:10:02
He listened for more shots for ages.
But they were not repeated.
:10:11
A tad disappointed, Tom sat down
on the old lady's bench to think,
:10:16
to hang onto the feeling of danger
for a moment.
:10:20
But it wasn't long before his thoughts
were back on his favorite subjects again,
:10:25
and in the midst of the storm they metamorphosed
into articles and novels and great gatherings
:10:31
that'd listen in silence to Tom after the publication
of yet another volume that scourged and purged the human soul.
:10:39
And he saw men,
and among them even other writers,
:10:43
throw their arms round one another as,
through his words, life had opened up for them anew.
:10:50
It hadn't been easy.
:10:52
But by his diligence and application
to narrative and drama his message had gotten through,
:10:59
and asked about his technique he would
have to say but one word:
:11:05
"illustration".
:11:25
Tom could have spent another
half hour or more on the bench,
:11:29
but another unusual noise roused him.
:11:33
It was Moses barking.
:11:35
Oh, that wasn't unusual in itself,
but it was the way he barked that was new.
:11:40
His barking was not loud,
but more of a snarl,
:11:44
as if the danger was quite close at hand
and not merely a passing raccoon or fox.
:11:50
as if the dog were standing face to face
with a force to be taken seriously.
:11:57
Hey, Lady!
I wouldn't go up there if I were you.