The Bossier banner., 1915-10-14

81 breaking up and enriching land
that amt never bore nothing
but buffalo grass without have picks
and spades and plows and harrers. |
got to get my tools to begin"
She stiffened herself .You needn't
be afraid I'll cry. want you to hurt
me, if that the way"
1T amt like pain in the stomach.
Lahoma. All gets for you will be
some books"
Books? What are books?"
"Books?" Wilcox rubbed his bushy
head in desperation. Books? Why
they is just thoughts that somebody
has ketched and put in cage where
they can't get away. If you want to
be civilized you got to lasso other peo-
pies thoughts-people as has went to
and fro and has learned iife-and you
got to dehorn them ideas and tame
EN-
Lahoma examined him with new in
terest. Are you civilized?" Her coun-
| tenance fell.
| mot to no wide extent, but l can
| ford tolerble deep stream that would
drown you. honey. | can write my
own name and yours too, l reckon.
Lahoma Gledware-yes, I'm toler'ble
well versed on capital G; you just
make gap with flying tail to it."
MY name not Lahoma Gledware," !"
she interposed in some severity. My
name Lahoma Wilcox. Beautiful name
lovely, like flower-Willock. Call me
Lahoma Willock-like song of little
stream; Gledware-hard, rough"
Brick Wilcox stared at her in amaze
ment. "Whered you get that from?"
my name Lahoma Willock-Red
Feather tell me-"
He smoked in silence, putting rapid
". How came you to be named La
homa Willocky'
Lahoma suggested thoughtfuily, al
white people named Wilcox"
There's few Wilcox shook his
head-"with less agreeable names. But
, after all, Pm glad you have my name
being civilized. Now let's make th'
first move on the way You want t
see your mothers grave and lay SOM
Of these wild flowers on it. That's ;
, part Of being civilized. caring fo
graves u.s. It's just sayages as forget
+ the past and consequently never learn
, nothing. Come along Them mecca
sins will do famous until can get yo
> shoes from the settlements. But go
: pony the first time | ventured t
! Doan's store, and it'll carry you if
I have to walk at your side. Well max
) a festibul march of that journey an
4 Law in clothes as a girl should Wea
! and books to last through the winter.
Wilcox rose and explained that the
must cross the mountain As the
II trayersed it he reminded her that sh
it had not gathered any of the flower
d that were scattered under shelterin
II powders.
"Why?' asked Lahoma, showing th'
70 her neglect to do so was intentional.
u We'll, honey, don't you love al
honor that mother that bore SO mut
pain and trouble for you, travelir
with you in her arms to the Oklahon
country, trying to make home
II YOU up there in the wilderness and
N last dying from the hardships of t
plains? Amt she worth a few flo
VA ers?"
/ "She dead. She not see flowers. n
| smell flowers, not know
/ Wilcox said nothing, but the nc
| time they came to clump OF BIZ
| SONS he made nosegay. Labor
II watched him with a face as calm a.
n unemotional as that of Red FeatI
IA himself.
III What you do with that" She poi
NJ ed at the flowers in his rough hand.
VI Pm going to put 'em on your mo
er's grave"
"She not know, not see, not sm'
ii She dead; mother dead"
"Lahoma, do you know anythi
about God?"
"Yes-Great Spirit God make
path white"
well, l want God to know Il
ri somebody remembers your mother.
81 God that smells the flowers on
graves of the dead"
They walked on. Pretty soon La
ma began looking about for flow.
" but they had reached the last bar
Il ledge, and no more came in sight.
q Take these, Lahoma."
81 mo. Couldn't fool God" They
al gan the last descent. Wilcox sudd
a ly discovered that tears We're slipL
"a down the girls face. Suddenly
q cried joyfuIly, .Oh. look, lookH'
darted toward the spot at the foo
tall cedar where purple and W
blossoms showed in profusion.
gathered an armful. and they Y
axe down to the plain.
y .Her heads toward the west
said as they stood beside the pill
iou stones. Lahoma placed the flower
anu the western margin of the pyra
ehe Wilcox laid his at the foot OF
grave.
~ During the two years passed BY B
Wilcox in dreary solitude eondit
c,,a about him had changed. The hards
,f pioneer life which fifty years
- had obtained in the middle states
49, prevailed in 1882 in the tract of
!, - claimed by Texas under the nam
Greer county, but the dangers OF
h,,t neer lif. were greatly lessened.
har Lahoma made the acquaintance o
), mountain range and explored the