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Page 311
believe that if I'm ever to get you well, I must skin animals myself."
"You got it, buster," Mariah agreed. At his puzzled expression, she rephrased, "Absolutely, Mr. Thorn," and they laughed together.
He served them stew from another pot hanging above the fire and sat down beside her. "I am ready to hear about your time. Tell me of its wonders."
A lock of dark hair hung over his forehead, and his soft brown eyes regarded her keenly.
"Well . . . where to begin?" She told first of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War and the young country's straggle to establish a democratic government. Recalling his early military career, she continued with the War of 1812. "We're not a particularly peaceable country," she admitted, "but we're still the best in the world." Then she went through the western migration, the Indian wars and Civil War. Counting on her fingers, she enumerated the wars of the twentieth century, from World War I to the Gulf War. "The way fighting methods changed is amazing." She described airplanes and jets and Stealth bombers, automatic weapons and atomic bombs.
His eyes stayed wide. "It is a wonder," he said, "that anyone is alive in your time to tell about such awesome weapons."
She sighed. "There's more nasty stuff, too, like pollution, and tears in the ozone layer and global warming." He placed his hand over hers on the table, as though sharing her distress as she explained. "Lots of endangered animal and plant species, too. That's one great thing about being here; it's so untouched. But there are good parts of my time, too. Movies, for example, like the one whose screenplay brought me here."
"Ah, yes. Tell me of that."
She did, plus electricity, television, telephones and computers, automatic washing machines and dryers and microwave ovens.
He shook his head as though to clear it. "If I had not vowed to believe what you said, I would think you the most

 
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