201005112111462831ahr

john9221

stiff
dead fingers
the petition of his slaves who
toiled in Hell's Bottom.
Take and read said the slave who could write. And even as the
master took the petition
the body-servant
who till then had been
motionless with surprise
struck with his fist the kneeling slave upon the
mouth. The slave was dying anyway
and was very weak
and did not
WHEN GOD LAUGHS
AND OTHER STORIES
123
mind. He made no sound
and
having fallen over on his side
he lay
there quietly
bleeding from the blow on the mouth. The physician
who
had run for the palace guards
came back with them
and the slave was
dragged upright upon his feet. But as they dragged him up
his hand
clutched Tom Dixon's arm from where it had fallen on the floor.
He shall be flung alive to the hounds [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]!" the body-servant was crying in
great wrath. "He shall be flung alive to the hounds [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]!"
But Roger Vanderwaterforgetting his headachestill leaning on his
elbowcommanded silenceand went on reading the petition. And while
he readthere was silenceall standing uprightthe wrathful body-servant
the physicianthe palace guardsand in their midst the slavebleeding at
the moutyilai:
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

she
gravely examined the volume on both sides