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His rage was as harsh then as it had been in the days leading up to her visit to the hole How could she reason with hi her suffer for the rest of her natural life?

“Whipup to hi You can whip me Just don’t leave me down here!”

She’d spotted the horsewhip in the kitchen They kept it propped in the corner as if to represent an everlasting threat, a possibility for corporal punishment

The wood covering the wellelse

“Gotta a drink Wanna—”

“Shut the crazy shit up, Longs You can carry on when I’m not here to witness it”

“Ji this to your brother? Why? What did he do that was so terrible?”

“Did ya miss the part where I told ya he was doped up?”

“No, I heard that part,” she said in a breathless voice, hoping she could keep hi her there “Maybe this isn’t a good idea, Toms Maybe Jims needs a hospital”

“He needs to dry out”

“And I’m sure he will” She tried to remember the last time she’d seen Jims Had he been at the Vance home prior to her stunt? She couldn’t remember

“He’ll sober up in a few days,” Toood woman to show him the way”

“Toms, please” When she’d first come to and had realized where she was, she’dNoever, she would do anything to help herself She was cold and frightened “I wanna go home”

“Aw, poor baby,” Too back to the family when ole Toms first met her”

The baby talk turned her stomach He sounded sinister, possessed