The Coolidge examiner., 1931-11-13

semicircle near the fame. The man
crawled swiftly to one of the little
doors, opened it, thrust his head
and shoulders out into the night
air, relieved his body of the drugs
overdose.
Sabra only turned her eyes away
searching, searching. They she saw
where the boy lay under his gay
striped blanket His face was COW
cred, but she knew. She knew
well how the slim body curled in
its blankets, how it lay at night,
asleep. This was a different sleep,
but she knew. They went to him,
picking their way over the crouch
ing figures with the fixed trance
like gaze; the recumbent forms
that lay so still. She turned back
the blanket. The face was smiling,
peaceful, lovely.
She thought, "This is the way l
should look at him if he were
dead" Then, He is dead" The
boy lay breathing quietly. All
about the room was an atmosphere
of reverie, of swOoning bliss. If
the Indians looked at all at Sabra,
at the Jew. at their efforts to rouse
the boy, it was with the eyes of
sleep-walkerS. Their lips were
gently smiling Sometimes they
sWayed a little The sacred FIRE
leaped orange and scarlet and gold.
Old Stump Horn welded his eagle
feather fan, back and forth, back
and forth. The quavering cadences
of the Mescal song rose and fell
to the accompaniment Of the gOurd
rattle and the unceasing drum. The
white man and woman, frail both,
tugged and strained at the inert
figure of the boy.
"Oh, GOdw whimpered Sabra.
He's so heavy. What shall we
do?' They bent again, tugged with
all their strength, lifted but could
not carry him.
1--WE must drag him." Sol said.
at last.
They took an arm each. So,
dragging, tugging, past those rapt
still forms, past those mazed smil-
ing faces, they struggled with him
to the door. The little beads of
sweat stood out on her forehead,
on her lip. She breathed in chOk
ing gasps. Her eyes were wide and
staring and dreadful in their deter
mination. The rattle. The drum
beat. The high eerie song notes.
wordless.
The blackness Of the outer air;
past the two towering motionless
blanketed figures at the door. Drag
ging him along the earth. through
the trampled weeds.
we can't lift him into the bug
gy. We can't" She ran back to
the two at the door She clasped
her hands before the one called
Joe Yellow Eyes. She lifted her
white. agonized face to him. Help
me. Help me-" She made a futile
gesture of lifting.
The Indian looked at her a mo-
ment with a dead, unseeing gaze.
Flecks of gold and yellow danced,
reflected in the black pools of his
eyes, and died there. Leisurely,
wordless. he walked over to where
the boy lay, picked him up lightly
in his great arms as though he
were a sack of meal. swung him
into the buggy seat. He turned,
then, and went back to his place
at the door.
They drove back TO the town of
Usage. Gins body leaned heavily,
slackly against hers; his head lay
in her lap. like little boys. One
aching arm she held firmly about
him to keep him from slipping
to the floor of the buggy, so that
finally ii ceased to ache and be-
came numb. The dawn came, and
then the sunrise over the prairie,
its red meeting the red of the Ok
lahOma earth, so that they drove
through fieryo furnace.
She had been quiet enough until
now. with kind of stony quiet.
She began to sob; curious dry
racking sound, like a hiccough.
Now, now" said Sol Levy, and
made little comforting noise be-
tween tongue and teeth. so bad
it isn't. What did the BE-, 10, he
went out to see the sights on the
reservation and try what it was
like to eat this dope stuff-this
peyote. Say, when | was a boy
did lots worse
She did not seem TO pay much
heed to this, but it must have pen
IN
for presently she stopped the pain
full sobbing and looked down at the
lovely smiling face in her lap, the
long lasheS, like a girls, resting so
fragilely on the olive cheek.
He wanted to go. l wouldn't let
him. Is it too late, Sol?"
GO? Go whereT'
THE Colorado school of mines.
Geology"
Too late That kid therel Don't
talk foolish. September. This is
the time to go. 1t just starts. Sure
he'll CO."
They drove through the yard.
over Sabra's carefully tended grass,
of which she was so proud, right
to the edge of the porch steps, and
so, dragging again and pulling.
they got him in, undreSsed him;
she washed his dust smeared face.
We'll" said Sol Levy. 81 guess
l go. and open the store and then
have a good cup of coffee"
She put out her hand. Her lower
lip was caught between her teeth,
sharp and tight. Her face was dis
tOrted 2bsurdlY 18th her effort not