〃He only ate from you fellas；〃 Toot…Toot said。 He shook his head in disbelief； then bent laboriously over； picked up what the mouse had disdained； and popped it into his own toothless maw； where he be gan the job of gumming it into submission。 〃Now why he do dat？〃
〃I've got a better one；〃 Harry said。 〃How'd he know Percy was off？〃
〃He didn't；〃 I said。 〃It was just coincidence； that mouse showing up tonight。〃
Except that got harder and harder to believe as the days went by and the mouse showed up only when Percy was off； on another shift； or in another part of the prison。 We … Harry； Dean； Brutal； and me … decided that it must know Percy's voice； or his smell。
We carefully avoided too much discussion about the mouse itself … himself。 That； we seemed to have decided without saying a word； might go a long way toward spoiling something that was special； and beautiful； by virtue of its strangeness and delicacy。 Willy had chosen us； after all； in some way I do not understand； even now。 Maybe Harry came closest when he said it would do no good to tell other people； not just because they wouldn't believe but because they wouldn't care。
4。
Then it was time for the execution of Arlen Bitterbuck； in reality no chief but first elder of his tribe on the Washita Reservation； and a member of the Cherokee Council as well。 He had killed a man while drunk … while both of them were drunk； in fact。 The Chief had crushed the man's head with a cement b