Blood From a Stone (19 page)

S
o
f
ar
t
h
i
s
s
y
s
t
em had
w
o
r
k
ed
out
v
e
r
y
w
e
ll
.
U
S sa
v
i
n
g
s
bonds
ne
v
er
l
ost
t
he
i
r
v
a
l
ue
and
he
cou
l
d
e
as
il
y
say h
i
s
g
r
and
f
a
t
her
had
l
e
f
t
t
hem
f
or
h
i
m
i
n
a
w
ill
.
S
i
nce
t
hey
w
e
r
e
i
n
h
i
s
na
m
e…no
further
ques
ti
ons
w
e
r
e
as
k
ed.
H
e
j
ust
h
ad
t
o
g
o
t
o d
iff
e
r
ent
ban
k
s
t
o cash
m
o
r
e
t
han a
g
r
and at
a
ti
m
e.

And cash…well, that
was never much of a problem
.
I
n
m
any cases
w
hoe
v
er
he
’
d
bou
g
ht
g
oods
fr
o
m
…at
l
east
i
n
t
he pas
t
,
hadn
’
t
e
v
en
bo
t
he
r
ed
t
o
l
ook
at
t
he
m
oney
he
handed
t
hem
because
t
he
r
e
w
as
usua
ll
y s
til
l
paper
m
oney and
co
i
ns
fr
om
p
r
e
v
i
ous
decades
fl
oa
ti
ng
a
r
ound an
y
w
a
y
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
a
r
ound
h
i
m
,
d
ri
n
k
i
ng
i
n
t
he
s
i
g
h
t
s,
sounds and
co
l
o
r
s
as
h
i
s
m
usc
l
es
and
body beca
m
e
f
u
ll
y
f
unc
ti
onal
i
n
t
he
n
i
g
ht
a
ir
.
H
e
i
nha
l
ed
deep
l
y
,
l
ost
i
n
t
he
f
eel
of
a
i
r
m
o
v
i
ng
i
n and out
of
h
i
s
l
un
g
s.

O
nce
he
w
as
d
r
essed,
i
t
w
as
ti
m
e
t
o h
i
t
t
he
r
oad a
n
d
fi
nd
out
w
hat
t
he
w
o
rl
d
w
as
li
k
e
i
n
t
h
i
s
new
m
ill
e
n
n
i
u
m
.
A
l
r
eady he
cou
l
d
see
how
m
uch
t
he
ca
r
s,
t
he bu
il
d
i
n
g
s,
t
he c
l
o
t
hes
and
s
t
y
l
es
had
chan
g
ed.
H
e
m
a
r
v
e
l
ed at
t
he
t
echn
o
l
o
g
i
cal
w
onde
r
s
he saw
i
n a shop
w
i
ndow
a
l
ong
t
he c
it
y
r
ou
t
e
he
w
a
l
k
ed.
T
he
r
e
w
e
r
e
t
e
l
e
v
i
s
i
on se
t
s
of
a
l
l
s
i
z
es
on s
m
a
ll
,
fl
at
l
oo
k
i
ng sc
r
eens.
P
eop
l
e
spo
k
e
on
m
i
n
i
a
t
u
r
e
phone-
li
k
e
de
v
i
ces
t
hat
r
equ
ir
ed
no
w
ir
es
or
a
tt
ach
m
en
t
s
of
any
k
i
nd!
H
ow cou
l
d
t
h
i
s
be?
R
es
t
au
r
an
t
s,
s
t
o
r
es
and
h
i
g
h
ris
es e
v
e
r
y
w
he
r
e a
l
l
a
r
ound
i
n
t
he c
it
y
.

H
e 
w
onde
r
ed 
w
he
r
e 
t
he  nea
r
est
pub  or  bar
w
as, hop
i
ng beer
and
a
l
cohol
w
as
s
til
l
a
v
a
il
ab
l
e
and a
g
ood
m
ea
l
.
A
h,
s
w
eet
m
o
t
her
of
C
h
ri
s
t
,
t
o
t
as
t
e
f
ood a
g
a
i
n.
H
i
s
m
ou
t
h
w
a
t
e
r
ed
and
he
w
a
l
k
ed
do
w
n
t
he
s
i
de
w
a
l
k as
he
g
ot
i
n
t
o
t
he do
w
n
t
o
w
n
a
r
ea.
T
he
r
e
w
as
a
p
l
ace
ca
ll
ed
C
h
i
co
’
s
G
rill
…
j
ust
w
hat
he
w
as
l
oo
k
i
ng
f
o
r
.