The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1926-11-11

OUr q WOrG SfT0Ne DOWN the pain II
the gate and thence up the road
Lydia stared after him Indignantly
'"That old farmerl" she said Il
Adam. who wriggled and ~slobbered
sympathetically.
She was still indignant when
John Levine arrived and found her
toasting herself and the waffles fol-
supper. indiscriminately. Perhaps
1t was this sense Of indignation
that made her less patient than
usual with what she vas growing
to consider the foibles of the male
sex. At any rate. she precipitat-
ed her carefully planned CONVERSE
ton with Levine, when the four of
them we're seated on the back steps,
after supper.
The others were listening TO Ly-
dia's account of her Investigating
tour with Charlie.
IT shouldn't say IT was the best
idea in the world for you TO be
wandering through the woods with
that young Indian" was Levine's
comment when Lydia had finished.
Il don't see how you can speak
~ cried Lydia. passionately,
hru MS m.nute you're taking
g'isn .wooG.'
"Lyd.a" said Amos, sharply.
Let her alone. Amos" Levine
poke quietly. What are you talk
ny about, Lydia?'
The Indians are people, just like
us" she cried, land you're treating
them as if they were beasts. You're
robbing them and letting them
starve! Oh, I saw them! Charlie
showed the poor things to me-all
sore eyes, and coughing and eating
dirt. And you're making money out
Of them! Maybe the very money
you paid our note with was made
out Of a starved squaw. oh, / can't
stand 1t to think it of you!"
Lydia paused with a half sob and
for a moment only the gentle ripple
of the waves on the shore and the
crickets eel to be heard. Levine,
elbow on knee. chin on hand, looked
through the dusk at the shadowy
sweetness of Lydia's face, his own
face calm and thoughtful.
You're so good and kind TO me-"
Lydia began again. 'hOw a YOU
be so hard on the Indians? Are
you stealing Charles logs? Are
you, Mr.. Levine?"
81 bought his pine" replied Le-
vine quietly.
HE doesn't believe 1t. He thinks
you're stealing. And he's so afraid
of Won. Why does he feel that way,
Mr.. Levine?'
Lydia! What're you saying"
exclaimed Amos.
Keep out, Amos" said Levine.
We've got TO clear this up. I've
been expecting IT, for some time.
years ago before the gov
eminent began to support the In
dams, they YER a fine, outstanding
The whites could have
a lot from them. They were
brave, and honorable, and moral,
and in a primitive way, thrifty.
Well, then the sentimentalistS
among the whites devised the res
ervatiOn system and the allowance
system. And the Indians have gone
the devil. just as whites would
under like circumstances. Any hui
man being has to earn what he eats
or he ~degenerates. The only way
TO save those Indians up there is
kick them out. The strong ones
will live and be assimilated into
our civilization. The weak ones
will die. just like weak whites do"
But how about Charles pines?"
Insisted Lydia. "What makes him
Think you're stealing them? And
he says that when the pines go, the
will die"
II paid for the pine" insisted Lee
vine. IAN Indian has no idea of
and selling. It's a cruel in4
this breaking up of the
reservation, hut it's like cutting off
q leg to save the patients life.
Sentiment is wasted"
Lydia was turning over in her
mind the scene in the woods be-
tween John and the half-breeds.
That, then, was a part of the proc
ass of removing the patients leg
The end justified the means.
She heaved a great sigh Of re-
lief. well. then, 7 don't have to (,
worry about that any more" she
said. only. I don't dare to think
about those starving old squaws,
the baby that froze to death"
That's right" agreed Levine,
comfortably. Don't think about
If there was still a doubt in the
)ack of Lydia's mind regarding the ]
reservation. for a time. at least.
'he succeeded in quieting it. D.,
One of the not unimportant re-
iults Of the camping trip was that ,
lydia rediscovered the pine by the
gate. 1t was the same pine against I
which she had beaten her little fists
he night of Patience's death. !
She liked to sit on the steps and !
at it, dreaming and wonder /.
ng. For the Indians and the pines |
we're now unalterably associated in
4ydia's mind. The life of one de- \
on that of the other. /,
thoughts and perhaps not \
lltogether cheerful and wholesome q
thoughts for a girl of Lydia's age. .
So it was probably well that Mar i
-ery about this time began to show /
lydia a certain Margery-esque type !
# attention. In her heart. in spite I
# her mothers teachings. Margery l
lad always shared her fathers adj Z
niration for Lydia. In her child ,
rood it had been a grudging. ieal- +
'uS admiration that seemed like ac- II