Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-09-10

by such horror that she crouched
there under the 1bedcloihes clammy
and shvering with the sweat OF utter
fear. Her hatred of the Indians now
amounted 10 an ohsession.
II WAS in the fourth year OF Yam
ceys absence that, coming suddenly
and silently into the kitchen from the
newspaper office. where she had been
busy rs usual She saw her Indian
maid twisted in centoriIon in front
of the table where she had been at
work. Her face WAS grotesque. was
wet. with agony II was the agony
which only oiie. kind Of pain can bring
TO waman's face. The Indian girl
was in the pangs Of childbirth Even
as she saw her Sabra realized that
something about her had vaguely dis
furbed her in the past few weeks.
Yet she had not known. had not
dreamed Of this. The loose garment
which the girl always wore--her
strong natural slenfcrness the erect
dignity of her Indian carriaee-the
staieism Of her rare-had served To
keep secret her condition. She had
had, too, Sahra now realized In n
fash. a way Of being out Of the room
when her mistress was in IL: busy in
the pantry when Sabra was In the
kitchen. busy in lie kitchen when
Sabra was in The dining room. In and
a1f lite arIs SyssFf cftnIau,
''Arita Here. Come. Lie down.
I'll send for your father-yuur moth
err Her father was Zig Knee. well
known and something uf n power in
the Usage tribe. OF the tribal officers
lie WAS one Of the eight members Of
the council and rs such WAS part Of
the tribes governing body.
Dreadful as tie look OH ArIta's face
had been. II was now contortfd almost
beyond recognition. No. mol" She
broke into storm of pleading in her
own tongue. Her eyes were black
pools Of agony. Sabra Ind never
thought that one OF pure Indian blood
would thus give way to any emotion
UtlOTe Wilt person.
She put the girl to bed She sent
Isaiah for Doctor Valiant who luckily
was In town and sober He went to
work quietly. efficiently, aided by
Sabra. making the hest Of such crude
and hasty necessities as came to hand.
The gin made no outcry. Her eyes
were dull. dead black; her face was
rigid Sabra, passing from the
kitchen to the girls bedroom with hot
water, cloths. blankets, saw Isaiah
crouched in corner by the wood box.
He looked up at her mutely. His face
was curious ash gray. AS Sabra
looked at him she knew.
The child was a boy. His hair was
coarse and kinky. His nose was wide.
His lips we're thick. He was negro
child. Doctor Valiant locked at him
as Sabra held the writing red-purple
bundle in her arms.
This Is a bad business
I'll send for her parents. LII speak
to Isaiah. They can marry
MdfIN BOU you KNOW
Something in his voice startled her.
"What?"
THE Osages don't marry negroes.
It's forbidden
why, lots OF them have. You see
negroes who are Indians every day.
On the street.
Not Osages. Seminoles, yes. And
Greeks, and Choctaws, and even
Chickasnws. But the Osages, except
for intermarriage with whites have
kept The tribe pure
This information seemed to Sabra
to be unimportant and slightly silly
Purity Of the tribe, indeed Osages
She resolved to be matter OF fact and
sensible now that the shocking event
was mt hand, waiting to be dealt with
She herself felt guilty, for this thing
had happened In her own house. She
should have foreseen danger and
avoided It. Isaiah had been a faith
fnl black child in her mind whereas
he was. In reality. man grown.
Doctor Valiant had finished his
work. The girl lay on the bed, her
dull black eyes fixed on them silent,
watchful. hopeless. Isaiah crouched In
the kitchen. The child lay now In
Sabra's arms. Donna and Gin were,
fortunately asleep, for Ii was now