White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-10-15
CHAPTER XIII

Sabra and Yancey drove from the
Office in their little utility car to the
house on Kihekah street for their noon.
day dinner they saw great Limousine
drawn up at the curb. "A chauffeur
vaguely familiar, lounged in front
The car was thick with the red dust
of the country road.
A vague pang Of premonition
stabbed at Sabra's vitals. She clutched
Yancey's arm. Whose car is that?"
Yancey glanced at it indifferently.
Somebody drove Gin home, / sup
pose. Got enough dinner for COM
pany?"
Donna had gone to Oklahoma City
to spend the weekend. It must be
CHM.
"Cim!" Sabra called, as she entered
the front door. "Cim!" But there was
no answer. She went straight to the
sitting room. Empty. But in the stiff
little parlor, so seldom used, sat two
massive, silent figures. With the In
dian sense Of ceremony and formality
old Big Elk and his squaw had known
the proper room to use for an occa-
sion such as this
"Why-Big Elk!''
"How!" replied Big Elk, and held
up his palm in the gesture of greeting.
"Yancey" cried Sabra suddenly, in
terrible voice. The two pairs Of
black Indian eyes stared at her. Sabra
saw that their dress was elaborate;
the formal dress reserved for great
occasions. Side by side the two mas
sive figures sat like things of bronze.
Those dull black unsmiling eyes,
that weaving fan, moved Sabra to
nameless terror. "Yancey!" she cried
again, through stiff lips. "Yancey!"
At the note Of terror in her voice he
was down the stairs and in the room
with his quick light step. But at sight
of old Big Elk and his wife his look of
concern changed to one Of relief. He
smiled his utterly charming smile.
"How!"
SHOW" croaked Big Elk.
Mrs. Big Elk nodded her greeting.
She was woman younger, perhaps,
by thirty years than her aged hus-
band; his third wife. She spoke Eng
fish; had even attended an Indian
mission school IL her girlhood. But
through carelessness or indifference
she used the broken, slovenly English
of the unlettered Indian.
Now the two relapsed into impas-
sive silence.
"What do they want? Ask them
what they want"
Yancey spoke a few words in Usage.
Big Elk replied with monosyllable.
"What did he say? What is it?"
81 asked them to eat dinner with us.
He says he cannot"
Il should hope not. Tell her to
speak English. She speaks English"
Big Elk turned his great head,
slowly, as though it moved on a me-
chanical pivot. He stared at his fat,
round-faced wife. He uttered brief
command in his own tongue. The
squaw smiled little strange, embar-
raised smile, like a schoolgirl-it was
less a smile than a contortion of the
face, so rare in her race as to be
more frightening than scowl.
big Elk and me come take you
back to Wazhazhe."
"What for?" cried Sabra, sharply.
-four o'clock big dinner, big dance.
Your son want um come tell you.
Want um know he marry Ruby this
morning."
She was silent again, smiling her
foolish fixed smile.
"God Almighty" said Yancey
Cravat. He looked at Sabra, came
over to her quickly, but she waved
him away.
"Don't. I'm not going to-it's all
right" 1t was as though she shrank
from his touch. She stood there, star
ing at the two barbaric figures staring
so stonily back at her with their dead
black Indian eyes. It was at times
like that that the Marcy in her stood
her in good stead. She came of iron
stock, fit to stand the fire. Only be-
meath her fine dark eyes you now sud-