The Lumberjack's Bride by Jean Kincaid Page B

by the river.
    Each morning they shared a warm breakfast before he went to work. She would straighten the cabin and then take the laundry down to the river.
    Her mind swept back over the events of this morning. As soon as Caleb had left for the sawmill, she’d carried the laundry to the river and before she could set the basket down, the Indian woman and her friend had shown up.
    â€œHi.” Julianne swallowed nervously. She noticed there didn’t seem as much tension as at their first meeting.
    The woman pointed to Jonathan, then pointed to herself. Julianne thought for a moment before giving her consent. The woman had asked permission this time before holding Jonathan. That showed that she had no evil intent, surely. The brave was there, too, so he could easily demand that Julianne hand over the baby, but instead he waited quietly also. Julianne reached to take Jonathan out of the sling around her neck. She noticed the flicker of relief in the brave’s eyes and the soft smile of happiness on the woman’s face.
    Jonathan began to fret as he was lifted into the other woman’s arms. She snuggled his tiny body close and breathed him in, then settled him at her breast. Julianne felt a moment of envy.
    â€œMorning. Star.”
    Julianne startled. The man gestured toward the woman. “Her name. Morning Star.”
    â€œYou speak English.” Julianne stumbled in her excitement as she stepped toward them.
    â€œLittle.” He shrugged and a tiny smile tipped up one corner of his mouth. “Name?” When she was slow to comprehend, he pointed at her and repeated, “Name?”
    â€œOh. Julianne.” She kept her words to a minimum, copying him.
    â€œJulie. Anne.” He nodded at his wife and repeated Julianne’s name to her.
    Morning Star dragged her gaze from the baby and looked at Julianne with a smile as bright as the sun. She seemed to look into Julianne’s very soul, then she nodded as if coming to some decision and said, “Friend.” She lifted Jonathan to her shoulder and patted his little back. His head wobbled back and forth till he settled against her.
    The brave wandered slowly upstream leaving the two women alone. Julianne sorted the clothes into two piles, whites and darks. The woman continued to feed Jonathan, paying little attention to Julianne. Julianne wondered what the lady did with her own baby. Did she have so much milk she needed to feed two? And what caused the look of sadness on the faces of both her and her brave? As if she sensed Julianne’s questions she burped the baby and laid him in the sling Julianne had placed in the basket after she’d dumped the clothes on the ground.
    Julianne tied the clothes bag to her leg and stepped into the water. She looked up in surprise when a splash told her Morning Star had entered the creek with her. To her utter amazement Morning Star picked up a wooden tub that Julianne hadn’t noticed before, and dipped it in the stream till it filled. She pointed to Julianne’s leg. Julianne bent to untie the bag, fairly certain that’s what the Indian woman wanted. She couldn’t help the smile pulling at her lips when Morning Star began to shave tiny flecks of soap into the tub of water.
    She watched silently as Morning Star took a thick piece of smooth wood and began to joggle the clothes up and down, round and round, till the clothes couldn’t be seen for the soap suds. She handed the stick to Julianne and ran up the bank and returned with a second bucket. She filled it full of water then began to wring out the soapy clothes. She shook out each shirt and tossed it in the clean water.
    Julianne giggled and grabbed the next load of clothes and washed them while Morning Star rinsed. In barely more than an hour all the clothes were drying on bushes and the buckets were emptied and stashed between two logs back off the bank. Julianne placed her hands on her hips and surveyed all they had