Cedar Woman (171 page)

Authors: Debra Shiveley Welch

¹⁰³The
guardian
of Yosemite

Cr
o
ss
i
n
g
t
h
e
l
i
v
ing
ro
o
m
,
Son
n
y sat
u
p
on
t
h
e
sofa,
resolvi
n
g
to
let the
m
e
m
o
ries
take
him wherev
e
r
t
h
ey
wa
n
ted
t
o
:
t
h
e
p
o
wwow,
h
i
s pe
r
f
o
r
m
ance
and ne
a
r
f
au
x pas d
u
r
in
g
t
h
e Ug
l
y
M
an
D
ance,
L
e
na
an
d
M
ichael’s
we
d
d
i
n
g
wh
e
n
L
e
na
t
ur
n
ed
1
8
,
and
f
i
nall
y
,
h
i
s
m
ind
go
i
ng back
t
o
M
ich
a
el’s
f
un
e
ral.
There
lay
his
b
r
oth
e
r/c
o
usi
n
,
w
h
o
had
t
a
k
e
n
t
h
e
f
i
ve
s
t
eps
i
n
t
o
t
h
e
sp
i
r
i
t w
o
r
ld
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
re
s
t
o
o
d
h
i
s
w
i
d
o
w,
L
e
na,
h
i
s
l
ove.
R
e
m
e
m
b
eri
n
g
her
pain
m
ade
h
i
s
heart
bre
a
k
a
g
ai
n
.

He
clos
e
d
his
eyes
and
took
deep,
long
brea
t
hs
in
a
n
att
e
m
p
t
to ca
l
m
h
is
h
eart,
still
raci
n
g
fr
o
m t
h
e
e
x
q
u
isite
d
ream
o
f
h
im a
n
d
Le
n
a finally
as
on
e
.
Sl
o
wl
y
,
s
o
v
e
ry
sl
o
wl
y
,
his
heart
st
o
pp
e
d
i
ts
raci
n
g
.
He op
e
n
e
d his
e
ye
s,
a
n
d t
h
ere
b
ef
o
re
hi
m
,
sto
o
d
M
ichael.

Resplendent
i
n
his
Grass D
a
ncer
r
e
galia,
Michael
d
i
d
not
s
p
eak, his black
eyes
s
h
i
n
ing
like
a
s
ac
red
fire
d
u
r
in
g
a
f
u
l
l
m
oo
n
,
t
e
lli
n
g
S
o
n
n
y
to
t
ru
st w
h
at
d
w
elt
w
it
h
in
t
h
e c
or
e of
h
is
b
ein
g
.
Sonny
no
d
d
e
d
h
is u
n
d
e
rs
t
a
n
d
in
g.
He
w
ou
l
d
n
o
t g
i
ve
up
.
He
w
o
u
l
d
co
n
ti
n
u
e
t
o
l
ove
L
e
na,
f
o
r
h
is
l
o
ve
w
a
s
g
o
od
a
n
d
str
o
ng
and
h
e
b
e
l
ie
v
ed
i
n
t
h
at
lo
v
e.
I
t
was
n
o
t a
d
esire
t
h
at
s
p
rang
fr
o
m
h
is
l
o
i
n
s
al
on
e,
b
u
t
fr
o
m
h
is
h
eart
as
well,
in fact,
f
r
om his
very
soul.
She
was
his
life,
and
if
t
h
e
Gra
nd
fathe
r
s ap
pr
ov
e
d,
he
w
ou
l
d
m
ake
h
e
r h
i
s.