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" 'Who's gotincensed 'Look around this place See that broken ? Look over there Look real good See that little girl? She don't talk Brittany, give Bethany sorits What happened to the coffee? Sit down here at the table Justyou, I thank God every day that he sent et Matthew and Jonas I done told you twice to do that! This baby's wet Hurry up about it I don't haveave me money for books ¡¯

" 'All right,' I told her 'I'll be back ' I went out into the woods It wasn't dense, just the spinally piney woods in these parts where there aren'tand he was reading

"He had black curly hair like mine and he was lean yet well proportioned He had sharp blue eyes when he looked at h's Starry Night

"The boy had on a dirty polo shirt and jeans, and there was a huge black-and-blue mark on his face and one on his arm On the back of his left hand was a visible burn

" 'Did Charlie hit you?' I asked

"He didn't answer me

" 'Did he push your hand against the heater?' I asked

"He didn't answer He turned the page A painting by Gauguin

"I said, 'Everything's going to change I'randson and you're Pops' son, you know that, don't you?¡¯

"He didn't say anything Obdurately he looked back at his book and again he turned the page A painting by Seurat

"I told hi would be better I was about to leave hio to Ah's work in person ¡¯

" 'I'd settle for New York,' he fired back, 'so I could see all the Impressionists and the Expressionists at the Met ¡¯

"I was stunned His words were so clear, so crisp

" 'You're soenius,' I said

" 'No, I'm not,' he said 'I just read a lot I read all I wanted to read in the branch library and now I' on the Books-a-Million store in Mapleville, where I go to school My favorite books are about art Couple of tiht me books on art ¡¯