Fat drops of rain-at first in fitful bursts but soon more insistently-began to rattle on the roof that covered the landing.

Sometimes they failed me, and left me nothing better than a poor fool who had some fitful bursts of crying, and was always ashamed of herself afterward.

Through the hours of daybreak, they spoke in hushed tones, knocking off another bottle of numaaadis, eating their meal in fitful bursts like machines of destruction fueling themselves before the call to battle.

Only the sudden flares of the windswept beast-fires illumined the camp in fitful bursts that wrought grotesquely dancing shadow-shapes from the prosaic impedimenta of the safari, scattered upon the ground.

I saw the great machines of our defense firing in fitful bursts from the tops of our towers; and yet I saw the starships untouched, unharmed, unmoved above.

Static fizzled on the radio, and Sally accompanied it with mutters, curses, and fitful bursts of song, all things that echoed the jumble of her thoughts.

He hadn't slept much himself, getting only fitful bursts of sleep, because he kept waking to see if it was real, if she was really back and there in bed beside him.

And not just in fitful unpredictable bursts.

A curry color dominated the southern sky now and there came fitful bursts and gusts of wind that whipped dust around their heads.

This new piece, danced on Saturday afternoon at Performance Space 122, lumbered along for about three-quarters of its hour length in fitful bursts of tedious activity.