Blood From a Stone (258 page)

T
he
l
ady
nodded
and
S
a
m
son
w
a
l
k
ed
back
out
t
he
doo
r
.
H
e
w
as
r
e
li
e
v
ed
be
y
ond
w
o
r
ds
t
o
k
now
t
he
o
l
d
m
an
w
as s
til
l
do
i
ng
fi
ne
and
i
t
w
a
r
m
ed
h
i
s
hea
r
t
t
o
k
now
th
at
he
had
i
n
f
act
k
ept
h
i
s
w
o
r
d  and 
w
as
w
o
r
k
i
ng
t
o
w
a
r
d
a
lif
e
of
se
l
f su
ffi
c
i
enc
y
.

A
nd  he
f
ound 
t
o  h
i
s
a
m
a
z
e
m
en
t
,
t
hat
desp
it
e
t
he u
tt
e
rl
y
sh
itt
y
c
ir
cu
m
s
t
ances
of
t
he
cu
r
se
be
i
ng
t
he
r
eason
he
w
as
e
v
en
ab
l
e
t
o
he
l
p,
he
w
as
i
ndeed
g
r
a
t
e
f
ul
t
hat
he
’
d
had
t
he
oppor
t
un
it
y
t
o he
l
p
H
a
r
o
l
d.

A
s
he
w
a
l
k
ed
by
t
he
s
i
de
of
t
he
bu
il
ding he
saw
m
o
v
e
m
ent
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he
co
r
ner
of
h
i
s
e
y
e
i
n
t
he
pa
r
k
i
ng
l
ot ac
r
oss
t
he
s
tr
eet
at
t
he
con
v
en
i
ence
s
t
o
r
e.
H
e
hea
r
d
y
e
l
l
i
ng and
a
m
o
m
ent
l
a
t
er
t
h
r
ee
sho
t
s
r
ang out
and
t
h
r
ee
y
ou
t
hs
r
an
fr
om
t
he
s
it
e
as
ano
t
her
l
ay
on
t
he pa
v
e
m
ent
i
n a
g
r
o
w
i
ng
pool of
b
l
ood.
H
e
r
aced
ac
r
oss
t
he
s
tr
eet
t
o
fi
nd
a
t
ee
n
a
g
e
boy of about
16
d
y
i
ng be
f
o
r
e
h
i
s
e
y
es.
A
bubb
l
e
of
b
l
ood
c
a
m
e
up
t
h
r
ou
g
h
h
i
s
li
ps
as
S
a
m
son
he
l
d
h
i
m
t
he
r
e
g
asp
i
ng
f
or
b
r
ea
t
h as b
l
ood poo
l
ed
i
n h
i
s
l
un
g
s.

S
a
m
son 
i
nha
l
ed  deep
l
y
. 
H
e
had
on
l
y
a
m
o
m
ent
t
o dec
i
de
w
hat
t
o
do…and
of
cou
r
se,
he
k
new
t
hat
once
a
g
a
i
n,
i
t bo
r
e
t
he
poss
i
b
ilit
y of
pass
i
ng on
h
i
s
cu
r
se.
T
he
r
e
w
as
no
ti
m
e
f
or
t
hou
g
ht
on
l
y ac
ti
on.
S
a
m
son
b
i
t
ha
r
d
i
n
t
o h
i
s
w
ri
st
and squee
z
ed
a
f
ew
d
r
ops
on
t
o
t
he  bo
y
’
s 
t
on
g
ue  despe
r
a
t
e
l
y hop
i
ng
i
t
w
ou
l
d
t
a
k
e
e
ff
ect
be
f
o
r
e
an
y
one
i
ns
i
de
th
e
s
t
o
r
e
w
ho
’
d hea
r
d
t
he sho
t
s
m
i
g
ht
s
t
ep ou
t
s
i
de.

A
second
l
a
t
er
S
a
m
son
f
e
l
t
t
he
ti
n
g
l
e as
w
h
it
e hot
heat and
a
su
r
g
e
of
li
g
h
t
n
i
n
g
-
li
k
e
e
l
ec
tri
c
it
y
ri
pp
l
ed
t
h
r
ou
g
h h
i
s
v
e
i
ns.
T
he boy
suc
k
ed
i
n a
r
a
gg
ed b
r
ea
t
h and opened h
i
s
e
y
es.

S
a
m
son
used
h
i
s sh
ir
t
s
l
ee
v
e
t
o
w
i
pe the s
w
eat
o
f
f
t
he
k
i
d
’
s
b
r
o
w
,
and
sat
s
t
eady desp
it
e
t
he
d
i
zz
y
i
ng se
n
sa
ti
on
ri
p
p
i
ng
t
h
r
ou
g
h h
i
s bod
y
.