Cedar Woman (46 page)

T
h
e r
i
d
e to
C
o
l
u
m
bu
s was i
n
ter
m
i
n
a
b
le.
S
h
e was lea
v
ing
h
e
r
b
elo
v
ed
May Hill,
h
e
r
lo
v
i
n
g
U
n
cle
Dean
a
n
d Au
n
t Nellie,
and
t
h
e fr
i
e
n
ds
sh
e
’d
m
ade
i
n
h
e
r
t
welve
years
on
this
e
a
rth.
But,
s
h
e
w
a
s anx
i
o
u
s
to
be
r
eunited with
h
er
fa
m
il
y
,
and
to
f
i
nd
o
u
t
ho
w
her
ate
was. She
pray
e
d
m
o
st
of
t
h
e
way,
s
ilent,
g
azing
o
u
t
t
h
e w
i
n
d
ows,
as
f
a
rm la
n
d and
sta
n
di
n
g
c
o
r
n
so
on
t
u
r
n
e
d
to
r
o
w
s of
h
ou
s
es,
i
n
d
u
str
i
ous t
o
w
n
s,
an
d fi
n
ally, t
h
e tall
bu
il
d
i
n
gs
o
f dow
n
t
o
w
n
C
o
lu
m
bu
s, O
h
io.

Dean wal
k
e
d
up
to
Reva
T
w
o
Str
i
kes
Catcher,
h
an
d
e
x
tend
e
d
in welco
m
e.

“
M
rs.
Catche
r,
”
he
m
u
r
m
ured.
“I
w
is
h
we
could
h
a
ve
m
et
un
d
er better
circu
m
stances,
b
u
t
I
am
still
glad
to
finally
m
ake
y
our

acqua
i
n
tanc
e
.”

Reva
gazed at the
su
n-bronzed far
m
er
and
s
m
iled
g
e
ntly.

“
Creator has
d
ecided
t
h
at
w
e
m
eet,
and
so we
h
a
ve.
T
h
a
nk
yo
u
fo
r ta
k
i
n
g s
u
ch go
o
d care of
m
y
s
o
n a
n
d
h
is
f
a
mi
l
y
.”

As
R
eva
s
p
o
k
e
,
she
rea
c
hed
o
u
t to
Lena,
s
m
oo
t
hi
n
g
h
e
r
g
l
ossy hair gentl
y
, finally placing h
e
r
l
e
ft h
a
nd
up
o
n h
e
r
o
n
ly
g
ra
n
d
c
hil
d
’s
s
ho
u
l
d
e
r.

“
W
ak
a
n
T
a
nka
has
chosen
a
great
friend
for
m
y
son. I
a
m

grateful.”

Dean
blu
s
hed,
not
a
n
easy acco
m
p
lis
h
m
en
t
under
his
per
m
anent far
m
e
r
’s
s
u
n-b
r
o
n
ze
d
tan
,
a
n
d
t
h
an
k
e
d
h
e
r.

“
N
o
w,” he
o
ff
ere
d
,
clearing his
t
h
r
o
at
fr
o
m t
h
e
e
m
otion-
i
n
sp
i
red tears
w
h
ich
filled
it,
“let’s
g
et
y
ou
r
b
a
g
s
i
n
to
t
h
e
apartme
n
t,
and
I
will ta
k
e you
to Pe
t
er.