The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-07-06


of a skeleton brush canopy over an
outdoor cooking fire Yellow Buck,
the medicine man whom she had seen
at Two Fingers watched her with
flaming eyes in his wrinkled face.
Critically the girl studied the two
sick men. With stethoscope on the
hot brown breasts she knew her course.
The old man was beyond help, his
lungs already stiff with congestion,
sunk in coma. The young one not so
bad.
bad business" she told herself.
Spanish fu-summer fu-or I'm very
much mistaken. This one" she said to
the women, pointing to the thin old
sire, sis about to go on the Long Jour-
ney. I come too late. This one we'll
try to hold Get me hot water in the
cooking baskets and cold water from
the hole. Also a warm stone wrapped
in CLOTH"
And once more she rolled back the
sleeves of her riding shirt and pre-
pared to met Death on the common
field Of poor humanity.
In two hours the ancient one was
gone on that long journey and she
helped the women carry him out and
lay him decently under some blankets
In the canopy's shade. Back in the
hogan again she heard Yellow Bucks
"Hi-yahl Hi-yah!" the slow stamp Of
moccasined feet as he danced grotesque-
ly in the sun beyond. What he was
doing, what sinister lamentations he
was making against her, she did not
know or care She had a man to save,
| If possible, and had no time to spare
for the silly old dancer.
All day she worked in almost utter
silence. The sick man could still
| speak, and once he asked after Two
| Fingers wife, and again directed the
| women to cook and feed the Blue
South Woman.
Here it was again, her sweet and
| mysterious name among them.
And presently they brought her NUT
| ton ribs baked In the ashes wrapped
| in corn husks, and corn meal mush
in pottery bowl.
The day wore on, and night came
cool and sweet, and still she stayed
| by the bed on the sand floor, making
her mustard congresses for the labor
ing chest, using hot water and cold
alternately, giving her drops to re-
duce the CHASTITY fever, and at two
of the night by the watch on her wrist
the sick man sighed and went to sleep,
| his temperature down to hundred.
"Glory!" said Sonya to herself. tits
a great life if you don't weaken"
She slept bit herself, and dawn
found things better in the hogan.
Noon found them better still, and
late In the afternoon she went away,
| leaving strict instructions to her pa
tient to stay in bed until she came
again. If he got up he would die, she
told them all fatty, and that was that.
At home she told Lila and Serge Of
what she'd found and disinfected her
self from head to heel before stretch
ing her tired body for sleep.
Il told you there'd be work for you,"
Serge told her soberly. Il heard of an
other case today"
"My heaven!" said the girl, sitting
up suddenly on her bed in the room
beyond. where? Is it going to be
epidemic?"
up in Bad canyon"
''That's a long ride. I'll need the
car for it. Well, heaven help them,
I've got to sleep now, or I'll be no good
later"
With the visit to Bad canyon next
morning Sonya Savarin knew she faced
| the coming of ordeal. Not one but
three cases met her there, and she
heard of five more in a nameless wash
beyond.
The days that followed began to
| take on the semblance of a nightmare
The sickness which had descended on
the Reservation grew and spread like
some noxious growth. The girl travel
eled night and day, humping on long
drives in the ancient car, threading the
inaccessible canyons on Darkness,
STOPPING in the dark hogans to al
leviate suffering, covering dead faces,
trying to reason the living out of their
superstitious custom of abandoning
their dwellings where death had en-
tered.
Sonya sighed, and her heart ached
more than usual.
1t ached all the time, these days,
anyway. She tried to think it was for
all the fear and suffering she encoun-
tered among her lowly people, but she
knew better. The deepest ache of all,
the deepest fear, lying far down un-
der all the rest, had to do with the
memory of a mans haggard face
above her head, the clasp of an arm
that shook. and harsh voice saying.
"Hombre, you disobeyl Let's 60"
Weeks had passed since the dance
at the Neidlingers' ranch. and she had
had no breath of news about Starr
Stone and the sinister figure which he
had followed from the floor. The
Servant of the Lord, whom she had