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Matthew had lost all calculations of tih the woods for what see and how ht rain was falling froht than afternoon, which further distorted his senses His legs, usually a reliable inforh ache and pain into nuer either could he feel any sensation in his feet The woods were thick, and the path through theht have said-led up over rocky hillsides and down through swa the descent into one of these hollows that Toave way and he went down into the thicket It was a quiet falling, like the rain, and if Matthew had not glanced back at the boy and seen hiround he would not have known it

"Wait!" he called to Walker, as about thirty yards ahead and already going up the next hill Instantly the Indian checked his progress and stood areen cloak wrapped around hiamid the questionable beauty of nature

Mattheent back the fifteen yards or so to where Toet his feet under hiht be, was running loood to feed his fire His bruised face was ghastly purple, one of his eyes swollen shut and the other nearly so The razor cuts across his chest were as scarlet as whipstrikes It had astounded Matthew, back in the sad ceripped hold of one of the two shovels and started feverishly digging in the wet earth Matthew had joined in the work, as Walker had watched froht Both of the around in the cold rain trying to do the Christian thing after the boy had fallen doice and twice picked himself up with mud on his knees, Walker had taken the shovel froo sit down under a tree In tie, one small Neither was very deep, and this had been at Walker&039;s insistence for, as he&039;d said before the work had begun, Belvedere was not going to come to them They left the cemetery, which now held fortycabin and pounded into the ground When Toraves he had so carefully maintained, Matthew noted that it ithout eht he understood why: a show of eet through today Either that, or the boy had iron control over what he revealed or did not reveal

In any case, the three travelers departed from New Unity, and left its occupants and their stories for soeneration to ponder

Now, in the deeper forest some number of miles distant from Belvedere, Matthew reached Toled his head so his better eye looked at the hand "If I&039;d wanted your help," he said, his voice distorted by his injured lip, "I would&039;ve asked" So saying, he hauled hiered past Mattheho turned to find the Indian standing there right beside him

"How do you do thati" Matthew asked

"Do whati"

"Never et up onceonward, up the hill where Walker had just been standing "Should we rest awhilei"

"No" Walker turned and began striding rapidly after the boy, while Matthew quickened his pace to catch up "Boy!" Walker called

"I&039;ve got a name"

"Tom," Walker amended He&039;d heard Matthew call him that, in the cemetery "How is it you know this way to Belvederei It&039;s a Seneca trail"

"How is it you speak such good Englishi"

"I&039;ve lived with the English Have you lived with my peoplei"

"No I was lookin&039; for a shorter way to Belvedere one day, and I found it"

"How is it you didn&039;t get yourself lost in the woodsi" Walker asked, slowing his stride to reside Tom "Or did youi"

"I can tell my directions, if that&039;s what you&039;re askin&039;" Tolance froht youi"

Tom suddenly stopped, so abruptly that Walker also stopped and Matthew narrowly avoided a collision with the both of theue His mouth twisted "I&039;ll tell you who, then My father, partly Taught ht me my directions How to build a fire How to hunt, and lay a snare But after he died, and I was on s I had to best learn in a hurry, and I knew if I didn&039;t learn &039;eet no second chance So I stole when I had to, and I hid out when I had to" He glanced at Matthew, as ifhim as an intruder in this brutal paradise "See," Tom continued, "I learned real quick that the way to stay alive is to keep ot soft and liked an inside bed, and a house with a table you ate off of, and readin&039; the Bible to an old ain That&039;s why they&039;re dead, &039;cause I forgot that at any in&039; a razor" He nodded "Look what I let happen, back there" His eye found Walker again "Who taught me, you&039;re askin&039;i My father, some But in this world, it&039;s the Devil teaches you the lessons you never forget"

"You couldn&039;t have stopped Slaughter," Matthew said "No one could&039;ve"

Tom thrust his face toward Matthew&039;s "Maybe you could&039;ve," he answered "I told you, maybe you should&039;ve killed him when you could But don&039;t fret about it, don&039;t you fret" He held up a finger of his razor-slashed right hand " I&039;onna kill him, so don&039;t you fret"

Matthew almost recoiled from the cold ferocity in the boy&039;s voice It was hard to remember that he indeed was a boy, of thirteen or fourteen years, because his sentiments and expressions were those of a older man mauled by life Scarred by life, would be the more correct phrase To see what lay behind those eyes, Matthew thought, would be a frightful view a desolation, perhaps; a loneliness, for certain anger was holding hiainst the world and who could blame him, with all the death andin years, Matthew thought, but it was an illusion, for his trials had left hi He turned and started up the hillside again, but halfway up his reainst a boulder and slid down to the ground He put his hands to his face and sat there, hunched over and otherwise motionless

"He&039;s al it, but he knows it too"

"What are we going to do with himi"

after a silence in which Walker was obviously deliberating the question, the Indian approached To behind "I suppose, if you can read the ground so well, that you&039;ve seen the tracksi"

Tom lowered his hands Matthew had expected to see the tears of either loss or frustration on Toain sealed up tight "I have," Tom replied "Good-sized bear about two hours ahead of us, movin&039; slow"

Matthew felt a start of alar with a bear, three years ago, and he didn&039;t wish for another encounter

"That&039;s why I&039; on ahead, to scout You two meet me at the stream, and don&039;t dawdle"

Tom nodded, familiar with the land at a steady pace up the hillside, aht

"Give me a minute," Tom said, as Mattheaited He reached into his mouth and worked a loose tooth, after which he spat red on the ground Then, with a soft groan that spoke volu with a hand against the rock "Maybe find myself a walkin&039;-stick," he said, his voice slurred "I&039;ll be all right"

at the top of the hill, a slim branch from a fallen tree was found to suit To to walk as fast as he could go Matthew thought that Tom&039;s revelation of his sense of the world&039;s evil had sapped so, and even Tom&039;s depth of willpower had its bottom

Tom&039;s description of the murder of John Burton had been horrific, even if the boy was unable to remember all the details It had been like a bad drea, the door had crashed in and the man was suddenly there Tom recalled that he&039;d worn a black tricorn-Matthew&039;s hat-and how he&039;d grinned in the guttering candlelight Dogs were born brave, and so James had attacked the intruder and been crushed down by the chair across his back Boys were also born brave, and sohter he hadn&039;t seen the glint of the drawn razor until it ca his outstretched hands, followed by a fist that had sla He&039;d re to the reverend, and when he&039;d grabbed at Slaughter from behind an elbow hit him in the mouth and another fist struck and the razor streaked across his cheekbone and tore ribbons fro out across the porch, dripping blood and only half-conscious, but the conscious part was screaet to the woods, because he knew Ja had shrieked, and nopieces froone instead to the barn to get the hayfork, but there the darkness had crashed upon hi and there he&039;d stayed, until James&039; cries had called hiotten up and walked in a haze of blood and pain to the cabin with the hayfork ready, the Devil&039;s weapon to kill the Devil But Slaughter had gone, probably in a hurry to get to Belvedere before nightfall, and had taken with hi black coat, which certainly was too sh as a cloak over his asyluhter," Matthew said to Toht deserve it I&039; to catch hirunted "Tall words He&039;ll have so harder for hiet his breath and make another effort at it "To say about that Best I kill him When the time comes"

The afternoonthe Seneca trail When Matthew thought Tom couldn&039;treserves and keep going By Matthew&039;s imprecise calculation of time, about two hours after Walker had left them they came upon a shallow stream that ran clear and quick across rocks Both Toainst the trunk of a massive oak tree that Mattheas carved with Indian sy to wait Walker ca the trail from the opposite direction, knelt down and drank from the stream and then said, "Belvedere is only a mile distant" He turned his attention to Tos would not obey; he orn to a nub "Help him," he told Matthew

"I don&039;t need no help," was the boy&039;s angry, if hoarsely whispered, response But whether he admitted it or not, he did, for he couldn&039;t stand up even with the walking-stick until his pride allowed Matthew to lend a shoulder

at last they eain, or at least what served as a road, and there stood the town of Belvedere before them The smell of a settlement was very different froered the scents of cooked food, burned firewood, rance of well-filled fig-pits Belvedere itself was no different frorown up around a trading post originally built to barter skins from Indians and trappers Most of the houses that Mattheere in need of ash and so soul had put a brush to work But all their roofs and walls were still standing and they all looked to be occupied, for their chihtly-colored Indian blankets nailed up on the walls, and above its door was a red-painted sign that proclaimed, simply, Belvedere Trade Twoclay pipes, with a little boy sitting on the floor beside them, and all three stared at the new arrivals as Walker led the way and Matthew supported To post, as Mattheould have thought Instead, the Indian went through the gate of a picket fence to one of the white-washed houses, which Matthe had mounted above its entrance a wooden cross Then Walker knocked at the door, the sound of which brought the door open and a tall ray hair, a tried

"ah!" thehim in, please! Sarah!" he called into the house "They&039;re here!"

It was a nors, but Matthew noted the woman&039;s touch in the frilledcurtains and on the fireplace mantel a blue clay pot of wildflowers and then the woman herself appeared froray hair, looked to be a few years younger than the man, and wore the expression of a worried saint as she caet Dr Griffin," thehi a short hallway to a srasped so Still, he could hardly stand up and was in no position-of either strength or willpower-to resist "I&039;ht!" he protested to Matthew, but Matthew helped him to the bed and didn&039;t have to use much force as soon as Toht better of it and tried to get up again

"Listen to ainst the boy&039;s chest "You&039;re to stay here, do you understandi The doctor&039;s coht I don&039;t need a doctor!"

"Soni" The man leaned forward "It&039;s best you stay here, and try to rest awhile"

"I know you" To with his resolve "Don&039;t Ii"

"I&039;s Walker In Two Worlds has told me what happened to you, and to Reverend Burton"

"Told youi"

"Yes Lie still now, just rest"

Matthew realized that Walker had run to Belvedere and back in the time it had taken him and Tom to reach the stream It was an answer to Matthew&039;s question about what they were to do with the boy

"I don&039;t want to lie still I&039;ve gotta get up gotta keep movin&039;" as much as he desired it, the movement part was all but ily, at Walker or where his darkening vision had last oin&039; with you To find that onna stay here"

"You are going to stay here," Walker replied "You can&039;t go any further Now you can fight it all you please, but you&039;re only going to wear yourself out , just lie still"

To his head-no, no, no-all the ti He rasped, "You don&039;t order rab hold of Matthew&039;s waistcoat as a rasp eak and the shoill a last flicker of the flaonna kill hied to whisper But even the powerful desire for revenge had its liers opened and the hand fell away froainst the straw-stuffed pillow and sleep overcame him in a second His razor-slashed chest moved as he breathed steadily, but his candle was out

The doctor arrived, escorted by Sarah Jennings and with his oife in tow Griffin was an earnest young physician only ten years or so older than Mattheith sandy-brown hair and sharp hazel eyes that took in To a kettle of hot water Griffin&039;s as laying out bandages and the doctor was readying his sewing kit when Walker and Matthew took their leave of the roo the boy," Walker said to Reverend Jennings at the front door a few people were et a vieas happening in the parsonage "I trust the doctor will fix his replied "He&039;s been through a rough time"

"He has and you&039;ll treat him welli"

"Of course You have my word on that"

"What&039;ll happen to hiet up and about, I suppose he&039;ll have a choice to make There are people here who could use help on their farain there are the homes for orphans in Philadelphia and New York"

Matthew said nothing That was going to be a hard choice for Toht and disappear, and that would be that

"Thank you for bringing him in," said the reverend to Walker "It was very Christian of you"

"For an Indiani" Walker asked, cocking an eyebrow

"For anyone," came the reply "God be with the both of you"

They left the parsonage, and Matthew followed Walker through the little knot of people toward the trading post It wasn&039;t such a terribly bad town, Matthew thought, though it was out on the raw edge of the western frontier He saw vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and in the di in s He judged from the number of houses that maybe seventy to a hundred people lived here, and there were surely so farlance, a small business area with a blacksmith&039;s, a tavern and two or three other lanced at him and Walker did so without surprise or untoward curiosity, for surely Indians were a co post He reasoned also that Walker had been here s Well, it was a relief to have Tom taken care of, and now Matthew could turn his attention to the task at hand

They went up the stone steps to the porch The pipe-sone One of them called, "Walker! What&039;s the commotioni"

"You&039;ll have to ask the reverend," the Indian replied, with the polite decoruht, a squat, wide-bodiedand a faded red coat bearing what appeared to bevoice, "afternoon, Walker!"

"Good afternoon, Jaco"