Cedar Woman (9 page)

“
I
cannot
go
in
a
wif
e
’s place.
W
e
do
not
know
what accom
m
odations
this
far
m
er
is
provi
d
ing.”
She
gazed
l
ov
i
ngly
at
her so
n
,
a
nd plac
e
d
a
car
e-
w
o
rn hand
on
his
sh
ou
l
de
r
.
“Besi
d
es,”
she add
e
d, “it
is
t
i
me
I
bec
a
m
e
a
g
ra
n
d
m
o
t
h
er.
C
h
a
⁷
!
I
am 4
1
!
I
m
u
st
see
m
y
g
ran
d
c
h
ildren
b
ef
o
re I
d
ie.”
Re
v
a
t
u
r
n
ed
to
stir
a
b
ub
b
ling
p
o
t
of
rab
b
it s
t
ew,
her
wo
o
d
en
sp
o
o
n
b
a
ng
i
ng aga
i
nst
t
h
e
s
i
des
of
t
h
e
ca
st
-
i
r
o
n vesse
l
.

Lo
ok
i
n
g o
v
er
h
er sh
ou
l
d
er, s
h
e ad
d
e
d
,
“I will send
a letter to Tanks
a
⁸
in
Crow
Cree
k
.
Per
h
aps
El
d
e
r
Sister
will
k
n
ow a
g
i
rl
who
is stro
n
g and relia
b
le.
We
will
see w
h
at
Wa
k
a
n
Tan
k
a
h
as in
st
o
re.”

_{Reva’s
sister
a
n
sw
e
r
e
d p
r
o
m
ptl
y
:}

“
Oh
a
n
,
⁹
yes, C
u
wayla
,
¹⁰
I
h
av
e a
y
ou
n
g g
i
rl here
wh
o
w
i
l
l be
a pe
r
fect
c
hoice.
S
h
e
is t
h
e d
a
u
g
hter
o
f
a
go
o
d
f
rie
n
d
of
m
ine.
S
h
e hel
p
s
h
er
m
o
t
h
er
w
ith
t
h
e
yo
u
n
g
er
c
h
ild
r
en,
s
h
e
is
a
go
o
d
coo
k
,
is
n
eat
a
n
d clean,
a
n
d
she
do
e
s
n
’t
bite
h
e
r
nails.
After
l
o
n
g
m
editation,
h
e
r
m
o
t
h
er has
t
o
l
d
h
e
r
t
h
at
she
w
is
h
es
h
er
to
m
arry
y
our
so
n,
a
n
d
M
ary
has
a
g
re
e
d
. S
h
e
is
an
o
b
edie
n
t
d
au
gh
ter. S
h
e
will
arri
v
e
on
t
h
e
b
u
s
o
n
Mon
d
ay
at

3
:
00
in t
h
e
afte
r
no
o
n. Ta
n
k
sa.”

Ha
n
d
i
n
g
t
h
e
brief
m
iss
i
ve
to
h
e
r
s
o
n,
R
eva
T
wo
Str
i
kes
n
od
d
e
d
. “Cha,
n
o
w
yo
u
see.
Y
o
u
w
i
ll
have
yo
u
r
h
el
p
er,
an
d
I
w
i
ll
have
m
y gr
an
dchi
ld
re
n.
”

⁵
_{Ee-nuh
-
Mot
h
er}

⁶
Used
to
request
or
give
ag
r
eement

⁷
_{C
h
a
–
Sha
–
a
f
orm
of
interjection}

⁸
_{Donk-shah
–
bi
g sister}

⁹
_{Oh-hanj
-
Yes}

¹⁰
Chew-w
a
y
-
l
ah,
Lit
t
le
Sister

M
ary
had been
a
t
i
mi
d,
so
l
e
m
n
,
yet
sweet
child,
who
alwa
y
s
stayed near h
e
r
m
o
t
h
er,
c
a
usi
n
g
t
h
e conc
er
ned p
a
r
e
nt
to de
s
p
air
o
f
h
e
r d
a
u
g
hter e
v
er
b
ec
o
m
i
n
g
i
nd
e
p
e
nd
e
n
t
,
un
til
o
n
e
d
ay,
as
s
h
e
was
s
t
rin
g
ing
b
ea
n
s,
M
ary
as
usual at
her
feet,
R
om
a
Br
i
ngs
t
h
e
C
o
r
n
F
o
o
l
s
B
ul
l
obse
r
v
e
d
t
h
e c
h
ild
staring
up
i
n
to
t
h
e
sk
y
.
As
if
by
magic,
a
single
eagle
feath
e
r
l
and
e
d
u
p
o
n
h
er
ti
n
y
nos
e
.
The
ch
il
d
l
au
g
h
e
d
a
l
o
u
d,
and
li
f
tin
g
t
h
e s
i
ng
l
e
f
e
ather
i
n
o
n
e,
ch
u
b
by f
i
s
t
,
w
a
v
e
d
i
t
i
n
t
h
e
a
i
r
as
i
f
t
o sa
y
,
“
W
o
p
ila,
¹¹
t
h
ank y
o
u f
o
r t
h
e
g
ift
!
”