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20 - Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge by Margaret Vandercook · Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge

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  Speaker 1: The Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge by Margaret Vandercook, Chapter twenty.
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  Speaker 1: Olive on the day when Jacqueline Ralston's pony ran away
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  Speaker 1: so unexpectedly and Frank Kemp commanded Olive to get out
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  Speaker 1: of danger, Olive had watched them both for a few
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  Speaker 1: minutes in a kind of daze. She had then moved
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  Speaker 1: slowly backward, keeping them both in sight, until she dimly
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  Speaker 1: saw Jack sleap from her horse. She then continued alone
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  Speaker 1: along a trail which she and Jack had traveled that morning,
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  Speaker 1: until the men and the cattle at the round up
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  Speaker 1: were entirely out of sight. Supposing that Frank and Jack
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  Speaker 1: would follow her as soon as they crossed the field,
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  Speaker 1: Olive stopped her horse. Finally, she was not looking about
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  Speaker 1: her nor thinking of anything in particular except her joy
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  Speaker 1: in Jack's safety. She heard no sound. Someone crept up
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  Speaker 1: behind her with the stealthiness possible only to an Indian.
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  Speaker 1: Suddenly felt her hands drawn behind her, and she was
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  Speaker 1: forcibly dragged from her horse two or three times only.
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  Speaker 1: She cried for help, but before she could do more,
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  Speaker 1: a handkerchief was tied tightly about her lips, and she
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  Speaker 1: was half dragged and half carried to one of the
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  Speaker 1: very tents which she and Jacket passed that morning on
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  Speaker 1: their way to the fateful round up. Oldlaska sat stolidly
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  Speaker 1: smoking a pipe. Ugh She grunted, but her small, beady
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  Speaker 1: eyes flashed like coals in the sunlight. Although Olive was
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  Speaker 1: the last person she expected to see at such a moment,
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  Speaker 1: she took the girl from Joseph without a word and
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  Speaker 1: held her so that she could not get away. Joseph
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  Speaker 1: disappeared immediately. He must have gone to hide Olive's pony
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  Speaker 1: from sight. Olib struggled, but she could make no outcry,
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  Speaker 1: and in a little while Laska bound her so that
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  Speaker 1: she could scarcely move. The girl was a captive inside
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  Speaker 1: the tent at the moment when Frank Kent and Jack
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  Speaker 1: passed it unheeding on their return to Rainbow Lodge. The
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  Speaker 1: Indian woman and her son had not thought to capture
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  Speaker 1: Olive at such a time and place, but they had
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  Speaker 1: vowed to get hold of her by any means they could.
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  Speaker 1: From the instant Joseph discovered that Olive had come to
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  Speaker 1: the round up, he had not lost sight of her,
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  Speaker 1: and when he found her alone, he was ready all afternoon,
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  Speaker 1: she lay in the tightly closed tent with Laska, neither
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  Speaker 1: one of the women moving, Olive being in a stupor
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  Speaker 1: from terror and pain, by and bye. When the dusk fell,
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  Speaker 1: Joseph appeared silently at the tent entrance, leading Olive's pony
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  Speaker 1: and a horse for his mother. He bound Olive to
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  Speaker 1: her horse, and the two women set off across the prairies.
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  Speaker 1: Alaska with her bundle across her back and two jugs
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  Speaker 1: of water swung over her saddle. Through all the long
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  Speaker 1: cold night, Laska traveled across the barren plain with her
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  Speaker 1: hand on OL's bridle. At first there were shadowy fences
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  Speaker 1: that marked the division of one ranch from another. These
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  Speaker 1: were soon lost, and the way lay through a trackless waste,
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  Speaker 1: unbroken by a trail of man or animal. Laska had
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  Speaker 1: gone into the desert, where there was no drop of
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  Speaker 1: pure water. In the morning, the Indian woman rested, built
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  Speaker 1: a fire, untied Olive and fetter. Knowing that if the
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  Speaker 1: girl ran away from her now she would not be
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  Speaker 1: able to go back the way they had come. She
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  Speaker 1: must be lost and could not fail to perish from
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  Speaker 1: hunger and thirst. Still, Laska guarded her closely. On the
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  Speaker 1: morning of the third day of their journeying, Olive saw
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  Speaker 1: on the far horizon some curling wreaths of smoke. Nearer
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  Speaker 1: there were a few lean horses grazing on the scanty
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  Speaker 1: sage grass. A dozen Indian teepees were set up in
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  Speaker 1: what seemed a small oasis in the desert. She knew
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  Speaker 1: that Laska had brought her to the winter quarters of
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  Speaker 1: a small band of Indians who would not stay in
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  Speaker 1: a village overlooked and regulated by the United States government.
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  Speaker 1: These Indians lived the old nomad life, wandering from place
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  Speaker 1: to place, setting up their tents like gypsies where were
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  Speaker 1: they could remain unblessed, Olive almost gave up hope. Here
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  Speaker 1: in the wilderness, she would never come in contact with
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  Speaker 1: any one from the outside world. When the spring came,
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  Speaker 1: the Indians would gather up their belongings and wander farther away,
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  Speaker 1: taking her with them where she could have no chance
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  Speaker 1: of return. Laska and Olive had a tent of their own.
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  Speaker 1: In it they lived for some time, rarely speaking to
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  Speaker 1: one another. Nobody was unkind to her, and for some
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  Speaker 1: reason Laska left her alone. It was growing bitterly cold,
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  Speaker 1: and the old woman used to sit smoking all day
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  Speaker 1: by the fire, either in her own wigwam or one
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  Speaker 1: near by. She did not try to watch Olive, knowing
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  Speaker 1: that she could not get away. Laska had told her
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  Speaker 1: that she should never leave the Indians again, that they
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  Speaker 1: would return no more to the neighborhood of the white men,
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  Speaker 1: and Olive seemed quietly to accept her fate. Even Alaska,
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  Speaker 1: who had trained the girl in her own school of silence,
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  Speaker 1: was deceived by her. She thought that Olive no longer
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  Speaker 1: cared enough to go back to dare the perils of
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  Speaker 1: the trip. At first, it did appear utterly impossible to Olive.
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  Speaker 1: She had not the faintest idea in what direction she
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  Speaker 1: Alaska had traveled, and on arriving among the Indians, her
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  Speaker 1: pony had been taken away from her. She had no
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  Speaker 1: food except the little bit she was allowed each day,
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  Speaker 1: barely enough to live on, and knew that at any
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  Speaker 1: time now the swift and bitter snowstorms of the prairies
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  Speaker 1: might fall. Any traveler caught out in one of them
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  Speaker 1: would surely perish and not be found until the snow melted.
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  Speaker 1: There were many hours when Olive thought she would run
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  Speaker 1: away anyhow and take whatever fate came to her. But
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  Speaker 1: the memory of Jack and Jean, and frieda cousin, Ruth,
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  Speaker 1: and Rainbow Lodge sustained her. A little time before, and
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  Speaker 1: she had not known any happiness. Now, the thought of
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  Speaker 1: the joy she would feel if she ever got home
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  Speaker 1: again gave her patience and courage to wait. Few of
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  Speaker 1: the older Indians paid much attention to the captive. Whatever
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  Speaker 1: story Alaska had told them, they had accepted without question.
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  Speaker 1: They spoke very little English and rarely stirred, except when
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  Speaker 1: the men went off on long hunting expeditions to return
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  Speaker 1: with whatever dear they managed to slay. Olive had only
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  Speaker 1: one friend, one person with whom she talked in the
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  Speaker 1: week she spent in the Indian camp. This was Carlos,
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  Speaker 1: a young Indian boy about twelve years old. He was
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  Speaker 1: as slender and straight as a young pine tree, the
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  Speaker 1: fastest runner, the best brighter and shot in the tribe.
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  Speaker 1: She had paid little attention to the boy at first,
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  Speaker 1: but he followed her like a shadow. Often when she
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  Speaker 1: came out of her tent, she would find him sitting
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  Speaker 1: like a brown image on the cold ground. The boy
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  Speaker 1: was like an Eskimaux and appeared to feel neither hunger
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  Speaker 1: nor frost. One day, Olive set out for a walk.
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  Speaker 1: She did not wish Carlos to go with her, But
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  Speaker 1: before she had gone many rods, the boy appeared at
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  Speaker 1: her side and quietly marched beside her, looking neither to
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  Speaker 1: the right nor the left. Go back, Carlos, Olive commanded. Quietly.
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  Speaker 1: The boy shook his head. You traveled not alone over
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  Speaker 1: the prairies. You do not know your way, he answered, stolidly.
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  Speaker 1: Olive's patience gave out. She seized the boy by the shoulders.
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  Speaker 1: Tears came into her soft black eyes, and her face quivered.
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  Speaker 1: You are hired to spy on me, Carlos, she said, accusingly.
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  Speaker 1: I thought I had one friend in you. Again, Carlos
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  Speaker 1: shook his head. Why should I spile on you? He asked,
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  Speaker 1: What is it you would do? Then Olive told the
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  Speaker 1: boy what had happened to her. Very quietly, he listened.
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  Speaker 1: I knew you were not of our people, he answered.
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  Speaker 1: I will find the way for you to get back home.
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  Speaker 1: You are a woman and timid. Have faith in me.
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  Speaker 1: Alice smiled, and from this day she called the Indian
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  Speaker 1: boy little brother, but she had no hope of his
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  Speaker 1: helping her, and she saw him far less often. Carlos
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  Speaker 1: was away from the camp nearly every day, returning with
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  Speaker 1: rabbits that he shot on the plains. Olive saw him
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  Speaker 1: drying the skins, and sometimes he brought her their meat
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  Speaker 1: to eat, but he never referred to his promise to
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  Speaker 1: show her a way of escape from the Indian camp.
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  Speaker 1: The days were long, but the nights were far longer,
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  Speaker 1: and the long twilights the saddest time of all. Olive
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  Speaker 1: sat often in the tent alone. One evening, Alaska had
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  Speaker 1: departed earlier than usual to the wigwam of a neighboring Squaw,
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  Speaker 1: and Olive was huddled up on the dry grass in
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  Speaker 1: front of their fire, trying to keep from freezing. The
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  Speaker 1: air was filled with smoke. The girl looked scornfully at
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  Speaker 1: the two beds of straw covered with coarse Indian blankets
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  Speaker 1: where she and Indian Alaska slept. Before her eyes came
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  Speaker 1: the vision of the splendid living room at Rainbow Lodge.
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  Speaker 1: She could see the Branch girls and their cousin before
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  Speaker 1: the great fire, and wondered if they ever thought of
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  Speaker 1: her now. Olive did not know how long a time
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  Speaker 1: had passed since she was stolen. Sticking out from under
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  Speaker 1: Laska's bed was the bundle which she had borne on
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  Speaker 1: her back across the plains. Until this moment. She had
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  Speaker 1: kept it hidden from Olive except during their trip, when
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  Speaker 1: she had gotten their food from it. Olive was not
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  Speaker 1: particularly interested in her discovery, but it occurred to her
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  Speaker 1: that this bag might have something to eat in it,
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  Speaker 1: which would aid her if she could manage to get away.
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  Speaker 1: She drew out the dirty sheepskin bag and thrust her
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  Speaker 1: hand into it, shuddering at the things she touched. There
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  Speaker 1: were some odd bits of soiled clothing and a small
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  Speaker 1: package tied up in an old red cotton handkerchief. Olive
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  Speaker 1: had seen the package and the handkerchief before in Alaska's
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  Speaker 1: hut in the village, but she had never been interested
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  Speaker 1: to find out what it contained. Tonight, she cared for
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  Speaker 1: anything that would break the monotony of the long hours
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  Speaker 1: ahead of her. Olive looked cautiously at the tent opening.
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  Speaker 1: The place was entirely still. There was not a sound
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  Speaker 1: the lonely teepee save the blowing of the winter winds
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  Speaker 1: across the desert. The girl crawled to a spot where
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  Speaker 1: the fire cast its brightest glow. Patiently she worked at
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  Speaker 1: the hard knots in the handkerchief. There was a roll
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  Speaker 1: of money in it, tied up with a cord. Olive
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  Speaker 1: tossed the money impatiently aside. What use was money to
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  Speaker 1: her in this wild land? Olive had known always Alaska
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  Speaker 1: got money from some unknown source. She always had more
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  Speaker 1: than the other Indians in their village, and Jack had
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  Speaker 1: explained to Olive that this money was sent to Alaska
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  Speaker 1: for taking care of her. Olive searched for a bit
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  Speaker 1: of paper, something to show from what place or from
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  Speaker 1: whom this money came, but there was no scrap of
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  Speaker 1: anything of that sort. Beside the money, there was a
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  Speaker 1: small box in the handkerchief. It was of delicate carved
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  Speaker 1: wood and smelled very sweet. Olive saw at once that
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  Speaker 1: the carving had never been made by Indians. It was
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  Speaker 1: far too fine. She was so intent on opening this
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  Speaker 1: box that she did not hear a stealthy noise just
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  Speaker 1: outside her tent. The lid of the sandalwood chest slid
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  Speaker 1: gently off. Inside Olive beheld some trinkets which she knew
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  Speaker 1: in a moment of swift rapture must belong to her.
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  Speaker 1: One was a curiously wrought old silver chain with a
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  Speaker 1: beautiful cross hanging from it. A watch large enough to
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  Speaker 1: belong to man, had a girl's picture painted in it,
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  Speaker 1: which made Olive catch her breath. The picture, she knew,
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  Speaker 1: looked like her, only it was far lovelier. This girl
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  Speaker 1: had the same brilliant yet soft black eyes, the same straight,
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  Speaker 1: glossy hair, and the deep olive coloring. She was not
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  Speaker 1: an American, but Olive knew there was no trace of
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  Speaker 1: Indian blood in this woman. Whenever Indian blood ran on
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  Speaker 1: Olive's veins, she guessed she must have inherited from her father.
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  Speaker 1: Beside the watch and chain, the carved box held but
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  Speaker 1: one more treasure. It was a little book, about four
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  Speaker 1: inches square, written in a language that Olive could not understand.
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  Speaker 1: The noise at the dead opening grew more distinct. Some
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  Speaker 1: one was peering through a tiny opening, yet Olive seemed
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  Speaker 1: to have neither eyes nor ears. Her face was flushed
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  Speaker 1: with happiness, and she held the odd, sweet smelling box
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  Speaker 1: close against her cheek. Some one entered the tent. At last,
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  Speaker 1: Olive awakened and springing to her feet, thrust her treasures
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  Speaker 1: inside her dress. With her eyes flaming, she turned to
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  Speaker 1: face her enemy. For Olive had not lived all her
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  Speaker 1: life among nearly savage people without learning something from them.
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  Speaker 1: She meant to fight now to save her possessions, as
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  Speaker 1: the real Indian girl would have fought to the last
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  Speaker 1: moment of her strength. But instead of the ugly face
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  Speaker 1: of Oldlaska staring at her, Olive saw the slight figure
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  Speaker 1: of Carlos, the Indian boy. Olive held out her treasures eagerly.
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  Speaker 1: Look what I have found, she exclaimed. I know they
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  Speaker 1: must be mine. The Indian boy regarded the pieces of
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  Speaker 1: jewelry gravely. To him, they appeared like any other trinkets
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  Speaker 1: that the Indians loved. I have come to tell you
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  Speaker 1: how you may return to your white friends, Carlos announced proudly.
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  Speaker 1: I told you that a man would find a way.
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  Speaker 1: It is only women who give up. Olive shook her
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  Speaker 1: lovely head, her thoughts still dwelling with her discovery. She
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  Speaker 1: did not understand exactly what the Indian lad said. He
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  Speaker 1: caught at her dress and pulled it impatiently. Listen, woman,
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  Speaker 1: I have found a way for you to get back
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  Speaker 1: to your ranch. Land. Do you hear me? Or is
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  Speaker 1: it that you have changed her mind? Like all women
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  Speaker 1: and do not wish to go? Olive laughed. It was
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  Speaker 1: so funny to hear this small boy take the patronizing
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  Speaker 1: tone with her that the men of his race used
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  Speaker 1: toward all women. She put her arm about him and
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  Speaker 1: drew him down on the floor by her. The flickering
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  Speaker 1: lights of the fire played on the two dark heads.
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  Speaker 1: Her hair, fine and soft as silk, is stiff and
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  Speaker 1: straight as a young colt's mane. Of course, I want
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  Speaker 1: to go back to my friends, little brother, Olive sighed,
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  Speaker 1: But let's don't talk of that to night. I want
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  Speaker 1: to be a little bit happy in thinking that I
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  Speaker 1: had found something that must once have belonged to my mother.
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  Speaker 1: But the boy would not be persuaded. We must talk
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  Speaker 1: of your getting away to night, for the time is ready,
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  Speaker 1: Carlos declared, in the solemn tone of a young Indian
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  Speaker 1: chief making ready for battle. You know I have been
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  Speaker 1: out on the prairies for many days together, and no
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  Speaker 1: one knew where or for what I had gone. I
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  Speaker 1: have wandered in many directions, seeking for the home of
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  Speaker 1: some white man. For I know that, however, much the
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  Speaker 1: Indian pretends he is in a wilderness. He is always
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  Speaker 1: to day on the border of the white man's land. Well,
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  Speaker 1: have you found a friend to help me, Olive demanded fervently.
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  Speaker 1: I have found no friend, Carlos replied, refusing to be
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  Speaker 1: hurried or disturbed. But I have found an iron trail
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  Speaker 1: that stretches across the desert. It must bring you to
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  Speaker 1: where the white people dwell. An iron trail, Olive repeated, wonderingly.
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  Speaker 1: I am afraid I don't know what you mean. The
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  Speaker 1: boy gazed at her with slow, unmoved patience. It has
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  Speaker 1: an iron carriage on it that flies along the trail
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  Speaker 1: more swiftly than any horse can run. Carlos explained. There
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  Speaker 1: is great heat and noise and smoke like a prairie fire.
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  Speaker 1: I'll have caught the boy's hand in hers. You mean
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  Speaker 1: an engine and a railroad track, don't you, little brother,
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  Speaker 1: She queried, you have seen a train somewhere out on
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  Speaker 1: the desert. You will take me to it, and somehow
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  Speaker 1: I will find people to help me to get back
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  Speaker 1: to Rainbow Lodge. I'll have flung her arms around Carlos
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  Speaker 1: and hugged him, as she might have hugged Frida. She
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  Speaker 1: poured out such a flood of questions that the boy
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  Speaker 1: was convinced he was right in his scorn of her sex.
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  Speaker 1: But he listened with deep gravity. I do not know
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  Speaker 1: all things, he replied, finally, only I have laid all
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  Speaker 1: day on the ground near the trail. I know the
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  Speaker 1: hour when the iron carriage passes over it. The walk
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  Speaker 1: is a long one, but if you will follow me,
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  Speaker 1: I will take you there. I will come for you
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  Speaker 1: to night, just before the dawn breaks. When you hear
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  Speaker 1: an owl hoot, you will know that Carlos is outside
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  Speaker 1: your door. You will creep soft, so that we may
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  Speaker 1: have several hours before Olaska wakes. I will bring food
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  Speaker 1: and the skins of many wild rabbits that I have
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  Speaker 1: sewed together in the evenings, that you may not freeze.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter twenty read by Nancy Cochrane, Gergen Gilbert, Arizona,
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  Speaker 1: October twenty seven, two thousand, twenty one.