Show fla flame ua me of the border by VINGIE E ROE ROB Co Doub doubleday ladaY dors donw co loa ine SYNOPSIS seeking death by throwing herself hersel f from the summit of lone mesa to escape cape dishonor at the hands of a drunken desperado sonya a allow ia herself to be rescued by her suddenly sobered cohered and repentant attacker the girl I 1 Is a self appointed physician to the navajo indians indiana living on an arizona sheep ranch with her brother serge his wife llla lila and their small email daughter bibs babs for a year she has been engaged to rodney blake wealthy new yorker but her heart Is with the friendless cavajos navajos and she be evades a wedding sonya pulls little moon wife of two fingers it a navajo through the crisis of an illness two fingers Is deeply grateful CHAPTER II 11 continued 3 sonya he said sharply shall we go As it if a spell were broken the stranger looked up sharply the ees of the two men met and held it was as it if two blades struck and crossed as if 1 armed forces clashed there was instant hatred in it instant opposition then sonya swung into her saddle and was away at a lope rod following closed close behind who was that man he asked thinly when he had caught up with her do you know him 1 I dont know and I 1 do not said the girl crisply and I 1 dont like your tone oh rod dear I 1 do wish you would understand me better forgive me sonya said blake but I 1 hate all men who look at you too long the ride back to the ranch was beau ticul beyond words with the newly risen sun bathing the weathered peaks arid and pluna pinnacle clef of desert stone but somehow its glory missed the girls heart hearl whether it was seeing again the face of the man of lone mesa or rods unreasoning jealousy she could not say at any rate she was silent and preoccupied and more than once blake looked at tier her sharply sonya he said presently 1 I know you are tired that youve bad a hard nights night but I 1 want to have a talk with you and this seems the best chance im likely to have since you are so busy all the time my longing and love for you are an old story im not going into it again im just telling you that im leaving for the east day after tomorrow and it has been my hope to take you back this time sonya darling will you come he reached over and took her hand band and at the caressing pressure of his fingers tears actually came to the girls eyes maybe because she was so tired tans maj be because she needed a bit of looking after herself then she shook herself mentally squared her shoulders as it were she smiled smile d into rods eyes squeezed his hand 1 I know you were going back so soon dear she said steadily and I 1 think I 1 want to go along but there Is the woman back there who will surely dle die after all my hard pull to save her it if I 1 leave her now she needs care and stringent treatment and there Is no one on the reservation who can who will give it to her I 1 cant leave her rod the man straightened up loosed her hand it was not in human nature to take a blow like this and not feel its impact he looked straight ahead tor for a little while riding with his hands crossed on his pommel and sonya watched him anxiously it iset a whim rod nor other men I 1 looked at another man since I 1 gave you my promise its a bigger thing than that bigger than myself bigger than you I 1 think its something which partakes of the universal the infinite something inside my soul an obligation to to the creator himself she added hesitantly if you see what I 1 mean I 1 have the knowledge the health here Is the opportunity the crying need let me stay with them a while longer rod please let me teach them more hygiene more child care more mother care they know so little have so little blake drew a long breath looked back at her his eyes dilated and deep with feeling you should be a portia be said you plead so eloquently and for a bunch of dirty redskins red skins cut your throat tor for a dollar any day lips fell open ilow how little this man knew this man of tile the cities of the rushing world beyond the desert how appallingly inadequate his judgments I 1 what he be was missing of the mystery of life its priceless gifts of spirit its ita lighted deeps 1 A tender yearning for this blindness in him film welled up in her and she touched his bis arm forg For glie nie me she said 1 I 1 see how bow it must seem secra to you but believe me rod it la is not so I 1 cannot make mahe you see it only try to bellese what I 1 say about it wont you dear stand steady for another stretch until I 1 can do a little more leave my mark a little bittle plainer in this soil which I 1 love among these people whom I 1 love too blake shrugged his shoulders under his thin leather cont coat 1 I suppose I 1 must 0 or r go down in your black books as a tyrant very well sonya ill give you six months longer but at the end of that time I 1 demand th ot of your promise to me and I 1 shall expect you as an honorable woman to keep it but know knew this my girl that I 1 shall never give you up neither indians indiana nor arizona nor any living man Is going to get you from me just remember that thal why of course rod hod and thank you tor for being so kind im riot not kind im helpless I 1 have no choice in the matter either I 1 give you your way or I 1 lose your esteem by forcing you to mine and that they rode in silence that was it a bit constrained for a long distance and presently into the stillness there W was s injected a sound so thin and fine a at t first as to be no sound but becoming more clear and certain as they rode ahead it caught on desert trained ears long before rod heard it and her head was up a line between her brows she searched the levels and the de botching bou ching canyon mouths it was down one of these that she determined presently the sound was coming a long high wall wail almost like that which the indian women gave at a death at that moment rod heard beard it too for the love of heaven heave nl 1 he said derin gly that come along said sonya briefly and lifted darkness with her knees and rein the horse leaped away to the rl right bt where the canyons flattened to the plain and coming out of one of these long defiles that cut the jumbled bad land country was as strange a cavalcade as one might meet in many a days journey A team and buckboard with the huge figure of a white roan man hunched on the seat and three children huddled in behind little brown navajos cavajos hushed down like quail their scared round faces turned backward to where a woman hung onto the rigs tall and cried to heaven running when the 0 1 4 1 for the love of heavert Heave He avent nl he said wonderingly that horses trotted her mouth open tier her braided hair in disarray where she had torn at it stumbling swaying with fatigue she was a wild squaw namely one who spoke only her native tongue and all tragedy all loss all fear and terror were in her swollen opaque eyes A man ran behind her a tall navajo with bound hair and turquoise necklaces swinging on his breast sonya pulled darkness in beside the rig which stopped at her approach why mr datterl Sat terl she said what does this mean it means that these d d naviys are resisting an officer the man said harshly ands likely to get em into trouble when I 1 report it you know what hat they are to handle miss ln especially these wild ones why surely I 1 know but this a little rough you taking the children to the school yes they should a been there last tall fall terras terms almost over but they kept em hid bid out so good we never could find a one think they bad but two and heres three sonya had dismounted she went around behind the light wagon and spoke in navajo tell me thy heart beart I 1 am thy sister she said the woman glanced at her her shaking arms around the youngest child which had bad scuttled to her breast the minute the rig stopped the man came up and faced her searching her face with troubled eyes instantly sonya was this mother this father to in their clouded misunderstanding seeing their little ones torn from their grasp whatever it was I 1 that shone in her face the man saw 14 it trusted her at once knew her for herself having heard beard or of her though be had never seen her sonya laid her arm around the beaving heaving shoulders ot of the walling woman she looked up at the man on the seat sir mr satter she said dont you think you could leave them one just this little one the baby you know its hard to give them up any of them and this Is ig so little you please mr satter just for me ill go before the superintendent and make it right it if you will I 1 think I 1 can call wont you please let them have the baby there was in voice all tile the guile of womankind since eve a coaxing quality that had wrought on the hearts of men since she was born cpr long black eyes pleaded gravely satter moved mored on big hl seat geat flecked his ht whip looked at her and down at his boots well he said 1 I was wag sent to get em but only two you even know there were three she coaxed come on let me give them back the baby oh well he said bald reluctantly instantly the girl reached in and pulled the baby clear of the wagon the he mother with it IL it was not really a baby being a fair sited youngster but bat the least of the three with tier her arm across the two she pushed then them away from the wagon then she began speaking rapidly in navajo it was the white mans law which was above tribal law she told them that the children go to the schools where they would learn lear 11 the white mans ways where they would be fed and clothed they would become wise and above their station at tho the present time being better for the knowledge they would get gel and she the mother would have them back soon tor for a visit hearing all about what they had learned and eaten in the meantime the littlest one she could keep beep now providing she would go back to her hogan bogan lo in peace if not it too would go would she listen to the white mans law would she take her one child instead of losing three for or a little time only the man spoke and the woman with her tragic eyes on the little scared faces in the wagons tall hugging her babe nodded 0 K mr satter sonya said guardedly satter struck his near horse and the buckboard buck buckboard boand b bounced lous calaway away turning in stark and tragic resignation the two bedraggled figures moved off toward the canyons mouth the womans comans eyes still strained back across her shoulder where her children were disappearing disappear lag in the distance the tall man looked back at sonya and his eyes spoke like two fingers had blinded by tears the girl climbed back in her saddle she bad forgotten rodney blake entirely it was not until they were well out on the ducq erts floor that she remembered him rod she said then do you see now why I 1 cannot leave them there Is so much to do for them they need me so sol I 1 yes he said coldly 1 I see there was something in his tone which caused the conversation to languish and they rode for miles through the early day without speech then sonya stirred in her saddle and looked at blake did you say you are leaving the day after tomorrow rod 1 she asked 1 I did but I 1 might as well have kept the information for all the impression it made oh ob no dear im just so so full of troubles you know I 1 mean to seem careless you yon know I 1 1 I wish to heaven I 1 did sonya P 1 the th man said passionately well ivell remember the rest of the things I 1 said particularly ticul arly that no man or anything shall get you from me that I 1 mean to have you for my own if 1 its tile the last abl thing na I 1 ever do in life just remember that my girl A flush came in face 1 I suppose I 1 should be flattered she said sharply but I 1 am not there ts something about this attitude of yours rod that angers me a seeming of command that goes down hard with me ones life Is his own marriage or no marriage to a certain extent you know im not the type of woman who can be completely absorbed forgive me blake sald said quickly perhaps I 1 do seem dictatorial but my excuse must be that ancient onu one which covers a multitude of sins great love 1 I wonder said sonya sonya made a hurried trip next nest day to chee wash and found the woman much better so she told her happily smoothing the gaunt young cheek we made the good fight together all Is well little mother and two fingers smiled his slow smile and the young doctor rode away sonya spent that last evening in the patio with rodney blake alone under the stars swinging in the fringed hammock her hand between his palms his low voice in her ears speaking of the future serge and lila sensing the strain between them bad retired early and sonya put her arms about rods neck kissed him and took his kisses and felt happy it was late when hen they separated in the living room tiptoeing in like a pair of year olds laughing in whispers and early when they all gathered again for breakfast it was quite a drive down to the little town where rod would take the train arald for new york and sonya who was driving him wanted an early start the last moments on a station platform are always filled with strange emotions forebodings and vague fears tinged with the sadness of parting and sonya was genuinely close to tears as she watched the handsome rod about his bis ticket buying his bis trunk checking for one panicky second she wished she were going with him a marriage certificate in ID her bag then she shook herself indignantly ran with him down the platform beside the slowing train kissed him fervently watched him go away across the desert there was a little mist in her dark eyes but she was surprised and a bit dismayed dis majed at the odd feeling of lightness of freedom which came over tier her Ing ratel she told her herself belf yot dont deserve a good mans 0 love lot I 1 be bein begin in to suspect youre a sponsler all elfish and lazy and due clue to bakow bike nil fat la in wad slime day HS as punishment 1 to be BB i o tir aitu |