Blood From a Stone (266 page)

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
do
w
n
at
he
r
.
“
I
’
m so
rr
y
,”
he
sa
i
d.
“
F
or e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
n
g
….
f
or
b
ri
n
g
i
ng
y
ou
i
n
t
o
t
h
i
s.”

“
S
hhh.
D
on
’
t
y
ou
da
r
e
say 
t
hat
t
o 
m
e,“
she
sa
i
d
fir
m
l
y
.
“
I
cou
l
d
ne
v
er
be
so
rr
y
.
I
’
m
g
r
a
t
e
f
ul
f
or
e
v
e
r
y
da
y
, and
f
or
e
v
e
r
y
m
o
m
ent
w
e
’
v
e
had.”
A
t
ear
s
li
d
do
w
n
h
er
cheek and he
r
eached up
t
o d
r
y
i
t
a
w
ay
w
it
h h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
r
.

H
e
handed
her
a
l
ea
t
her
f
o
l
d
o
v
er
ti
ed
w
it
h
a
s
il
k
co
r
d.

             
“Wha
t’
s
t
h
i
s?” she sa
i
d.

             
“
T
he
f
u
t
u
r
e,” he s
m
il
ed. “
O
pen
it
.”

             
S
he
pu
ll
ed
t
he
co
r
d
and
opened
up
t
he
f
o
l
der
and
i
ns
i
de
w
as
fi
v
e
en
v
e
l
opes
and
a
set
of
k
e
y
s.

             
T
he
fir
st en
v
e
l
ope
sa
i
d,
‘
Med
S
choo
l
’
on
i
t
and she
g
asped
w
hen she opened
i
t
t
o
fi
nd $200,000
i
n sa
v
i
n
g
s bonds
m
ade o
u
t
i
n her na
m
e.

             
H
er
e
y
es
w
e
ll
ed anew
w
it
h
t
ea
r
s. “H
o
w
?
H
ow
d
i
d
y
ou….I
can
’
t
accept
t
h
i
s
.”

             
“W
ill
o
w
,
y
ou
t
o
l
d
m
e
w
hen
w
e
w
e
r
e
i
n
Wa
l
es
t
hat
y
ou
m
i
g
ht
li
k
e
t
o
beco
m
e
a
doc
t
o
r
.
Y
ou
ha
v
e
t
o
p
r
o
m
i
se
m
e
t
hat
y
ou
w
il
l
g
o
t
o
m
ed
school
i
f
t
ha
t’
s
w
hat
y
ou
r
ea
ll
y
w
an
t
. I can
’
t
be
he
r
e
i
n
pe
r
son
t
o
t
a
k
e
ca
r
e
of
y
ou,
but
I
can
m
a
k
e su
r
e
t
hat
y
ou ha
v
e
t
he
m
eans
t
o do
w
ha
t
e
v
er
y
ou w
ant
i
n
lif
e.”

             
“
B
ut
ho
w
?”
she
sa
i
d.
“Whe
r
e
d
i
d
y
ou
g
et
t
he
m
oney

f
or
t
h
i
s
and how
w
il
l
y
ou su
r
v
i
v
e
w
hen
y
ou
w
a
k
e ba
c
k
up?”

             
“
D
on
’
t
w
o
rr
y
about
m
e. I
ha
v
e p
l
en
t
y
.”

S
he
l
oo
k
ed
at
t
he
o
t
her
t
h
r
ee
en
v
e
l
opes.
E
ach
w
as nu
m
be
r
ed,
‘
1
’
,
‘
2’
and
‘
3
’
,
and
i
ns
i
de
w
e
r
e
t
ens
of
t
ho
u
sands
i
n cash and bonds. “What
a
r
e
t
hese
f
o
r
?

“
T
hose
a
r
e
f
or
y
our
ch
il
d
r
en,
i
f
y
ou
h
a
v
e
an
y
,”
he sa
i
d
qu
i
e
tl
y
.
“I
w
i
sh
t
o
G
od
I cou
l
d
be
t
he
m
an
t
o
f
a
t
her
t
hem and
he
l
p
y
ou
r
a
i
se
t
he
m
,
but
a
g
a
i
n…I
can
’
t
.
B
ut
t
he
one
t
h
i
ng I
can
do
i
s
g
i
v
e
y
ou
w
hat
y
ou
need
t
o
t
a
k
e
ca
r
e
of
any
f
a
m
il
y
y
ou
m
i
g
ht
ha
v
e
and
send
t
hem
t
o
schoo
l
.”
H
e
pu
ll
ed
t
he
l
ast en
v
e
l
ope
out
of
t
he
pouch
be
f
o
r
e
she cou
l
d, opened
i
t
and un
f
o
l
ded
t
he
sho
r
t
s
t
ack of
pape
r
s
t
he
r
e.
I
t
w
as
t
he deed
t
o a new
house
m
ade out
i
n her
na
m
e.