Show flame of the border by VINGIE E ROE doubleday dorm doran st co too inn service I 1 SYNOPSIS baskin death by throwing herself from ram the summit ummat of lone lon mesa to cap dishonor alii honor at the hands band of a drunken desperado deaper ado sonya sony allows allow herself herl to be b rescued by her sud ud denly sobered and repentant attacker the girl Is 1 self elf appointed physician to th the navajo indiana living on an arizona sheep ranch with her brother serf serce his hi wife llla lila and their small mall daughter babe for a year she be has baa boon been engaged to rodney blake wealthy new yorker but her heart 1 Is with tb the friendless friend leee cavajos navajoa and sh be 0 evades ft wedding CHAPTER II 11 2 sonya gets get a now new name by 87 early dawn sonya was up and dressed her saddlebags replenished with such euch remedies as she might need for her battle with old man death in the hogan began beyond chee wash darkness full foil fed and watered waited patiently in the patio she stood in the dira dim kitchen with a cup of coffee in one hand a hastily made sandwich in the other and talked lowly to llla lila its going to be a hard day old dear she said and I 1 may not get back tonight it if I 1 dont dont worry ill be with two fingers and the babies and poor little moon it if she seems beems to be going ill not leave her no said llla lila no of course not I 1 know what shall I 1 tell rod nod when he be gets up ile he knows im going I 1 told him last night but not that I 1 might stay over tell him again how it la 13 with little moon and mention the babies lust just dirty little navajos cavajos to him tragic babies just the tame same said sonya sharply and he will have hare to see it well so long im off she set down her empty cup pulled on her gloves and went softly out she hugged darkness nose which nudged her breast after a little rite that was common between them and went up his tall side and into her old saddle with the easy grace of a working cow hand band the big horse hard as iron and perfect in training leaned to the almost imperceptible motion ot of hand and rein on his bis neck and trotted out of the patio once on the sandy stretch of level country he rolled away in a long and tireless lope a harbinger of hope a bringer ot of comfort to the lowly far to the south and west sonya could see lone mesa she loved the great tableland times without number she had climbed its steep trail on darkness to ride its three by five mlle top to tit sit in the sun beside its ancient pueblo walls with their rotting ladders to stand on its sharp cut rim and scan the lone world below until yesterday nothing had bad ever disturbed her nothing disputed her right 0 of way until yesterday at the thought tier her face flushed red with anger at the man who had ridden her down to the mesas edge and pulled her from her saddle his handsome face aflame with rapine she felt the blood burn along her cheeks it was waa resentment she felts felt the fierce rage of indignation that anyone or anything should interfere with her freedom and her right to it her dark eyes were hot with it her soft mouth set in a prim line but the look she gave the mesa as she rode along beneath it was neither tearful fearful nor resigned it was a look of promise as a it if some stubborn thing within her would take her to its lonely heights more often than usual now the sun came up as she and darkness entered the broad mouth of chee wash with its red sandstone walls and a little later they came in sight of the hogan of two fingers A round low habitation of a single room laid up of flat stones one above another like flakes of prehistoric dough it faced the east as all bogans must from its central rise a thin thread of smoke ascended something caught at heart it was so stark and poor a home its people so helpless two fingers met her beside the water hole ile he was a man of around thirty weathered like dark leather his patient face as native to the land as lone mesa blesa itself and there was about him a simple dignity as there was about the poorest of these indians indiana ile he wore a blue flannel shirt corduroy pants held field by a silver studded belt and his hair was long and bound in two neat doubled flares on the back of his head though lie he spoke fair english and had bad a sizable hand band of sheep this manner of wearing his hal bal stamped him as a wild buck one ot of those who hail had riot not yet become entirely civilized for one thing two fingers did not drink und and for another lie he still worshiped his bis ain tinclent clent gods sona liked him now file said I hello fello two fingers flow aw Is the ole tills this morning alii I lii lip said brielly briefly and reached lor barkin 1 s rein sonya swung down and took off her saddlebags As she entered the hogan her lips set themselves in a sharp unconscious line bad was right she thought there was the smell of death here she would need to gird her loins today in all truth at first the dusky shadows hid bid the interior from her sight then as her eyes ejea adjusted themselves she set down her bags and knelt beside the first heap of skins and blankets which lay on the sandy floor boor there were three of these flat beds in the farther one the two children still stiff slept heavily in this one little moon lay panting with lever fever her big black eyes beautiful to in the dim light courage little mother sonya said in navajo 1 I 1 am with you the indian woman smiled touched her hand with timid fingers she took the draught which the other gave her presently and watched her as she set about cooking some oatmeal men over the coals of the tiny fire this it was which had made sonya the idol of these poor and silent people this service of heart and hand band which had saved them literally from death in many cases she fought for what sanitation she could produce among them taught them the importance of proper feeding in fevers the superiority of mustard plasters over sing songs in pneumonia and labored generally like a mother with her children now she bathed the hot brown body under the blankets gave little moon the thinned cereal as a drink waked and washed the children fed them the rest of the oatmeal ate two pieces of tried mutton and some crackers with two fingers and stood tor for a while outside the hogan in the morning sunlight she felt wonderful herself strong and high within as if she set her body against a wall and could not be backed down this was the gauge of battle in her that she knew the deep determination to win in what she set herself to do the passionate sympathy and pity which were like a steel two fingers would be praying to his ancient gods blade in her if it were possible to save the patient brown woman in there with what weapons she had at her command with unrelenting vigilance with instant combat of every adverse change then she would do it or know the reason for her failure she looked up at the high blue sky with its sailing full white clouds her mind an attitude of prayer and turning lifted the blanket which was the door and went in two fingers gathered the babies and made ready to depart according to her request made a moment back she wanted the day alone clear via houed for the crisis nothing within sight to distract her the man looked down at the woman on the low bed holding one child leading the other and the woman looked up they said nothing it might be their last look on earth their eternal parting tor for all they knew yet there was no outcry no sign of sorrow nothing but that deep look perhaps nothing more was needed then two fingers went away and the women were alone in the hogan we meet the enemy said sonya still in navajo there was a comfort in it a strength it seemed but we meet him together I 1 hold your hand hold tight to mine we must both fight very hard the medicine will fight too it Is a good fighter but not tor for a moment must we fall or sink or stop fighting you understand the other nodded it Is good said sonya and the day of battle began somewhere out in the sand and rocks of chee wash two fingers would be praying to his ancient gods sitting quietly perhaps watching the babies playing with sticks building corrals for their pebble horses ne ile had bad some mutton jerky in the pouch at his belt lie he would feed them with it at noon it was the way of life in the solitudes the way of death all chance all waiting sonya in the hogan began worked tirelessly the cold of the night had haa given place to the heat of day and sweat dripped from her temples regularly she fed the woman the thin warm gruel regularly monotonously she bathed her from head to foot regularly she slipped her thermometer into the parched mouth reading it anxiously As steadily she gave her medicines at noon she saw no sign of hope but rather her heart chilled lo in her at the rising figures figure in the tiny tube the crisis was coming it would be here by tier her mouth set a little harder her black eyes were narrow between their dusky lashes she squatted patiently by the heap of skins falas and blankets her fingers on little moons hot wrist so the hours passed and the crisis came a tense panting hour with th silver thread in the little tube running up a ghastly record and the patient dark head rolling at last in unendurable suffering frering su sonya held the moving hands bathed the drawn face hold tight hold tight steady steady the she kept saying to in navajo hold tight little mother and after a timeless space when she neither moved nor took her eyes from the others features there carne came a creeping stillness a hush a cessation of movement the weary head dropped sidewise the thin hands became quiet sonya loosed them and reached tor for her stethoscope tier her hypodermic oiled filled and ready with its needle in a cup of sterile water this was the crux and she must not fall tor for two fingers finger and the babies out in chee wash somewhere she did not fall catl with the sun on the western rim of the austere desert the indian came up the wash with one child asleep on his bis shoulder the other on his back far on off he saw sonya standing at the hogans door and stopped a long moment to study with his eagle eyes her pose her manner she stood tall and straight anil and one hand band was laid high up on the bleached pole of the doorway the other rested on her hip her head was up too and at the sight two fingers swung out in a swift dogtrot dog trot it Is well blue south woman h said with conviction as he came to her you hae baire saved her it Is well said sonya proudly and smiled into his bis dark face without another word he went into the bogan and looked down at little moon sleeping heavily with a sweat upon her skin so the night came down due with its dark sky silver with its stars and sonya lay down on the second pile of skins and went to sleep with her hand on little moons two fingers sat all night in the hogans hogana door and none might know what was in his mind of gratitude and hope and silent joy sonya was up by dawn and little moon was awake weak unto death but peaceful sonya fed her and made a lotof pot of the precious gruel and instructed the man in its giving its protection from contamination better go to the trading post two fingers she told him and get some more oatmeal a big package take the children with you she will be all right she needs rest now no worry and much gruel also presently mutton broth I 1 go today to my own place to sleep and I 1 alu come back her life Is yours now see that you keep it by doing as I 1 tell you to little moon herself she said 1 I go now to rest but I 1 will come again drink the gruel as I 1 have given it to you a little at a time and sleep much sleep all you can so ww will you walk in the sun again then she was outside the hogan bogan pulling on her gloves her saddlebags at her feet waiting for two fingers to bring her horse he put the bags in place and over the saddle his eyes were on her gravely there was a blue woman of the south Sout honce once he be said in navajo whose son being a son of the mun aun goo oa too delivered the navajos cavajos from under the earth she was all goodness the turquoise woman she makes tier ner hogan isi in your heart to save her life sonya buo mew the legends of these people chuia not help the tears that sprang to 10 her eyes it was because she was a little tired fired maybe a bit unstrung with the recent ordeal but two fingers was telling her that she had delivered him and his before she couto a sound struck on the stillness the crack of a horses hoof against stone and she looked quickly down the wash there almost upon her was kodney blake on serges day mare i why rod I 1 she cried itow illow in the world did you find mer mar serge told me the way are you ready yes just going oh im glad you came camel I 1 be a grand ride back with the sun coming up this Is two fingers whose wife Is sick the indian looked up but rod blake did not see him it was as it if she had bad not spoken the last few words or as it if they had bad not penetrated his bis consciousness I 1 yes he said it will though it ha hag 9 been cold all right said sonya reaching tor for darkness rein lets go im ready and so Is darkness lies hes been penned up too she did not finish tor for another sound came out of the profound stillness of 0 the sunrise the shuffle and slide of a mans booted feet this time and around the bulge of the hog hogan an a tall figure in a blue shirt worn chaps and high heeled boots appeared A strange half painful shock of recognition went over sonya it was the man of lone mesa taking in the unexpected group with lightning swiftness his bis gaze came back to her rested upon her as it if against his bis own volition and a slow red tide flowed up along his le lean aa face As rod a moment before had not been conscious of two fingers so now this man was cot conscious of anyone but the slim girl to in riding clothes with her foot arrested in the stirrup ile he stood so long looking at her that rodney blakes face changed TO dw BB |