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Of course she cheated. Don’t be silly. Snow White spent half her growing years shuffling cards for no one. She can cut false and she can cut true but she wasn’t going to lose when it counted.
They stand in the green grass. Beneath them men are cutting apple rinds out of the dark and will be forever. Snow White’s got the sun behind her. It gives her golden ears like a doggy seraphim.
A crack and a whistle. Another one, almost on top of it, like an echo.
Wind picks up and it smells like rain.
What
Snow White
Said to Porcupine
to Bring Him
Out of His Hole
Sorry about your knee, mister.
And your shoulder, too.
Remember that, if you’re cogitating on coming after me again. I can shoot twice before you shoot once.
Also I will always draw the high ace.
I got no soreness on you, mister.
You wait here. There’s good black-tail in these mountains and I aim to help you even if you can’t see the help in it yet.
You’re gonna take a heart back to Mrs. H. A deer’s heart, which is the best I can do.
There is more blood in a deer than seems creditable.
Mrs. H is not my mother and you should not name her that.
She is a witch.
I do not know what witches want with hearts but it cannot be anything nice.
Take this heart and put it in a wooden box.
Give the box to Mr. George Button who is the valet and abscond yourself if you aim to keep living.
Forget your bounty. Take what you have already got and call it the bettermost part of luck.
Mrs. H is dreadful clever and will probably not be fooled. That is why you cannot get your scratch.
You will have to run away from her. Like me.
One thing I have learned about running away is that once you start there is no end to it.
I know you will have a hard sentiment about having your plow cleaned by a girl but if you think about it I am being as kind as anybody ever is.
If you get yourself back to the corral you can rustle up a sawbones from the boss-man and get yourself patched.
I am going to take your gun and your knife.
That’s about all I can do for you.
