Kindred Read Online Free

the bull’s-eye brass lantern. “Children, put your hands out on the table.” It was not a pretty sight. Their palms were puffed and blood-red.
    Kindred had mostly swelling and one abraded knuckle, poor Joshua had broken skin. The fatty bed right below his thumb on his right hand was lacerated and oozing. Rozina brought the lamp closer. She inspected them as closely as the doctor. In the bright light,
    splotches of red were visible on Rozina’s clothing where Joshua had clutched her.
    “No, oh, no. He gwine pay,” Rozina said under her breath.
    “Ouch,” Joshua yelped as Dr. Twain manipulated the hand.
    “Good! No broken bones. But the broken skin is bad enough. Infection could set in. What was the man thinking? What were you children thinking?” Dr. Twain shook his head. “All this over an interrupted introduction? I will speak with Reverend Harkness.”
    “Oh. So now you gwine talk’um wid him. Wuffuh not me?” Rozina objected, the swinging of the lamp in her rigid grasp testimony of her anger.
    “Because ’Zina, my old girl.” Douglas chuckled. “You would not talk with the Reverend. Only maim him. Or worse.”
    “Yaas. Uh wud.”
    “’Zina, please place the lamp on the table. Its swaying is giving me motion sickness. Also, please get a pan of water, some lamb’s ear, soap and the yellow basilicum ointment.” Joshua was crying now. Kindred started to hug him but paused because her hands stung so much. “Kindred, hold out your hands so I can see them. “Good. Good.
    Even better. One abraded knuckle. Kindred, you will refrain from heavy chores for a week.” He patted Joshua’s forearm. “Longer for you Joshua.”
    Rozina returned with the items.
    “’Zina, take Kindred outside to wash her hands completely and apply the ointment. I’ll tend to Joshua. Do not forget a musket, ladies!”
    “Yaas. Come on girl.” Rozina took the weapon by the door.
    Outside while waiting for her granny to fill the water bucket from the well, Kindred saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. As she pointed toward the bushes with the musket, Lelaheo stumbled from the foliage.
    “Lelaheo!” cried Kindred, placing the gun on the ground. The boy had suffered the worst of the reverend’s fury. Both hands had terribly lacerated knuckles.
    “Kindred, Kindred,” he murmured, sinking to his knees. “Help.”
    “Gramma, Gramma, look!” Kindred hurried to the boy and helped him up. “Lean on me. Lean on me. Do not use your hands.”
    Kindred hauled Lelaheo over to Rozina.
    “Po’ boy!” Rozina clucked her teeth. “Both of you put yo’ hands out. I’ll wash.”
    Kindred stood behind a faltering Lelaheo. It was difficult, but she managed to slip her arms around his waist and propped her hands under his.
    “You can wash us both this way, Gramma.”
    Rozina gave her granddaughter the chunk of soap. As she slowly poured water from the wooden bucket, Kindred lathered up their hands.
    “ Owww !” Lelaheo yowled as Kindred worked the lather.
    “I’m sorry. But we have to do this. Get all the dirt off.”
    Lelaheo shifted and smiled at Kindred.
    He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
    “Oh, I am sorry. I do not understand.”
    “Thank you very much.”
    “Oh. It is no problem,” Kindred uttered, haltingly. “You are very, very welcome.”
    She smiled and nodded, continued to clean their hands. Lelaheo winced, but didn’t mind it so much as he watched his new friend. Rozina sluiced away the blood-stained lather, the water drenching the soil at their feet.
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
    The week passed slowly and so did the healing. Dr. Twain schooled Kindred and Joshua at home. Dr. Twain paid several visits to the vicarage to tend to Lelaheo, or the newly christened Cassian Harkness, as he was now called by the Reverend. The boy almost received another beating when he objected to the cleric’s derision of the Haudenosaunee’s belief of how the world had been created. Contentious was the only way to