Blood From a Stone (135 page)

S
a
m
son
d
r
a
gg
ed
i
n a
deep b
r
ea
t
h and s
t
ead
i
ed h
i
m
se
l
f as
t
he
r
ush
f
aded
do
w
n
t
o
a
g
en
tl
e
w
a
v
e.
H
e
s
t
a
r
ed
back at
t
he o
l
d
m
an
i
n
s
il
ence
f
or
a
l
ong
m
o
m
ent
be
f
o
r
e
fi
na
ll
y
fi
nd
i
ng h
i
s
v
o
i
ce.

“
A
r
e
y
ou…a
lri
g
h
t
?” he as
k
ed cau
ti
ous
l
y
.

T
he o
l
d
m
an sa
i
d no
t
h
i
ng
but
s
i
m
p
l
y
s
m
il
ed.

“
C
an
y
ou
hear
m
e
o
k
a
y
?”
S
a
m
son
s
t
ood
u
p and a
p
p
r
oached
h
i
m
,
r
each
i
ng out
t
o
t
ouch
h
i
s
neck and
check h
i
s pu
l
se a
g
a
i
n.

“I
a
i
n
’
t
ne
v
er
been
r
e
li
g
i
ous”
t
he o
l
d
m
an sa
i
d qu
i
e
t
l
y
. “
B
ut
t
hen
y
ou a
lr
eady
k
no
w
ed
t
ha
t
.
Y
ou…cou
l
d see
i
n
s
i
de
m
e, cou
l
dn
’
t
y
a?
J
ust
li
k
e I
cou
l
d see
i
ns
i
da
y
ou.”
H
e
l
oo
k
ed unse
ttl
ed and h
i
s
v
o
i
ce
tr
e
m
b
l
ed.

S
a
m
son pa
tt
ed h
i
s
shou
l
der
sens
i
ng
h
i
s
f
ea
r
.
I
t’
s a
lri
g
h
t
.
D
on
’
t
be a
fr
a
i
d.”

“
D
i
d
G
od
send
y
ou
do
w
n
t
o
pun
i
sh
m
e
f
er
m
y s
i
ns?
I
k
now
I
d
ri
n
k
…I
l
ost
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
cause
of
it
.
B
ut
t
h
e
n
y
ou
k
now
t
hat
t
oo.
D
on
’
t
y
a.”

“
Y
es, I
k
now
t
ha
t
,”
S
a
m
son nodded.

“
T
hen
w
h
y
?
Wh
y
’
d
y
ou
sa
v
e
m
e?”
T
he
o
l
d
m
an
’
s e
y
es
fill
ed
w
it
h
t
ea
r
s.

“Wha
t’
s
y
our
na
m
e?”
S
a
m
son as
k
ed h
i
m
q
u
i
e
t
l
y
.

“
H
a
r
o
l
d”
t
he
o
l
d
m
an
sa
i
d.
A
nd
as
t
he
na
m
e
popped
i
n
t
o h
i
s
m
i
nd,
S
a
m
son sa
i
d
i
t
a
l
oud at
exac
tl
y
t
he sa
m
e
ti
m
e.

T
he
o
l
d
m
an
fli
nched
i
n
f
ea
r
. “
I
’
m
s
k
e
e
rt
. I
a
i
n
’
t
ne
v
er
m
et
no an
g
e
l
s be
f
o
r
e.
T
ha
t’
s
w
hat
y
ou a
r
e, a
i
n
’
t
it
?”

“
A
n
g
e
l
?
I
don
‘
t
t
h
i
nk so.”
S
a
m
son
l
au
g
hed
out
l
oud at
t
hat
one
. H
i
s
m
i
nd
tr
a
v
e
l
ed
back o
v
er
h
i
s
lif
e
of
boo
z
e,
w
o
m
en,
g
a
m
b
li
ng and
a
l
l
t
he
r
est
as
he
shook h
i
s
head
i
n a
m
us
e
m
en
t
.

“
B
ut
y
a
fi
xed
e
v
e
r
-
t
h
i
ng
i
ns
i
de
m
e,”
H
a
r
o
l
d sa
i
d sh
r
u
gg
i
n
g
.
“I
can
f
eel
it
.”
T
ea
r
s
be
g
an
t
o
pour
do
w
n
h
i
s
f
ace as
he
s
t
ood
up
and
k
ne
l
t
i
n
fr
ont
of
S
a
m
son.
“
T
h
i
s
i
s
t
he
fir
st
ti
m
e
i
n…I
f
e
r
g
ot
how
m
any
y
ea
r
s
t
hat
I
a
i
n
’
t
c
r
a
v
i
ng
it
.
I don
’
t
w
ant
a
d
ri
n
k
!
My
G
od
i
n
H
ea
v
en. What
d
i
d
y
ou
do
t
o
m
e?
I
…I
f
eel
no
r
m
a
l
.
Who
l
e
a
g
a
i
n.”
H
e
t
ook one
of
S
a
m
son
‘
s hands
i
n
h
i
s
o
w
n
and
b
r
ou
g
ht
i
t
t
o
h
i
s
f
o
r
e
head.
“What
can
I do
t
o pay
y
a bac
k
?
I
’l
l
do
w
ha
t
e
v
er
y
ou as
k
.”