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Show Pash Da-Ni Da Ni - and the theSage theSage theSage Sage Lil Lily LilyBy Y YBy By DONNA THND TH&ND TH \ND ND < \ & NE 0 < XIcClure McClure iicCluro Newspaper i.owspaper iowspaper ' . cwspllPcr S > ) ndlcat ndlcllte ndicnte ndicntewU ndlcatVVMJfat"lc w\U w U , VVMJfat"lc VVMJfatlc \ U erIce bertiIce bertiIceT bertiIceHE er\ er " \ Ice HHB TH T HE ) ioung young oung In Indian's Indians lan's lans ' ' Imp'1ssh Imp1ssh impisshe impissheface impisslvefice ' e ef1ce f1ce face did not alter aUer ; a slight stif stif- stiffening stif- stif stiffening stiffening - - fening of his hinds h'1nds h1nds ' " was "as as tuns the only onlysign onlysign onlysign sign he cave ga\e ga e gave \ . The clerk was not notlooking notlooking i ilooking looking at him and the pretty girl girlwho girlwho I who had . entered c.ntcred cntcred did not notIce notIceShe noticeShe noticeShe She cime C1me came to lean igalnst 1galnst 'tgalnst tgalnst ' ' the coun coon coonter counter counI counter I ter close beside him and nodded noddedcarelessly noddedcarelessly noddedcarelessly carelessly , . "H'lo Hlo "B'lo Blo " ' , Pnsli Push Di D'1 D1 ' nl iii ' ( Sh'1rp Sh1rp Sharp SharpKnife Sh'1rpKnIfe ShirpKnife ' KnIfe ) lie He answered through througb a constrIct constrIcted constricted ed throat . "HelloIt "Hello Hello " It " ItA A lein le'1n le1n le'tn letn ' ' curly hared boy about th the thegirl thpgirl < - girl s age came Into the store and andflung andflung andflung flung an arm aiound alound around the girl girlsshoulders s sshoulders sshoulders shoulders "As As " I live U\'c U 'c c \ ' and brentbe breathe breathe"he breathehe : ; , " ' he drawled , " ' "it's its 'It's ' ' Margaret , , , in per person person person son J 1 ! Ho How " are arc you yousweetncssi yousweetncss7 , - -sweetncssi sweetncssi -sweetncss7 sweetncss7 sweetness - ? ' , Pnsh Pash Da nl ni 10ed lov 10\ 10 \ ed the girl He HetlId HetId HeUld tlId tId ] not want to He tried not to toNone toNone toNone None knew better than he the gulf gulfthat gulfthat gulfthat that yawned between Pash Pa h Da nl nlthe , , the full blooded Navajo , and pretty prettyblond prettyblond prettyblond blond Margaret , , daughter of the thecounty thecounty thecounty county sheriff shedtr shoriff . The curly head " was "as as nos wearIng wearIngcream wearingcream wearingcream , cream colored corduroys and a da7 das- das daszlingly daz-zlingly daz zlingly . - - zhngly zlingly clean white shirt . . Pesh Ptsh Pash ? Da Dll ni niwore niwore nlwore wore a checkered calico shirt shirtwaistband , "alst alst waist " band overalls , clumsy cow- cow cowhIde cowhide cow-hide cow hide - hIde shoe shoea shoes ; and his long black hair hairwas hairwas was \ 8S knotted up in backThe backThe back backThe The sun was several se.eral seeral . hours p'1st p1st past pastthe p'1stthe pistthe ' the zenith when the youth rode up upto upto upto to the hogan that 1as was 1\ 1 ' \ v > as his home home.He homeHe . . He dismounted , strode Inside , took tooka tooka a bundle from a dark corner , and androde androde androde rode away . Tomorrow he was to tomarry tomarry tomarry marry Ha spe de ( Dove ) , daughter daughterof of At saw ( Eagle ) . Tomorrow , when the sun was di- di directly di directly - . rectly overhead , bis his hie friends and andrelath andrelatives andrelatives relath relatives es of Ha spe de would gatb gath gatber gather gather er in the open space pace before his histather's hisfather's hisfather's hisfathers tather's tathers father's fathers ' hogan Ha Ea Epe Ele ape ) de dev \v v w " "auld auld "auldpour \ ould ouldpour ouldpour pour a basket of water over his hishands hishands hi hihands hands and he one over hers her in the theanc1 theancient theancient anc1 ancient t tribal tribal ceremony c remony of ot mar mar- marriage marriage . - riage A blanketwould blanket would be spread spreadon spreadon on the ground and a bowl of m Ish Ishmade ishmade ishmade made of ot the blue Indian corn placed placedon placedon on it it . . He and Ha Ea pce-de pce de pee-de pee - - - would squat cross legged on the blanket blanket.of blanketof . . . of corn and then he would take takeEa takeHa takeHa Ea Ha spe-de spe de - - - " would "ould ould take a mouthfulone mouthfulone mouthful | one The oldest man in the tribe tribewould tribewould tribewould would make a cross of pollen poUen oertbe overthe over oer , Ithe tbe the mush , and they would be man manand manand manand and wifeHe wifeHe wife wifeHe He loved lo\ed lo ed \ Margaret M.lrgaret Mlrgaret . , theblte the \\blte blte White Whitegirl \ whitegirl bltegirl girl , but he would wed Ha spe de dethe , the Indian maid maul , tomorrow . . I Ithe He slid sUd to the ground , stalked stalkedI stalkedto stalkedto to the rh river er bank and stood Wlt with withbowed withbowed I bowed head looking down into the thedepths thedepths thedepths depths , glinted gUnted by the moon On OnI Ona Ona Ona I a sudden Impulse he commenced commencedto commencedI to strip himself bimself of his clothing He Hedh Hedived Hedived I I waterI dived dh ed lightly l1ghtly into the waterw water"hen water waterMien \Mien Mien "hen hen w " ' \ hen he clambered out he dned dried dnedhimself driedhimself driedhimself I dnedI himself with his hands , , shivering a abit abit abit bit In the night wind He picked pickedup pickedl pickedI I up his clothes and flung them contemptuously contemptuously con contemptuoualy temptuoualy temptuously into the water . . Thent Thenhe Then'he Then 'he he t ' he took the bundle he had brought broughtfrom broughtfrom broughtfrom from the hogan It contained a abuckskin abuckskin abuckskin buckskin breech clout dout , a broad broadbeaded broadbeaded broadbeaded beaded belt , , a pair of ot moccasInsI moccasInsdecorated moccasinsdecorated moccasins I | decorated with silver sLIver quarter dolJars dol dol- dol dollars - ' lars Jars hare , , a short knife In a sheath , and andII andj andI I two eagle feathers stained blue and andtied andtied II andI tied together with horsehair . . The The'outfit Theoutfit Theoutfit 'outfit outfit ' had bad belonged to his grand grandfather grandfather grandfather grandfatherHe grandI father fatherHe I He turned upstream toward the thetown thetown thetown town , watching the ground as beI hei bewent hewent he be I | went Soon ho he found , what vhat he wasI was I seeking , the pale gleam of at a clumpI clumpof clumpof clump clumpof I of sage lilies HIles likes He Ee picked a hand handI handrul handful handful rul ful of the frail lrall blossoms and care care- carefully carefuHy carefully - - I fully fuHy wrapped their stems In damp dampI dampgrass dampgrass dampgrass dampgrassBefore grass grassBefore Before a white house on a back backstreet backstreet backstreet I street he paused Lightly be he vault vault- vaultI vaultcd vaulted - . I ed cd the picket fence and nnd stood be beI beneath beneath beneath neath a cottonwood cQttonwood tree that grew grewunder grewunder grewunder I under Margaret's Margarets ' bedroom window . , I IPash Pash PashDa Dn Da nl i mo\ mo moved moM \ M out Into the thelight thelight ! Hght light to look at his flowers Some Someof Someof Someof I SomeI of the fragile things were drooping droopingThese droopingThese droopingThese These he took out and threw away awayI awaySeven awaySeven awaySeven Seven perfect blooms remained remainedWithout remainedWithout remainedWithout I Without difficulty dlfficu1ty he ' vaulted 'Vaulted from fromi i a long branch of the tree to the theI theI thesm thesill thesill I sm sill and stepped inilde insIde the roomI roomHe roomHe room I I [ He dropped to the floor like Uke a aI ashadow aI ashadow ashadow shadow , his heart thundering mad madi I I i ly In bis his breast It If he should be becaughtI becaught1 becaught caught-I caught I caught-1 1 - I An Indian , entering the thebedchamber thebedchamber thebedchamber bedchamber of a white girl at night nightb nightby nightbv b by stealth ' Thev They would tear him himto himto himto to pieces IHe lHe 1 I l 1He He perceived a smill sm'111 sm111 sm'ill ' ' white "hHe hHe " bed bedIn bedin bedIn In the far corner and heird hC'1rd hC1rd he'trd hetrd ' ' th theI thesound the I , sound of slow breathingThe breathingI breathingThe breathing breathingThe I breathingI I The girl lav on her side , one onehand onehand onehand hand under her cheek and the other oth otll othj otllI j I cr er thro thrown " n up over her head Her Herblond Herblond Herblond blond curls were tumbled on the thewhite thewhite thewhite white pillow plUow , her lips Ups slightly sllghtJy partI parted parted part I I exprcsI [ cd ed with lier her breathing , her exprcsSiOD ezpresslon erpres exprcs ezpres ' slon SiOD tranquil tranqull tran4ull as that of ot a MadonnaPash MadonnaPash Madonna MadonnaPash Pash Da nl iii dared not stare for forfear forfear forfear fear of or " waking "aklng aklng the girl Cautious Cautiously Cautiously Cautiously hovI ly he leaned Jeaned 0\ 0 over 0er \ er her , noting ho\v ho v how hovthe howthe howthe \ I I longI the moon behind him cist C'lst Clst c'ist ' a long tong long"averlng tongwavering longwavering fenthI feathi I "averlng averlng wavering " shadow of the eagle fenth feath fenthers feathers fcathcrs ers in his hairI hair I ! Pash Da nl ni spiead splcad spread his fils seven s'1sie s1sie sage s'1siemica sagelilies sigeISllcs ' : mica lilies fan fanvvlse fanwise wise and placed them onI onthe onthe on I ' the pillow plllow by the girl s face Thenhe Then ThenI I ! ! he lie turned and s swiftly " Imy and noiseless noiseiess noiselessJy noiseiessly , ly Jy was across the room On the thes1lI theI theI I I sill s1lI he give g\ve g ve srve ' \ a backward look "rare rare "fare fare "rare-well "rare rare well " - . weB well , my little sage Illy 111y lily , " he saht said sahtin saidin saltlin in hl Ill's Ills Iiig ' native Na\ Na Navajo Naajo \ ajo "It It " could couldnc couldnever couldnever nc never , er have been . " : . " He lie stepped out and swung t to tothe tothe the ground A shaft of ot moon1lgbt moonlight moon1lgbtfound moonlightfound moonlightfound found him and he lie stood motlonles motionless motlonlesstaring " ' , starIng up All the boy draIned draInedfrom drainedfrom drainedfrom from his hits face and nnd only the bItter bItterman bitterman bitterman man remained . . Suddenly , although aHhoulh : no breez breez0 breez0blew breezeblew blew , he shivered . . It was long 10ng past pastmIdnIght pastmidnight pastmidnight mIdnIght . It was his bIs wedding wE'dding . ' day . |