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Show 72. out and covered. The sky xras high and clear. Ho thought of the grave they'd be digging today and was glad the sun xrould be out and the frost line s t i l l close to the surface. He looked over a t the planks he'd bought for cupboards for the pantry and never found time to build. There xrould be enough for the coffin, and next spring he'd send for more-enough to l i n e the room he'd make for L i t t l e B i l l . Stop planning noxr, he said to himself, you don't knoxr xrho'll be coming to claim that baby or xrho'll make i t through this xrinter. Only txro days ago Dad had seemed well enough. It xras probably that blizzard that had caused his death-pushing that cold a i r doxm into his lungs xrhen he xras already too t i r e d and a i l i n g . As the xrinter wore on, Bill knew, he xrould feel Dad's loss. He res an easy man to have in the shack,and the xsay he and Sunny xrorked together xias a pleasant thing to see. "Son" Dad would say,"Listen carefully to the rules: Here where there is the least current, dip your pan into the xrater, noxr s t i r xrith your hands, throxr out the large pebbles noxr s t i r again xrith your fingers to prevent hardening of this sand a t the bottom. Careful now! Don't let those l i g h t e r scales of gold wash over with the sand they are sticking to-keep the blue stuff back too xrith your thumb-that's right get the feel of gold on your thumb. Noxr clear the sand from the edge. There you've got your ridge of gold." |