Cedar Woman (11 page)

¹¹
Woe-pee
-
lah
– Thank
y
ou

Mary
rev
e
rent
l
y placed
the
l
ovely
g
a
r
m
ent
into
the
s
u
itcase.
She started
to
cl
o
s
e t
h
e li
d
,
h
esitate
d
, a
n
d ret
u
r
n
ed
to
t
h
e small
c
h
est
o
f dr
a
we
r
s
w
h
e
re
she
k
e
pt h
e
r
c
l
o
t
he
s
.

“
I
can’t
believe
that
I
al
m
o
st
f
o
r
g
ot
yo
u
,”
sh
e
whi
s
pe
r
ed r
e
ver
e
ntly. S
t
r
o
ki
n
g
t
h
e
e
agle
feath
e
r,
c
au
g
ht
in
her
i
n
fant hand
y
ea
r
s
be
fo
re, wh
ic
h her
m
o
t
h
er
h
a
d
been
car
e
ful
to
s
a
ve,
s
h
e
r
ever
e
ntly
pla
c
ed
it
in
a
m
o
n
g her
clo
t
hes,
an
d
sn
ap
ped
t
h
e
m
etal
catches
close
d
.
Turn
i
n
g,
a
nd wal
k
i
n
g sl
o
wly,
Mary
l
eft
t
h
e
s
m
all,
sp
arsely
f
u
r
n
ished
ro
o
m
to
h
elp
h
e
r
m
o
t
h
er in
t
h
e
pre
p
ara
t
i
o
n
o
f
the
f
o
ods for the
e
v
en
i
ng
su
pp
e
r, her far
e
well
feast, t
h
e last
m
eal
sh
e
wo
u
ld ta
k
e
with
h
er fa
m
i
l
y
.

T
h
e
b
u
s
ri
d
e
was
i
n
ter
m
i
n
a
b
le,
swift,
e
nd
less.
Gazi
n
g
at
t
h
e pass
in
g
l
a
n
d
s
c
ape, her p
l
eas
t
o
C
reat
o
r
f
lyi
ng
o
u
t
o
f
t
h
e op
e
n, s
m
udg
e
d wi
n
d
o
w,
M
ary
f
o
u
g
ht
o
ff
a
f
eeling
o
f
p
a
n
i
c,
a
desire
to
f
lee.
Clutchi
n
g her dilap
i
dated
l
ug
g
ag
e
,
its batter
e
d f
o
rm resti
n
g
u
p
o
n her
k
n
ees,
s
h
e
f
ou
n
d
h
e
r
self
m
e
s
m
e
r
ized
b
y
t
h
e sound
of
t
h
e
v
e
h
icle
’
s
m
o
t
or
,
t
h
e
rh
y
t
h
m
o
f
t
h
e
b
u
m
p
,
b
um
p
,
b
u
m
p
of
t
h
e
w
h
eels
on
ill-re
p
aired
r
o
a
d
s. She
felt as
if
she
w
e
re
leav
i
ng her b
o
d
y
, pe
r
h
a
p
s
leavi
n
g
h
e
r
pr
e
sent pr
e
d
i
ca
m
ent behi
n
d
.

W
i
t
h
o
u
t
war
n
i
n
g,
Ma
r
y
f
ou
n
d
h
e
r
self
lea
p
ing
fr
o
m
h
er
seat,
h
e
r s
m
a
ll,
car
d
b
o
a
rd
rece
p
t
acle
hitti
n
g
t
h
e
s
ticky,
d
irty
floor
of
t
h
e b
u
s with
a
m
u
t
ed
t
hud.
R
acing
t
o
t
h
e
dr
i
v
e
r
,
a
n
d
clu
t
c
hi
ng
t
h
e
s
t
eer
i
n
g
w
h
eel
i
n
h
e
r

two,
s
m
all
hand
s
,
she
beg
a
n
screa
m
ing,
“Let
m
e
off!
Stop
the
bu
s
!
I