i almost fell in my urgency to get to my feet . the floor lifted and settled , and i steadied my balance on the arm of the sofa . dots of light and dark swam before my eyes . '' celeste ? '' i felt drunk with the effort i had to put into making myself heard . i got hold of my voice and tried again , '' celeste

ani was wearing a standard shirt , a pair of pants , and a fur cloak to keep him warm . on his hip rested the steel sword in it 's new leather sheath , connected to a belt that wrapped around his waist . with the bag on his back one could mistake him for a traveling mercenary . ponal was doing a similar setup , minus the sword

chester grins , '' the prairie dog uses his hollow tooth to eat the middle of the nut . '' dad exclaimed , '' no way ! that 's impossible , you are kidding , right ? '' chester continues , '' no , no kidding , the prairie dog places the juniper nut in just the right position in his mouth . and then with his hollow sharp front tooth , he bites down into the nut

he swung the door wide and walked in . '' hey sheriff tatum . '' '' hello there tom . '' '' you wo n't believe what i have to tell you and show you . my pa came back last week . he got shot and the army let him come home . '' '' i 'm sorry to hear that
tom