When Red Feather's daughter wanted Mr.Gledware's life saved,it was so.And Red Feather gave them a great stretch of land,and Mr.Gledware got to be important in the tribe;he made himself one of them,and they thought him greater than their own chief.At the end of a few years,there was the great agitation over the boomers coming to the Oklahoma country,and much talk of the land being thrown open.The Indians didn't want it done,and they joined together to send some one to Washington to address congress on the subject.Mr.Gledware was such an orator that they thought him irresistible,so they selected him,and,for his fee,they collected over fifty thousand dollars.Think of it!
Of course he didn't go near Washington.It was the time of Kansas City's great boom.He went there and bought up city lots,and sold out at the right time,and that's why he's rich today.In the meantime,the Indians didn't know what had become of him,and Red Feather's daughter died from shame over her desertion--just pined away and hid herself from her people till she was starved to death.That's why Red Feather meant to kill Mr.Gledware.
When he had finished,Red Feather bent over Mr.Gledware and said to him,'Me speak all true?Tell Lahoma--me speak all true?'
And the man whispered feebly,'It is all true--don't kill me,for God's sake,don't kill me--save me,Lahoma,MY CHILD!'
I begged him not to kill the man.Red Feather said to me,'You hear how he treat my daughter!You my friend,Lahoma.You know all that,and yet you tell me not kill him?'
'I say not kill him.'
'Then you hate my daughter?'
'My mother could marry him,Red Feather,and I can beg for his life.'He shook his head.'No,Lahoma,he die;he leave my daughter to die and this hand do to him what he do to her.'
I never felt so helpless,so horribly weak and useless!There I was,only a few yards away,and the man was my stepfather;and his enemy was our friend.And not far away stood the man's big house filled with guests--among them strong men who could have overpowered dozens of Indians.But what could I do?
Then I had a thought.'Let him live,Red Feather,'I said,'but strip him of all his ill-gotten property.Turn him loose in the world without a penny;it'll be punishment enough.You can't bring back your daughter by killing him;but you can make him give up all he has in return for stealing the money from your tribe.'
I don't know why I thought of that,and I don't know why it made instant appeal to Red Feather's mind.I saw at once that he was going to consent.All he said was,'Talk to him--'But I knew what he meant.
So I crossed the room and looked down at the man.'Mr.Gledware,'I said,'are you willing to give up all your possessions in order to save your life?'
'Oh,yes,'he gasped.'A thousand times,yes!God bless you,Lahoma!''You will deed all your property away from you?And surrender all that you own,money,bonds,stocks and so forth?'
'My God,yes,yes!'he wailed.'Save me--only save me,Lahoma!'I looked at Red Feather.'Shall he make it all over to you?'
Red Feather shook his head.'Me not want his money.Let him give all to Red Flower,the daughter him not see since he stole our money and desert his wife.'
'Yes,yes,yes,'moaned Mr.Gledware,'I'll give everything to her--I'll make over everything to her in the morning,so help me God--if you spare my life,she shall have everything.'
All this time Red Feather had never moved his knee from the man's breast.Now he rose and pointed toward the East.'The morning will come,'he said solemnly.'If you keep your word--well!If you try fool Red Feather--if you keep back one piece of money,one clod of earth--'He wheeled about so suddenly with his drawn knife that I thought he was plunging it into the man's heart.It shot down like lightning,but stopped short just before the edge of the blade touched the miserable coward.
Mr.Gledware sobbed and gasped and choked,swearing that he would keep his word,and assuring us that,if he broke it,death would be too good for him.But what he will do when he thinks him-self safe--that's another thing!I know his life is as secure as mine,if he is true to his promise.But if he breaks it--well,we know Red Feather!Do you think Mr.
Gledware will keep his word?Or will he wait to see whether or not Red Kimball rids him of the Indian?I believe he'll be afraid to wait.But as soon as he's calm,it will be like death for him to give up all he owns.That will mean giving up Annabel,too.
It hasn't been an hour since I came back to my room.When Red Feather slipped away,the only thing I asked Mr.Gledware was my mother's maiden name,and the place where her people lived.I'm going to leave here in the morning.I'm coming back where there's room enough to turn around in,and air enough to breathe,where men speak the truth because they don't care who's who,and shoot quick and straight when they have to.I'm coming back where money's mighty scarce and love's as free and boundless as Heaven,where good books are few and true hearts are many.Yes,I'm coming back to the West,and if the winds don't blow all the sand away,under the sand I expect to be buried.But I want to live until I'm buried.People have made the big world as it is,--well they are welcome to it;but God has made the cove as it is,and it's for Me and Brick and Bill.
Good night.Lahoma.
Just the three of us:just Me and Brick and Bill:ONE-TWO-THREE!There's oceans of room out in the big world for everything and everybody.
But in the cove,there's room just for Me And Brick And Bill.
