Cedar Woman (39 page)

A
Ute Prayer

Lena
s
t
o
o
d
b
e
f
o
re
t
h
e
rest
au
rant
an
d
tri
e
d
to
scr
e
w
u
p
t
h
e
c
o
u
r
a
g
e
to e
n
te
r
.
T
h
e
sign
in
t
h
e
window,
“He
l
p
W
a
nte
d
,”
see
m
ed
t
o
d
raw
h
e
r
to the
entr
a
n
ce while
push
i
n
g
her
ba
c
k
at the sa
m
e
ti
m
e.
At
age
14,
she wasn’t
s
u
re
if
s
h
e
co
u
l
d
con
v
i
n
ce
t
h
e
owner
t
h
at
s
h
e
was
q
u
alifie
d
,
b
u
t s
h
e
was
d
etermi
n
ed
to do
so.

The
ad
vance
m
ent
o
f
a
n
old
e
r
w
o
m
an,
a
l
o
ok
o
f
p
ur
pose u
po
n
her face,
propelled
Lena
thr
o
ugh
the
doors.
If
t
h
ere
was
to
be
co
m
p
etition, she
ne
e
d
ed to
plead
h
e
r case
first.

S
h
e saw
t
h
e w
o
m
an
p
ass
t
h
e e
n
tra
n
ce,
and
felt
a
little
f
oo
lis
h
, u
n
til she
realized
t
h
at
she
was
finally
in
the
restaur
a
nt,
and
was
the
only per
so
n
t
h
e
re.
She
relax
e
d
fo
r
a
m
inu
t
e,
w
a
lked
t
o
a
s
m
all
table,
an
d
sat d
ow
n
.
T
a
k
in
g
a
deep
brea
t
h,
she
lo
ok
e
d
a
r
o
un
d
,
cal
m
i
ng
her
ne
r
v
es
as s
h
e
p
r
e
p
ar
e
d
t
o
c
o
n
v
i
n
ce
t
h
e
o
w
n
e
r
t
hat
sh
e
was just
the
right
p
e
rson
for t
h
e jo
b
.

Le
n
a
first
n
o
ticed
t
h
e
esta
b
lis
h
m
ent
when she
decid
e
d
to
go
on
a
s
m
a
ll
adven
t
ur
e
.
Sh
e
q
u
ic
k
ly
coax
e
d
h
e
r
f
r
ie
n
d
N
i
ck
ie
G
r
e
e
n
e
to
wa
l
k
to the
down
t
own
area with
h
e
r
as a way
to
s
p
e
n
d
a
su
nny Saturday. N
i
ckie’s
o
n
e
o
b
jecti
o
n
was
t
h
e
tw
o-
plus
m
ile
walk
f
rom t
h
e
s
o
uth
end
of C
o
l
u
m
bus,
b
u
t Lena
w
on
ou
t
,
and
N
i
ckie
a
d
m
i
tted
t
h
at
she
had
actually e
n
j
o
yed t
h
eir
wal
k
.

Lena
w
a
nt
e
d
to
see
t
h
e
City Center, wh
ic
h op
e
n
e
d
rec
e
ntl
y
.
Stories of
t
h
e
m
any s
t
ores
an
d
res
ta
u
r
a
n
t
s,
t
h
e g
l
ass
elevato
r
,
whi
ch
t
ran
sp
or
t
ed pat
r
ons
f
r
om
the
first,
t
h
e
s
e
co
n
d
a
nd
t
h
i
r
d
flo
o
rs,
i
n
t
r
i
gu
ed
t
h
e
yo
u
n
g g
i
r
l
.

Le
n
a
p
a
rtic
u
larly
en
jo
yed
wal
k
i
n
g
throu
g
h
t
h
e
restaura
n
t
s,
which
p
op
u
lated
t
h
e
g
a
r
g
a
n
t
u
an
c
o
m
p
le
x
. Quietly as
k
i
n
g
per
m
issi
on
,
she

strolled
t
h
rough
ea
c
h
s
p
ace,
taking
note of
f
a
brics,
layout,
seating
a
n
d
a
m
biance.
Th
ere was
a qui
c
ken
i
ng
w
i
t
h
in
h
er
yo
u
ng
breast,
a feeli
n
g
of excite
m
ent.
How
ex
hilarating
it
wou
l
d
be
t
o
own
s
u
ch
a
place,
pr
e
p
are
g
ood foo
d
, and prese
n
t it
t
o
the p
ub
lic.