Savage Summer (2 page)

“She will get over it,” he stated stubbornly. “This summer
will be good for her. I think perhaps we have spoiled her by always allowing her to have her way. She may learn humility by being with the Blackfoot people. The Blackfoot respect a person for his worth and not for his social position.”

Tag sat down in a stiff horsehair chair and pulled Alexandria into his lap. “What is the troubled frown I see on your face?” he asked.

“It’s nothing,” she said, turning her head away. “I was just wondering if you ever miss living with the Blackfoot. I know you grew up in the Indian village. Do you ever regret returning to Philadelphia?”

“Of course not.” He forced her to look at him. “There’s more on your mind than you are saying. Tell me what’s really troubling you.”

“I…it’s just that I was wondering if you ever think about Danielle’s mother, Morning Song. We never talk about her anymore.”

“You are wondering if I still love her?”

“Yes, I suppose.”

Taking Alexandria’s chin firmly in his hand, he forced her to meet his eyes. “The man who loved Morning Song no longer exists. When she was killed and I was driven by hatred to avenge her death, you helped me find my way. It was the boy in me that loved Morning Song—she was the love of my youth. You are the true love of my life, and the one I will grow old beside.”

“But you did love her.”

“Yes, but she is no more than a fleeting dream. I do regret, however, that Danielle never knew her mother.”

Alexandria felt the sting of his words in the depth of her heart. She had come to think of Danielle as her own daughter, and it was hard sometimes to realize Danielle hadn’t been born of her own body. She was saddened by the fact that Tag was sending her away for the summer. Danielle had never liked to hear about her mother’s people; it was almost cruel to make her spend the summer with them.

“Danielle is going to be very unhappy, Tag. She’s cried almost daily for weeks.”

“Be that as it may, the plans are made and I will not back out now. You will like getting to know Sky Dancer. She is a lovely young girl. You will be astounded when you see how much she resembles Danielle.”

Alexandria sighed unhappily, and laid her head against Tag’s shoulder. “I pray this will not end in disaster. Danielle can be very strong-minded when she wants to be.”

He tilted her chin up again and smiled down at her. “Yes, in that she is not unlike you. The two women in my life keep me up to scratch.”

Alexandria tugged playfully at his hair. “We have to look sharp to keep up with you, Taggart James.”

His deep laughter was silenced as she pulled his head down to receive her kiss. He sighed contentedly as she melted against him. He had not erased her concern, but he had caused her to put it out of her mind for the moment.

The forest was sweltering after the morning rain that had moved across the valley. It was now early afternoon and the steamy heat was almost unbearable. A noisy bluebird chattered from its perch high in the branches of a tall oak tree, scolding the young girl who had invaded its sanctuary.

Sky Dancer was oblivious to her surroundings. She pushed a strand of ebony hair away from her face and plucked at the scarlet-colored ribbon which was laced across the bodice of her gown. Her heart felt heavy as she raised her head to gaze across the meadow at the five tipis that had been erected beneath the canopy of bright blue sky.

This land was alien to the Indian girl. She yearned for the green valley and the high mountains of her home. She was frightened of what tomorrow would bring. She would be leaving her mother and father to travel to the hub of the white world.

The young girl spotted an unknown variety of crimson-colored wildflowers and absentmindedly bent down to pluck
one of the delicate blossoms. Raising the flower to her nose, she found it to have a pleasant aroma. Sitting down amid the tall thick blades of grass, her eyes moved over the unfamiliar countryside.

Sky Dancer knew she was unlike the other maidens of the tribe, because she didn’t look like an Indian. Her hair was as dark as midnight, but her eyes were startlingly blue in color. Her skin was not bronzed like the other Blood Blackfoot, but instead was a soft ivory color. She was as much a child of her white mother as she was of her Indian father.

Plucking the petals from the flower, she allowed her mind to wander. She had missed her brother and wished he was going with her to Philadelphia. Maybe if he were with her, she wouldn’t be so frightened. Shaking her head she knew Little Hawk wouldn’t be returning until after winter covered the land. It seemed this year would be filled with change for her as well as her brother. She missed Little Hawk because they had always been so close. She knew that if he were here he would understand how lost she was feeling.

Sky Dancer caught a glimpse of movement in front of one of the tipis. There were a dozen Blackfoot warriors who had traveled with her family for protection. She saw her good friend Wolfrunner and waved to him. Sky Dancer’s father and Wolfrunner’s father had grown up together, and their families were very close. Sky Dancer loved Wolfrunner as she would a brother—she was glad he had been chosen to come with them. Her attention was drawn to the main tipi and she watched as her mother walked toward her.

Sky Dancer felt a lump in her throat, thinking about being separated from her family. As her mother drew near, Sky Dancer could see her red-gold hair gleaming in the midday sunlight. Flaming Hair, she was called affectionately by the Blackfoot tribe. She was so lovely that Sky Dancer could easily see how her father had chosen her as his one and only wife. Many of the Blackfoot warriors had several wives, but her father wanted no one but his Flaming Hair.

The young Indian maiden always liked to hear her mother tell about how she had met and fallen in love with Sky Dancer’s father. Flaming Hair’s white name had been Joanna James. Sometimes, when the family was alone, Sky Dancer’s father would still call her mother Joanna.

“What a pretty picture you make nestled among the lovely wildflowers, Sky Dancer,” Joanna said, sitting down beside her daughter. She looked into the young girl’s blue eyes, catching a glimpse of sadness and uncertainty. Taking Sky Dancer’s hand in hers, Joanna squeezed it, and gave her daughter a reassuring smile.

“There is no need to be disturbed by your visit to your Uncle Tag’s home. I promise that you will have a most enjoyable summer. Before you know it the time will pass and you will be back home.”

Sky Dancer looked away from her mother and fixed her eyes on the distant horizon. “I am frightened of that which I do not understand. I do not think I will like the white world, my mother.”

“Speak in English, Sky Dancer,” her mother urged gently. “Your English is very good, so you must not forget and speak in Blackfoot when you reach Philadelphia.”

“Tell me again about Philadelphia. I have read many books and seen pictures of the town, but I cannot imagine what it will be like.”

Joanna slipped her arm about her daughter’s shoulder, knowing what she was feeling. She would miss her, but she must think what was best for her daughter and take comfort in the fact that it would broaden her education.

“I haven’t been back since I was seventeen, two years younger than you are now. I am sure it has changed a great deal since that time. We have talked on this before, and you will remember all that I have told you. You will be able to carry yourself well, because you have been taught the ways of the white man since you were small.”

“Yes, but could I not go next year? I do not want to leave you and Father at this time. You have said there is unrest in
the white world. Would it not be better to go when the war is ended?”

“Your father has said the rumor is that the war is growing to a close.”

“Do you think I will make friends in Philadelphia, my mother?”

Joanna knew many of the young warriors of the tribe had begun to show an interest in marrying Sky Dancer. So far her daughter had shown no preference for any of the warriors who had paid her marked attention. Joanna had decided long ago that her daughter would know both the white and Indian world before she made a decision to settle down to being a wife and mother.

“I believe everyone you meet will love you, Sky Dancer. How could they not? You are a sweet, lovely young girl. You speak English as well, if not better, than most white people.” Joanna smiled. “You have a charming accent, I might add.”

Suddenly Sky Dancer reached for her mother’s hand and held it to her cheek. “I have never understood why you were so insistent that I learn to speak the white man’s tongue. Nor do I know why I had to learn how to act like a proper white lady. Although I am half white, I feel like a full-blood Blackfoot.”

Joanna looked into the blue eyes of her young daughter. There were many things she couldn’t tell her daughter. Sky Dancer was not like her friends. In many ways she was more white than Indian, though she didn’t know it yet. Joanna wanted her to be able to compare the two cultures, so she could decide where her future lay. Joanna hoped her daughter would choose the Indian world and return to her and Windhawk, but Sky Dancer had to be allowed to make that choice for herself.

“Time has a way of passing, my daughter. If it is God’s will that you come back to your father and me, I will feel joy. If you are fated to stay in the white world, then I will understand and accept this also.”

Sky Dancer knew that her mother’s heart was breaking at the thought of her going away. She knew how difficult it was for her mother to send her to Philadelphia. In that moment Sky Dancer decided not to cause her mother further anguish. She would go, if not with a happy heart, at least without complaining. After all, she would be back home before winter set in.

“I will go to this place that was once your home, my mother. I will learn all that I can so you will be proud of me. But I will be home before the first snowflakes fall,” she said with conviction.

Joanna merely nodded. “How much do you remember about the trip we took to St. Louis when you were five, Sky Dancer?”

“I remember only that it was a big noisy place that frightened me. There were many white men there with hair on their faces like Farley.”

“Do you remember meeting your cousin Danielle?”

“No, but everyone said we looked very much alike, although I cannot remember her at all.”

“That’s understandable since you were both very young the last time you met. As you know, I will be taking Danielle home with me. Like you, she is half Indian, and her father wishes her to know about her Indian heritage. I am sure she is feeling every bit as apprehensive as you at this moment.”

“Tell me again how you and my Uncle Tag were rescued by my father,” Sky Dancer urged.

Joanna got a far away look in her eyes as if she were remembering. She knew Sky Dancer had heard the story many times before, but she never seemed to tire of hearing it. “As you know, Sky Dancer, your Uncle Tag and I were traveling on a wagon train which was heading for Oregon country. Our mother had died and we were on our way to join our father.” Joanna paused and smiled at her daughter. “The first time I saw your father, the wagon train was camped beside the Platt River in what is known to you as Sioux country. He and many of his warriors were meeting at the
trading post to hold games and contests with the Piegan Blackfoot.”

“The chief of the Piegan saw you and wanted to take you away, didn’t he?” Sky Dancer asked eagerly.

“Yes. He raided the train and killed almost everyone. He left me for dead, but took Tag as his prisoner. Later, your father heard about the raid and found me among the wreckage of our wagon. I was injured, so he nursed me back to health and took me to his village.”

“At that time you thought he was responsible for the raid and you thought my uncle was dead.”

Joanna smiled as her daughter helped her tell the story she’d heard many times. “Yes, that’s true. Tag was only twelve years old at that time and he suffered greatly at the hands of the Piegan chief, Running Elk. Later, your father discovered that Tag was alive and rescued him from Running Elk.”

“Father said he loved you from the first moment he saw you. He told me he knew you would one day be his wife.”

Joanna laughed. “Oh, yes, your father can be very persuasive when he wants something.”

“You married my father and later, when Uncle Tag was older, he married my father’s sister, Morning Song.”

“This is true. Tag and Morning Song had been married less than two years when she was killed by two white men. Before she died, Morning Song gave birth to Danielle.”

“My uncle was enraged and went to Philadelphia to find the ones who were responsible for Morning Song’s death,” Sky Dancer supplied. “He avenged her death. That’s when he met and married Aunt Alexandria.”

“That’s right. He decided to stay in Philadelphia, but not before he came back to the Blackfoot village for his daughter. That’s why Danielle was raised as a white girl. Can’t you see how important it is that you spend time with your Uncle Tag and Aunt Alexandria? It is also important that Danielle come to know her mother’s people.”

“Why did Danielle have to be raised as white, my mother?”

Joanna took a deep breath, knowing that would be a hard question to answer. Sky Dancer had never before faced prejudice. It would be hard for her to understand how the white race scorned its red brothers. “There are many things I have taught you about the white world, Sky Dancer. I have neglected to tell you that the white man does not love the Indian. That is why you will change your name while you are in Philadelphia. While you are staying with your Uncle Tag, you will go by the name of Skyler Dancing—you must not forget.”

“Yes, I will remember.” Sky Dancer wrinkled her brow in thoughtfulness. “My grandmother says that the world is large enough for all men to live in peace. Is this not true of the white man?”

“Sun Woman dreams of a world where the white man and the Indian will walk in harmony. But that is not the way it is, and probably never will be, Sky Dancer. The white man despises and distrusts anyone who is different from himself. That’s one of the reasons that you must not mention that you are half Indian while you are in Philadelphia.”