turned
to go.
Sees Far grasped his arm. “Every spring, I will
wait for you at the sacred waterfall.”
“Why?” Anger edged Flynn’s voice.
Sees Far was silent a long time. “I think you will
be a bridge between the two peoples. Because you can’t belong to either one.”
Flynn’s breath caught. Slowly, he nodded. He put
on his hat and started toward his horse.
“What will you do, Eagle Heart?”
Flynn turned back to his brother. “I will scout for
a wagon train.”
Anger darkened Sees Far’s face. “They are
destroying our way of life.”
Flynn nodded. “I know. But Sam is a good man, and
I think I can help. I can keep the travelers from killing for sport. I can
keep them from taking more than they need from the land.”
Sees Far shut his eyes and drew several deep
breaths. When he opened his eyes again, his face was calm. He nodded. “Yes,
I think you will be a bridge between the two peoples.”
Flynn regarded his stepbrother solemnly. “And I
think you will be a better chief than our father. You do not act in anger.”
Sees Far nodded back. “Thank you.” He took Flynn’s
hand in the way of the Lakota. “Be well, my brother.” He swung up onto his
pony’s back and rode away.
Flynn watched him for a long time. Then, he mounted
Scout and turned away from his father’s body.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Three weeks later, he rode into St. Jo. The town
had grown since the last time he was there. There was a fancy hotel and three
churches. He stopped in front of Mrs. Hamilton’s boarding house. It was a
large white-washed house with gingerbread trim along the gables and a
porch that wrapped around the house. He climbed the steps to the porch and
rang the bell.
A tall, slender woman opened the door. Her hair was
as gray as Sam’s, and there were deep smile lines around her generous mouth.
She smiled at him. “You must be Flynn! Sam told to me to save a room for a
red-headed Irishman who looks like he hasn’t eaten in a month. Come in!
Come in! I’m Mrs. Hamilton.” She stepped back from the door.
“I remember you. My father brought us here, years
ago.” Flynn took off his hat and entered the house. He looked at her more
closely. “ You’re the one!”
Mrs. Hamilton blinked. “The one what?”
“The picture in the locket. The one Sam carries.”
Mrs. Hamilton’s hand went self-consciously to
her neck, and she blushed.
Flynn ducked his head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I
shouldn’t have said anything.”
Mrs. Hamilton smiled and patted his arm. “Oh, don’t
ma’am me. I’m much too young.” She winked at him. She turned and started
toward the stairs that ran up the left side of the hallway. “I put you in the
room next to Sam. It has a good view of the street, and it gets the morning
sun. Breakfast is at five. Lunch is at noon, and dinner is at seven. There’s
a jar of cookies in the kitchen if you get hungry in between, but don’t go
telling everyone. Frank Lennox will eat all of them in one sitting. There’s a
bowl of fruit in the parlor, too. Sam is down at the corral, trying to whip
the greenhorns into shape. He’ll be very glad to see you.”
Flynn followed her up the stairs. Mrs. Hamilton
opened the door to a small room. The walls were covered in wallpaper. Lace
curtains framed large windows that looked out on the street. There was a
dresser with a pitcher and washbasin on it. Flynn smiled at her. “This is a
nice room, Mrs. Hamilton, but I don’t have any money.”
“Sam paid for it in advance. Besides, you’re only
going to be here a month.” She patted his arm. “Now you go downstairs and get
your gear. At least unpack before you tell Sam that you don’t take charity,
and he tells you that it isn’t.”
Flynn laughed. “Do you read minds, Mrs. Hamilton?”
“No, but I’ve run a boarding house for a long time
now, so I
to go.
Sees Far grasped his arm. “Every spring, I will
wait for you at the sacred waterfall.”
“Why?” Anger edged Flynn’s voice.
Sees Far was silent a long time. “I think you will
be a bridge between the two peoples. Because you can’t belong to either one.”
Flynn’s breath caught. Slowly, he nodded. He put
on his hat and started toward his horse.
“What will you do, Eagle Heart?”
Flynn turned back to his brother. “I will scout for
a wagon train.”
Anger darkened Sees Far’s face. “They are
destroying our way of life.”
Flynn nodded. “I know. But Sam is a good man, and
I think I can help. I can keep the travelers from killing for sport. I can
keep them from taking more than they need from the land.”
Sees Far shut his eyes and drew several deep
breaths. When he opened his eyes again, his face was calm. He nodded. “Yes,
I think you will be a bridge between the two peoples.”
Flynn regarded his stepbrother solemnly. “And I
think you will be a better chief than our father. You do not act in anger.”
Sees Far nodded back. “Thank you.” He took Flynn’s
hand in the way of the Lakota. “Be well, my brother.” He swung up onto his
pony’s back and rode away.
Flynn watched him for a long time. Then, he mounted
Scout and turned away from his father’s body.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Three weeks later, he rode into St. Jo. The town
had grown since the last time he was there. There was a fancy hotel and three
churches. He stopped in front of Mrs. Hamilton’s boarding house. It was a
large white-washed house with gingerbread trim along the gables and a
porch that wrapped around the house. He climbed the steps to the porch and
rang the bell.
A tall, slender woman opened the door. Her hair was
as gray as Sam’s, and there were deep smile lines around her generous mouth.
She smiled at him. “You must be Flynn! Sam told to me to save a room for a
red-headed Irishman who looks like he hasn’t eaten in a month. Come in!
Come in! I’m Mrs. Hamilton.” She stepped back from the door.
“I remember you. My father brought us here, years
ago.” Flynn took off his hat and entered the house. He looked at her more
closely. “ You’re the one!”
Mrs. Hamilton blinked. “The one what?”
“The picture in the locket. The one Sam carries.”
Mrs. Hamilton’s hand went self-consciously to
her neck, and she blushed.
Flynn ducked his head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I
shouldn’t have said anything.”
Mrs. Hamilton smiled and patted his arm. “Oh, don’t
ma’am me. I’m much too young.” She winked at him. She turned and started
toward the stairs that ran up the left side of the hallway. “I put you in the
room next to Sam. It has a good view of the street, and it gets the morning
sun. Breakfast is at five. Lunch is at noon, and dinner is at seven. There’s
a jar of cookies in the kitchen if you get hungry in between, but don’t go
telling everyone. Frank Lennox will eat all of them in one sitting. There’s a
bowl of fruit in the parlor, too. Sam is down at the corral, trying to whip
the greenhorns into shape. He’ll be very glad to see you.”
Flynn followed her up the stairs. Mrs. Hamilton
opened the door to a small room. The walls were covered in wallpaper. Lace
curtains framed large windows that looked out on the street. There was a
dresser with a pitcher and washbasin on it. Flynn smiled at her. “This is a
nice room, Mrs. Hamilton, but I don’t have any money.”
“Sam paid for it in advance. Besides, you’re only
going to be here a month.” She patted his arm. “Now you go downstairs and get
your gear. At least unpack before you tell Sam that you don’t take charity,
and he tells you that it isn’t.”
Flynn laughed. “Do you read minds, Mrs. Hamilton?”
“No, but I’ve run a boarding house for a long time
now, so I
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