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. But there is that thumbprint. And there is blood typing,
too."
I began to feel panicky-what would Gwen do if her delusion pattern was
toppled?
Then I remembered something. "Gwen, Gretchen mentioned Hazel Stone."
"So she did. Gretchen is my great great granddaughter, Richard. I married
Slim Lemke, of the Stone Gang, on my fourteenth birthday and had my first child
by him at Terra's fall equinox of 2078-a boy; I named him Roger for my father.
In 2080 I had my first daughter-"
"Hold it. Your eldest daughter was a student at Percival Lowell when I
commanded the rescue operation. So you said."
"Part of that pack of lies, Richard. I did indeed have a descendant there-a
granddaughter on the faculty. So I truly am grateful. But I had to edit the
details to fit my apparent age. My first daughter was named Ingrid, for Slim's
mother ... and Ingrid Henderson was named for her grandmother- my daughter,
Ingrid Stone. Richard, you could not guess at the time how difficult it was for
me at Dry Bones Pressure to meet for the first time five of my very own and not
be able to acknowledge them.
"But I can't be Grandmother Hazel when I am being Gwen Novak. So I didn't
admit it... and that was not the first time this has happened to me. I've had
lots of children-forty-four years from menarche to menopause and I gave birth to
sixteen by four husbands and three passing strangers-and took the Stone name
back after my fourth husband died
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