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But he could not bring himself to say anything kind to her, for he could not allow himself to get soft where the help was concerned.
“Get inside the house,” he grumbled, then walked past her and hurried to the privacy of his room.
He listened until he heard Jade go to her room, and then there was silence in the house.
He stared at the bed, and then at his closed door, then hurried out into the corridor and knocked on Jade’s door.
“Jade, prepare me some warm milk and be sure to put quite a bit of sleeping potion in it,” he said. “I need my rest.”
Jade came from her room in her robe and slippers and edged past him, then hurried to the kitchen.
After warming the milk, she eyed the white powder that she had been told to put in his milk. Tonight might be a good night to give him all that he had and be done with him.
But she was too afraid to try. She poured in the right amount, took the milk to him, then went back to her room.
Hugging herself, she stood at the window, contemplating her next move. Somehow, she must get away from this place.
“Soon,” she whispered. “Lee-Lee, I will come for you soon. I promise. . . .”
Chapter Twenty-one
Except for their concerns about Thunder Horse’s ailing father, happiness and contentment reigned in the village of the Fox clan.
It was the day after the hunt and all were home now . . . except for Thunder Horse; who had come home to check on his father, but seeing there was no change for the worse, had left again.
He had told Jessie that he had one more thing to do before joining those who were already celebrating the successful hunt. The women were preparing a feast around several outdoor fires. Some stood over huge kettles of soup, stirring them with their big horn spoons.
Rib roasts were piled high on wooden platters lined with arrowhead leaves and watercress. There were huge wooden bowls of cooked wild mushrooms, cane shoots, and Indian turnips.
For dessert, there was a choice of wild fruits: June berries, chokeberries, plums, and grapes. They would be eaten fresh now, but what was left after today would be dried and stored for winter.
The air was alive with music and laughter. The ailing retired chief had given everyone his blessing to enjoy the day. He said that the warriors had labored hard and deserved some time of merriment; he wished them to know that his heart was with them.
Jessie could not help feeling somewhat out of place without Thunder Horse there. His sister Sweet Willow was sitting with White Horse, while Lone Wing was with the children, enjoying his own day of freedom from his studies.
Jessie stood back and watched the camaraderie of these people. Some sang along with the solemn beating of drums. She had learned that these drums were made by stretching parchment made of deerskin over the ends of powder kegs. Each was beaten in a slow, steady cadence with a single stick.
The sound that came from these drums was portentous, whereas the lighter portable drums, made by putting parchment on
hoops five or six inches deep, and fifteen inches in diameter, had a much more pleasant sound. They played along with flutes made of sumac, and rattles made of gourd shells into which had been put the round teeth of white bass.
Several dancers, both men and women, began to move around the central fire in time with the throbbing of the music.
Everywhere feathers fluttered in the air from elaborate dance costumes. Some of the men carried painted quivers on their backs, and held lances decorated with strips of otter skin. There were also fans and banners waving in the air.
As the drums throbbed, the singers moved forward and backward, while the dancers circled, their shadows bobbing and skipping.
Then pretty little girls joined the dancers. They were dressed in soft deerskin dresses, moccasins, and leggings as white as snow.
Their long, black, shiny braids were tied with ornaments made from dyed porcupine quills strung on dyed deerskin strings. At the end of their hair strings were tassels of bright-colored feathers, which swayed as the girls danced in time with the music.
Soon many dancers and singers disbanded to complete the final preparations of the food. The children now occupied themselves with various games.
Although first the hunt, and now the partying, had gotten in the way of Lone Wing’s lessons, he had told Jessie that he had not forgotten the myth he was supposed to memorize. As he played games today, inside his head he was repeating the myth, so he would be ready to tell it, when Thunder Horse asked him.
Jessie sat down on a blanket just outside Thunder Horse’s tepee, still waiting for his arrival. Her curiosity about why he had left grew within her. Surely she would soon know why he was the only warrior, besides the sentries guarding the village, who was not there to join the fun.
Of course, she knew it must be something important that had taken him away, so she patiently waited as she tried hard not to feel so alone.
