Show I 1 lydia lyd la of t the e pines pi 0 es by HONORS HONOR WILLSIE ir T NU 6 by br 11 JL A tok CA C v CHAPTER XIII continued 13 the tool I 1 said billy to ldla as a farwell finally began to how bow blin himself self off the platform uvine rose and began ladles ladies and gentlemen this ends enda our program we thank 1 lie he was waa interrupted here by applause froan the indians indiana looking round lie he saw charlie jackson leading forward old chief wolf chief wolf wants to say a few words cried charlie the program is closed called levine letine loudly there was a threat in marlles charlies voice tie ile to Is going to speak I 1 and there was a threat in fit the indian voices that answered from the audience let speak I 1 let speak levine conferred hastily with farwell and the indian agent then the three with manifest reluctance stood back and charlie led the old indian to tile the foot of the platform old wolf was half blind with trachoma lie ile was emaciated with sickness and slow starvation nevertheless th eless clad in the headed beaded buckskin and eagle feathers of ills his youth with his habif face held high lie he was a heroic figure of a man lie held up ills right hand and began to speak in a trembling old bass basa chortles young tenor translating sen cn tence by sentence 1 I come from the wick 1 ups of my fathers to say one last word to the whites I 1 have lived too long I 1 have I 1 seen been my race change crom young men strong and daring as eagles as thrifty and fat tie aa brown bears to feeble yellow wolves fit it only to lap the carrion thrown them thein by the whites and to lie in the sun and die and I 1 say bay to you whites you have done this you swore by your our god in solemn council that we could keep this reservation forever with room for all tile the peoples of the world here you could not find room for the indian you are a race of liars you are a race of thieves you have debauched pur our young men with your women you have ruined our daughter with your men inen you have taken our money and now you are entering our last home with the band of desolation when the lie enemy enters the abiding place the dweller Is doomed but I 1 place the curse of tho the indian spirit on oil you and tile land you are stealing sonia some day it will ft be done to you ns its you DU have done to us sonia some day da levine stepped forward jackson take that indian away lie ho corn com banded an ali angry murmur came from the indians lit in tile the audience A that nii as levine laid hold of old wolfs arm grew to strange calls there was wag a surging movement toward tile the platform hilly billy jumped on a box that he had found tor for a seat for lydia charlie I 1 lie he roared charlie I 1 remember there aro are women and children in this crowd what do I 1 care for your our women and children shouted charlie then ills his glance fell on oil lydias golden lead head site sho waved her baud to him beseechingly charlie hesitated for a moment then spoke loudly in indian to the crowd and led old from the platform the movement forward of the indians ceased the whites moved out of the crowd and for a moment there was a complete segregation of indians and whites hilly billy got down from his box with a sigh of relief that might have been till an ugly bugl moment lie said if charlie t seen you ou the noise of hawkers begon began again but something had roue gone out of tho the celebration the 1 he indians stood about in gi groups tol king charlie and chief wolf the lie center always of 0 the he largest group amot amos and john joined billy anti and lydia at the machine the war dancing begins at sundown Min down said lew leone one 1 1 I told tile the indian agent nna a risk als k to let them go on in after tills this ep episode lode hut but lie he laughs at tile me I 1 dont like the look of things though I 1 ilont don t know but what id better get you ou folks halile 1 I dont don t think charlie jackson would stand bland for uny any violence Io leuce bifid 1 I dont bliok about that levine ke ile lies s left ifft floe doc I 1 ulli fultn n aud is lieng on oil the reber Nation agian ihen they ailway beert I 1 lan 1 1614 11 ald crice there wa was 4 it betl red glow behind the loi ids is low in ili tile lie west nest from the foot of ti tiie tie e flag flagcole iole lame came a peculiar bent of bruni A whit ca cun beat a drum to carry one through a gettysburg an indian can beat ln at a drum to carry ones soul back to the ilie sacrifice of blood upon a stony altar this drum beat lydia ldla and lully billy it was wore than a tocsin more than a dance rhythm wore more than the spring call they hurried to the roped oft off circle round the lie IlAg liole followed by juliu john and amus amos into the ring lit in lilt all the colored glory of bais bi is and point paint wang a dw dwen doyen en moccas ined brates bra tes 1 I th in a step impossible to describe r 4 a step grave grae rhythmic lilting now DOW scow three beats va tv ft a t ftfe tao it ineas to a neat dent iv 4 ft V W tie 4 old chiefs half blind with trachoma scarred with scrofula and decrepit with starvation young bucks fresh and still strong danced side by side turned by the alchemy of tile the drum into like things young and vivid as aa dawn lydia shivered with excitement billy pulled her arm ana through his ble 1 I dont like this ire ile muttered 1 I dont believe they mean any h harm arm said lydia lots lota of ill the e whites ahl tea started home before sunset anyhow 1 I wish you had replied billy gee here it comes the chant suddenly changed to a yell the drum beat quickened and the great circle of dancing indians indiana bro broke k a and charged the crowd of whites A number of them drew revolvers and began firing them into the air others drew taut the great bows they carried the whites plunged backward precipitately kill em ein whites whit esl shrieked tho the squaw squads run eat whites oil off our reserva tlona shouted half a dozen young burks bucks lydia was trembling but cool good for them I 1 oil oh billy good for them I 1 she exclaimed thus far the whites had taken the proceedings cis as a joke then a white woman screamed ilung its a massacred mass massacre acrel 1 massacre Is a horrifying word to usa to whites la in au an indian country men alen oud and women both took up the cry its a massacred mass massacre acrel 1 run I 1 and the great crowd bolted like pursuing wolves the indians followed biVa beating tIng tile hie laggards with their bows shouting exultantly billy cati fit lydia round tile the waist and held tier her in front of him as well cu he could then lydia heard billys vol vole e in tier her ear it if this stopped it will be it a massacre weve got to find charlie jackson lie ile caught a screaming squaw by the arm susie ausle whores charlie jackson tilie she jerked tier her thumb back toward the flagpole and twisted away all right I 1 now well make tor for the pole lydia get behind rue me and put your arnia arms round my waist hong haug on for heavens hp avens sake lydia did hang on for a few moments but the flight was now developing ve vo into a free for all tight fight and before she knew just how it happened lydia fact fallen and feet surged over tier her she burled buried tier lier face in her arms it seemed an age to her before billy had snatched tier lier to her bar feet in reality she was not down for more than two minutes billy swung tier lier against ills his chest with one arm and swung out with his other shouting at indians and whites alike you d d beasts you dirty d d beasts lydia bruised and shaken clung I 1 to 0 him breathlessly then cried go attend ahead billy I 1 lie glanced down at tier her and saw a streak of blood on her forehead ills 9 face worked and he began to sob and curse like a madman kicking striking with his free arms arm oaths rolling from his lips he burst through the crowd and rustled rushed lydia to the free space about the flagpole flag pola where m here charlie jackson stood coolly w watching the proceedings billy shook ills his fist under the indians nose get town down there and call the pack oft off or ill brain you jackson shrugged his shoulders calmly let em ein have their fun its their last blowout I 1 hope they do kill levine and marshall arshall Il clydla pulled herself horst lf free of rally call them stiem off charlie I 1 tl I 1 j just us ulean mean trouble lu in tile the end for all of you if you dont charlie looked at lydia closey and ills his nolee oce changed us its he sold said you got hurt ldla vill ini sorry sorry I 1 you vou d d brute brutal 1 raved billy 1 I tell you call off this row I 1 the two young uteri men glared at each 0 other iber afterglow and firelight revealed vel led a ferocity in billys face aud a cool hatred in charlies that eliat made 1 di dla it gimp gafill billy put ills face clo closer s er to 11 char lie s call it off ile he growled cli charlie at lie returned billys stare mure for a long moment then sullenly slowly lie turned and threw out across tile the night a long shrill cry lie ile gave it a gain again and again at each repetition tile the noise of tile the mob grew less and shortly panting feverish eyed buc bucks is began to struggle into the light around tile the pole then without a word billy led lydia away tile the indians liz parsing using then their shook their bows tit at them but they were unmolested cn lilt you vou walk lydia do you think youre badly hurt huriy asked billy to think of tile me not scratched and you vou hurt your father ought to horsewhip mel inel you saved tile me from being trampled to death cried lydia indignantly oil oh theres the auto billy cried levine could you run the car and tte me two women don doin tile road while amos and I 1 help the agent get order here the worst seems to be over for or some reason billy sot got charlie jackson to call the indians in said eald lydia ill wait for you at the willows a mile below last chance said billy he was an indifferent chauffeur but lie reached the willows without mishap sitting with the murmur of the brook and the fragrance tn tra grance of marsh grass enveloping them the two young people did not talk much billy whispered lydia youre so good to me and I 1 was so horrid to you once billy felt her fingers on his knee and instantly the thin little hand was enveloped in his warm get do you take it all back lydia well the horrid part of it I 1 do she hedged all right returned the young man im willing to tight fight for the he rest of it dont try to pull your hand away because I 1 intend to hot hol it till the folks come caroe you cant I 1 elp yourself so you have no responsibility in the matter so for an hour longer they sat wal watching ching the summer night and waiting finally two dim figures approached all right lydia asked amos oh besl yes I 1 yea title she cried are either of you hurt no replied levine levane we got hold t so 80 for an hour they sat of charlie jackson about eleven and locked him film up lip then we felt secure you arent going to hurt Char charlie liel 1 cried lydia no but well shut him up for a week or so said amos levine levane started the car homeward they reached home at daylight the celebration made table talk and news inper topic for several days no real attempt was made to punish the indians for once the whites moved by a sense of tardy and inadequate justice withheld their hands handa it was just before college opened that amos announced that he was going to buy the one hundred and twenty acres john had set aside for him how flow are you going to pay for it lydia asked dout dont you worry ill tend to that replied amos allies johns going to hold it for tile me till I 1 can get the pine cut off pay for or the land how flow much did you pay fur for it mr levine Lev lne asked lydia levine grinned 1 I forg forget etl I 1 lydia sat bat with tier her chin cupped in her palm her blue eyes on oil levane in to the surprise of both men she h bald nothing 1 4 i after the supper dishes were washed and amos was attending to the chickens lydia came slowly out oat to 0 the front frok steps where levine was sitting bitting she leaned lier her bead against his bis arm and they sat in silence lydia said john finally how does the preat great search go on ont r 1 I dont thing thine I 1 make much headway replied lydia the older I 1 grow the less I 1 understand men and ive always felt as if if there was a god ue he was a man you mean male rather than female agreed john lydia dear I 1 wish you did have faith but do you believe yourself your selM 2 urged lydia yes I 1 know that ahe he soul moul cant die said the man quietly and the thing filing that makes me surest Is the feeling I 1 have for you I 1 know that ill have another chance what do you yon mean asked lydia wonderingly that never know he replied I 1 well I 1 know that youre a R dear bald the young girl unexpectedly inc no matter how you get your indian landl landa and I 1 love you to death she patted his cheek caressingly n and nd john levine leitne smiled sadly to himself e if in the darkness 0 0 0 0 college life wits was not much unlike high school life for lydia she was wa very ecy timid at first suffered agony when called on to recite reached all her classes as early as possible and sat in a far corner to escape notice but gradually among the six sir thousand students she began 0 to o lose her self conselo consciousness and to feel that after all she was only attending a larger high school except for flying visits home john levine spent the year at washington lie he was returned to congress practically automatically at the end of hla his term kent throve mightily as a real estate man tie fie continued to call on lydia at irregular intervals in order to boast she thought of his real estate acumen and of his correspondence with margery and olga both of whom were now at boarding school one sunday afternoon in march amos was in town with john levine who was waa on one of his hurried visits home when billy norton came over to tie the cottage lydia saw at once that something was wrong worrying you billy she asked lydia he said dropping into amos chair and folding his big arms you know my tract of land the one I 1 was going to buy from an indian I 1 paid young lone wolf a ten dollar option tin on it while I 1 looked round to bel sea how hov I 1 could raise enough to pay mitt him a fair price hes aly a kid of seventeen and stone blind from trachoma well yesterday I 1 found that marshall had bought it in ile he looked young lone wolf up and gave him a bag of candy the indians are crazy for candy then he told him to make his cross on a piece of paper that that was a receipt that he was to keep and if hed show it at the store whenever he wanted candy hed have all he wanted for nothing and he had two halt breeds witness it what marshall had doneway do to get lone wolf to sign a warranty deed giving marshall his pine land the poor devil of an indian know it till yesterday when he showed allowed me his receipt in great glee of course swear hes a mixed blood lydia burst outs out oh I 1 wish that reservation had never been heard of it demoralizes every one who comes in contact with it lydia said billy slowly im going to expose marshall im going to show allow up ills his crooked deals with the indians im going to rip this reservation graft wide open im not going to touch an acre of the land myself so go i can go in with clean hands and rm fm not going to forget that I 1 came pretty close to being a skunk myself oh but billy I 1 cried lydia clydla theres john levino and all our friends oh you cant do lit look here lydin lydia billys voice wits was stern are arc you tor for or indian graft lydia drew a long breath but wa spared pared an answer for there was a knorl on the door and kent came to in well said ald kent after lyd clydla la had settled them all comfortably q 1 I just deft charlie jackson poor old prune hes hc been trying |