Cedar Woman (31 page)

Dean
n
od
d
ed
sl
o
wly.
He
u
n
derst
o
od what
s
h
e
m
eant.
It
w
as
a
way of
p
rayi
n
g
f
o
r
a
n
e
w
s
t
art,
a
n
ew
beg
i
nn
i
n
g
,
a
way to
m
ake
Peter
w
h
ole.

“
Mary,” he pl
e
aded, “let
m
e
do it.
You can
s
tay
here
with
Peter
and get
pr
e
p
a
r
ati
o
n
s
u
n
d
e
rway
f
o
r
m
ovi
n
g
to
C
o
l
u
m
bus.
Tell
m
e
what
to
d
o
.

I
need
to
d
o
somet
h
i
ng
!”

At
f
i
rs
t
, he
w
as
w
o
rr
ie
d
s
h
e w
o
u
l
d re
f
u
s
e
, but
alwa
y
s
a pract
i
cal wo
m
an,
M
ary
acquiesc
e
d
r
e
adi
ly
.
She
g
a
ve
h
i
m
t
h
e
i
n
s
t
ruct
io
ns,
a
n
d said
s
h
e w
ou
l
d
li
k
e
to
h
a
ve
t
h
e
l
o
d
g
e rea
d
y
b
y
s
u
nd
o
w
n
.
In
t
h
e
m
eant
i
m
e,
she
w
o
uld
talk
with
Pete
r
’s doc
t
o
r
s
,
a
n
d arr
a
nge f
o
r
h
i
s tra
n
sportati
o
n to
t
h
e
m
e
d
ical ce
n
ter
i
n
C
o
l
u
m
bu
s
.

Dean
was
gra
t
eful
to
Mary.
My
Go
d
,
Dean
th
o
ug
h
t,
I
’v
e
kno
w
n Peter
and
Ma
ry
since I
w
a
s a
te
e
n
age
r
.
The
y
’re
like
my
b
r
other and sister!
Placing
his
s
w
eating
face
in h
i
s
work-worn hands,
he
allow
e
d hi
m
self
a
brief
m
ourn
i
n
g
.
H
e
loved
Pete
r
,
lov
e
d
Pet
e
r’s
f
a
m
il
y
.
Hell, Le
n
a
c
a
lls
me
Uncle
D
e
a
n
,
he
griev
e
d.
No
w
he
was
l
o
sing
the
m
.

Ne
x
t
t
o
h
is
wife
Nellie,
Dean
a
d
m
ired
Mary
m
o
re
t
h
an
a
n
y w
o
m
an he kn
e
w.
He
r
e
m
e
m
b
ered
the
first
ti
m
e
he
saw her
–
a
br
i
d
e,
a
rr
i
ving
at t
h
e
far
m
,
s
h
e
a
n
d
Peter
still
fres
h
ly
in
l
o
ve.
Mary
h
ad
g
lowed
li
k
e
a

candle
fla
m
e in a
c
o
zy
roo
m
,
w
a
r
m
,
l
ov
in
g and co
m
for
t
i
n
g
.

W
h
at
is
t
h
e word
s
h
e
u
se
d
?
It
was
in
h
e
r
f
i
rst
la
n
g
u
a
g
e
,
the
Lak
o
ta lan
g
uag
e
.
W
o
uan
i
ha
n
,
¹⁸
to
res
p
ect,
to
ho
n
or.
T
h
a
t
’s
h
o
w
h
e
felt
ab
ou
t he
r
,
and
Pet
e
r
and
Lena
a
s
w
ell.
He
ho
n
or
ed
t
h
e
m
.
Th
e
y
were
fa
m
i
l
y
, a
n
d now
h
e
w
a
s l
o
sing
t
h
e
m
.

Dip
p
ing
h
i
s
red
ban
d
a
n
a
into
t
h
e
c
o
ld
water
of W
o
lf R
u
n,
and bat
h
i
n
g his
f
a
ce,
ne
c
k
a
n
d chest,
De
a
n
s
t
o
o
d
at
t
h
e
n
o
r
th
b
a
nk of
t
h
e
m
eander
i
ng
cr
eek,
a
d
m
iring
its
clear
water, blue
clay
wall
s
,
and
b
en
d
i
n
g will
o
ws.
A
craw
d
a
d
d
arted
b
y
j
u
st
b
e
l
o
w t
h
e
surface
of
t
h
e
bu
bb
ling strea
m
.
A
h
awk
circled
ab
ov
e
,
and
t
h
e
d
ista
n
t
l
o
w
i
n
g
o
f
cattle,
t
h
e twitter
o
f
b
i
rds,
t
h
e
s
m
e
l
l
o
f
s
u
n-war
m
ed
earth
and
clover,
surro
u
n
d
ed him
in
a
displ
a
y of life
t
h
at
m
ov
e
d
him
dee
p
l
y
.