The Coolidge examiner., 1931-06-12

| noon Wan~d. until the hand of
spiritual guidance seemed to be
working for TOinette. II was use
less to attempt a cOncealment of
| her condition. Her strength was
gone. Her body was racked as
if it had been beaten. Another
mile and she would have sunk to
the ground, glad to have an end
to her torture But fate, and
| TiaOga's hurt, interviewed to save
her. They came at last TO O hard
wood plain in which was a pigeon
roost.
TiaOga spoke to Shindas.
"We have been a long time with
out meat. Broken Feather. In a
few hours there will be plenty
here. We will feast and then
| sleep and will not travel again
until morning"
Then Shindas knew the truth,
but his countenance did not
change.
He soon had a chance to speak
to Jeems.
vi llic ulSb lllle L nave us
covered my uncle to be great
liar" he said. His ankle is as
sound as mine. Ii is for the little
fawn he has pretended a hurt and
stops here for meat. She is safe
He will not kill her"
When Jeems translated this TOT
nette bowed her head and cried
softly. Tiaoga saw her. Crumpled
on the ground with Jeems' arm
around her she looked like Silver
Heels, with her long black braid
falling over her shoulder. No one
was conscious of the strain at his
heart as he came toward her.
Warriors, wide-eyed. saw that he
did not limp, and in his attitude
was a tigerish defiance of what
they might think He paused be-
fore the girl and dropped his
beaverskin blanket at her feet.
Toinette looked up through tears
and smiled again as strange
sOftness stole over the savage
face. He gazed at her steadily.
as if he were seeing a spirit. and
said:
THE soul of Sol Van Makwun
has come to abide in you!"
Sol Yam Makwun was Silver
Heels.
Tiaoga turned away, and his
warriors knew that his decision
had been made. There would be
no haste after this in the direc-
ton of Hidden Town.
On a couch made of the beaver
skin and armsful of balsam
boughs which Jeems had carried
from the creek bottom. Toinette
rested while the Indians prepared
for the evening feast. She
smOothed and rebraided her hair
as she watched them. and al
though every bone in her body
seemed to have an ache of its
own. she felt a sensation of COM
plete relaxation stealing over her
for the first time since the tragedy
at TOnteur manor. The mental
ease which came to soften her en-
vtronment embraced her in such
Stea!thy way that she was uncon
scious of the moment when her
eyes closed in complete surrender
to the exhaustion which was
claiming her.
JeemS returned from one of the
fires bearing a stick on which
dozen of the cooked pigeons were
spitted. He did not awaken Toi-
nette, brt after he had finished his
meal, he broied another dozen of
the pigeons until they were as
brown as chestnuts and stored
them away with a roasted lily
root and few artichokes.
For two hours the cooking con-
tinued. anG when it was finished,
with the nights kill ready for
future use. Tiaoga's warriors
wrapped themselves in their blan-
kets and lay down to sleep. The
camp was soon in silence, and for
long time Jeems sat meditating
upon the changes which had come
into his life within the space of
two days and nights. That every
thing was gone and that he and
TOinettC were the only ones left
of those who had so recently made
up their world seemed monstrOus
exaggeratiOn of fact TOinette.
sleeping quietly, forced the truth
upon him. and from the racking
visions of his thoughts he turned
to her with yearning to hold her
closely in his arms. Her face was
of childlike lOvelinesS in the glow
Of the stars. SO complete was
her fatigue that dark dreams did
not mar the sOlace of her uncOn
sciOuSneSs. When the night was
half gone, he made a pillow of
balsams, and before he fell asleep
he drew TOinette's hand to him
gently and pressed his lips against
it.
Dawn, another day, then night
again. The journey was no longer
impossible for TOinette. When she
neared exhaustion. camp was
made, and when she awOke the
march was resumed. TiaOga called
her Sol Van Makwun. and the
warriors regarded her with kind
Iier eyes. AS the days continued
and they witnessed her courage,
their hearts grew warm toward
her, and at times their glances
revealed an admiration and friend
Iiness which were never in
TiaOga's.
ThoSn davS Snrvad also as thn