[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

He looked at her face, seeing pain for her aunt and exhaustion for
herself. It was not like him to feel sympathy, particularly for a white
woman, but he did at that moment.
 There is nothing here that will help her, but perhaps out in the
prairie there may still be some plants that might help. My
grandmother Summer Swan relied completely on the things she found
in there to help her tribe s people. There were no other medicines
then, at least no white man s medicines. Sometimes, from what I have
seen, her medicines were just as good, if not better, than what is
available now.
Lucretia jumped up.  I will get my coat. You get your horse. The
buggy will take too long. Hurry, Captain.
 Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?
 The prairie and the plants. We need to go right now. Without
another word, she ran out the door and into her own little cabin,
appearing immediately in her coat.
 What are you waiting for? she asked as she ran into Black
Eagle, who was standing in Liz s doorway.  Get your horse. I will tell
Jeffrey. And hurry.
She ran to the officer s office and appeared almost immediately
with her husband at her side. The major looked at Eagle and said,  If
The Major s Wife 97
you think you can find something to help Liz, you have my
permission to go look for it. However, I don t think it is necessary for
Lulu to go with you, unless I go too, and I can t leave the fort with
you gone.
 I agree, Major. I will go immediately.
 Wait, you two. I am going too. Two people can collect faster
than one. Liz is too hot, Jeffrey, she will surely die if we can t get her
fever down, and this is no time for silly rules of city society. No more
arguments. I am going as soon as the captain gets his horse. Lucretia
looked pointedly at the man, who shrugged and ran to the stable. His
horse had no saddle when he stopped in front of her.
 Madam, unless you can ride bareback, you will have to stay
here.
 Of course I can ride bareback. Give me a hand, Captain, and a
boost, Jeffrey.
Feeling as if they had been stonewalled, each man did as bid. She
sat behind Eagle with her arms around his waist.  Now, let s go.
Jeffrey nodded at his captain, who turned the horse and galloped
out the gate.
His destination was the small river, now covered with ice. Along
its banks grew willow, which Eagle recalled used for fever. The bark
was boiled until it changed color, cooled, and given to the ill person in
the form of a tea. Beyond that, he recalled nothing else his
grandmother had done.
He dismounted and lifted the pale woman to the ground. She
weighed no more than a child, he thought. She smiled and thanked
him before turning serious again. Her smile hit him like a rock to his
chest. The smile lit up her face, shining in her eyes and showing her
small, even teeth. It was something he had seen as she looked at her
husband and aunt, but no one else. Until now, when she smiled at
him.
Brusquely, he walked away and motioned her to follow.  I will
cut the bark and you roll it up. Try not to let it touch your clothes or it
98 Beverly Sims
will stain. I will tie it when we are done and put it on the back of my
horse. You will have to sit in front of me.
It started snowing, lightly at first, and suddenly it was a blizzard.
 Damn, he said,  I m sure it will stop in a few minutes, but you are
getting soaked. I know of a cave close by where we can go until it
stops. He jumped onto his horse and pulled her up in front of him.
He did not even think that she could ride behind him because the
willow was still on the ground and was sure to knock her off the back
of the horse.
The cave was a small hole in the ground with a rock for cover.
Eagle slid from his horse to prod into the space with his rifle butt. He
grabbed his blanket from his bedroll and spread it on the ground
under the overhang. He lifted her from the horse and carried her to the
mouth of the cave.
 It is small, but it will provide protection. Crawl inside and sit.
You will be dry.
Lucretia did as told and sat quietly for a minute before saying,
 Aren t you coming in? You are getting soaked, too.
 In case you haven t noticed, Mrs. Sawyer, there is no room for
two.
 Nonsense. You sit first and I will sit on your lap.
 I feel that is hardly proper, madam.
 Proper, be damned. She rose gracefully and walked out to stand
beside him.  If you don t want protection, then neither do I.
 You are the most stubborn female I have ever met, he said.
 Then you have not met many females, have you? She stood
firm, leaving him no recourse but to do as she wanted.
He crawled into the cave. It was so short, he had to bend his head
to keep from hitting it on the overhang.  Now, get your white butt in
here before you melt.
She laughed, letting his  white butt comment pass.  What makes
you think I will melt, Captain? I am tougher than you think. Why, I
The Major s Wife 99
have wrestled bears, wrung the necks of wild birds, and outrun a
vicious bear, too.
Black Eagle laughed, a full rolling display of amusement, for the
first time in her presence.  I bet you have, Mrs. Sawyer. Now, sit
down. I will have to bend over you a bit, unless you want to have me
bleed all over you from hitting my head.
 Bend as you wish, Captain Grant. Now, isn t this cozy? She
snuggled down as low as she could to give him more room.  Now, tell
me about yourself, sir.
 This is hardly a tea party for small talk. I joined the army just to
avoid those things. And now, here in the middle of nowhere, in a cave
no bigger than a child s bed, you want to chat about nothing. Lord,
you are something incredible. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]