Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-04-11
HAPTE II
Sonys Gets a New Name.

Sonya Gets a New Name.
DY EARLY dawn Sonya was up
- and dressed, her saddlebags re-
plenished with such remedies as
she might need for her battle with
Old Man Death In the hogan beyond
Chez wash. Darkness, full fed and
watered, waited patiently In the pa
ito. She stood In the dim kitchen
with a cup Of coffee in one hand,
a hastily made sandwich In the
other, and talked lowly to Lila.
tits going to be a hard day, old
dear" she said, "and | may not
get back tonight. II | don't, don't
worry. I'll be with Two Fingers
and the babies and poor Little
Moon. If she seems to be going, I'll
not leave her."
NO." said Lila, mo, of course
not. | know. What shall I tell
Rod when he gets up?"
HE knows I'm golng-I told him
last night-but not that / might
stay over. Tell him again how 1t
Is with Little Moon-and mention
the babies"
They're just dirty little Navajos
to him."
They're tragic babies, just the
same" said Sonya sharply, land he
will have to see it. Well, so long.
I'm off"
She set down her empty cup,
pulled on her gloves, and went
softly out.
She Rugged Darkness nose, which
nudged her breast after q little rite
that was common between them,
and went up his tall side and into
her old saddle with the easy grace
Of a working COW hand.
Far to the south and west Sonya
could see Lone Mesa. She loved the
great tableland. Times without
number she had climbed Its steep
trail on Darkness, to ride Its three.
by-fve mile top, to sit In the sun
beside Its ancient pueblo walls
with their rotting ladders to stand
on Its sharp-cut rim and scan the
lone world below. Until yesterday
nothing had ever disturbed her
nothing disputed her right of way
until yesterday.
At the thought her face flushed
red with anger at the man who had
ridden her down to the mesa's edge
and pulled her from her saddle, his
handsome face aflame with rapine
She felt the blood burn along hel
cheeks. 1t was resentment she felt
the fierce rage Of indignation thai
anyone or anything should inter
fere with her freedom and hel
right to 1t. Her dark eyes were
hot with 1t, her soft mouth set II
a prim line. But the look she
gave the mesa as she rode along be
meath 1t was neither fearful mo-
resigned. 1t was a look Of prom
Ise, as If some stubborn thini
within her would take her to I'll
lonely heights more often thar
usual now.
The sun came up as she ant
Darkness entered the broad moutl
| Of Chez wash with Its red sandston,
walls, and a little later they cam
In sight of the hogan of Two Fin
gers. A round, low habltation of
single room, laid up of fiat stone
one above another, like fakes o
prehistoric dough, 1t faced tn.
east, as all hogans must. From
Its central rise a thin thread o
smoke assembled. Something caugh
at Sonya's heart-it was so star
and poor a home, its people so heir
less. Two Fingers met her besid
the water hole. BE was q man o
around thirty, weathered like darI
leather, his patient face as nativ
to the land as Lone Mesa itself, an
there was about him a simple dis
nifty, as there was about the poor
est of these Indians. He wore
blue flannel shirt, corduroy pant
held by a sll~ver-studded belt, an
his hair was long and bound 1
two neat doubled flares on the bac
of his head. Though he spoke fal
English and had a sizable band O
sheep, this manner OF wearing hi
hair stamped him as a wild buck,
one Of those who had not yet bt
come entirely civilized. For on
thing, Two Fingers did not drinl
and for another. he still VOL
SHIPPED his ancient gods. Sony
liked him.
(To ne r~pNTiNuED1