Page 178 (1/2)

There was a silence, filled only with heavy breathing and the clack of spoons on wooden plates Then Roger, who had not picked up his spoon, spoke

"I cando that" It ht have been no h his scarred throat, but there was an ehtly, but I saw it--and so did Roger He glanced at her, then looked down at his plate, lashes dark against his cheek His jaw tightened, and he picked up his spoon

"Good, then," Jao in a week"

Last night I drea for a week, ever since Da suggested it Suggested--ha Like Moses brought down the Ten Suggestions fros in a big sack, and I was busyin et at another part of the floor It was filthy, with all sorts of stains and sticky glop There were little bones scattered around, like Adso had eaten soht up in o, but I do, too I hear all the things he isn’t saying; they echo in one, it will be quiet

SHE PASSED ABRUPTLY from sleep to instant wakefulness It was just past dawn, and she was alone There were birds singing in the wood One was caroling near the cabin, its notes sharp and one, but lifted her head to check The rucksack was gone from beside the door, as was the bundle of food and bottle of cider she had prepared for hi in its place on the wall, seeht

She had tried to get hi that at least he could still have h, and finally she could see that she was angering his his way--or not at all

She glanced toward the cradle, but all was quiet, Jemmy still sound asleep She lay back on her pillow, hands lifting to her brsts She was nakd, and they were sently, and tiny pearls of er, overflowed, and ran in a tiny, tickling droplet down the side of her breast

They had ht before At first, she hadn’t thought he would, but when she came up to hiainst hi time, and finally carried her to bed

She had been so anxious for hi to assure hiive hiotten herself completely, and been surprised when the clix overtook her She slid one hand down, between her legs, rereat wave, swept helplessly toward shore She hoped that Roger had noticed; he hadn’t said anything, nor opened his eyes

He had kissed her goodbye in the dark before dawn, still silent Or had he? She put a hand to her mouth, suddenly unsure, but there was no clue in the soodbye? Or had she only dreaust, 1771

THE HORSES NEIGHING from the direction of the paddock announced company Curious, I abandoned my latest experiment and went to peer out of theNeither horse nor man was in evidence in the dooryard, but the horses were still snorting and carrying on as they did when they saw soone round to the kitchen door--whichmannerly

This supposition was alh-pitched shriek from the back of the house I pokedrace out of the kitchen as though discharged fro me, she shot past and out of the front door, which she left hanging open, thus enabling me to see her cross the dooryard and vanish into the woods, still in full cry It calanced the other way and saw an Indian standing in the kitchen doorway, looking surprised

We eyed each other warily, but as I appeared indisposed to screahtly As he appeared unar paint or any other evidence of htly

"Osiyo," I said cautiously, having observed that he was a Cherokee, and dressed for visiting He wore three calico shirts, one atop the other, ho cap, rather like a half-wound turban, that s and a handso sun

He s, and said soed helplessly, but s at one another and sentleman, struck by inspiration, reached into the neck of his innermost shirt--a dressy nuround--and withdrew a leather thong, on which were strung the curved black claws of one or ently, and raised his eyebrows, glancing to and fro as though searching for someone under the table or on the cabinet

"Oh," I said, co i a rifle "The Bear-Killer?"

A flash of good teeth in a beaence

"I expect he’ll be along anythe path taken by the exiting Mrs Bug--who had undoubtedly gone to infores in the house, bent on murder, mayhem, and the desecration of her clean floor--and then in the direction of the kitchen "Co?"

He followed ly, and ere seated at the table, co further nods and s, who stuck close to his coattails, casting suspicious looks at our guest, but by Peter Bewlie