
’
t
be
t
he
sa
m
e
as
th
ey
w
e
r
e
w
hen
t
he
sp
ri
ng  and
su
mm
er
b
r
ou
g
ht
t
hem
t
o
lif
e
w
i
t
h
a ca
r
pet
of
g
r
een and a sea of
co
l
o
rf
ul
w
il
d
fl
o
w
e
r
s.