Song Of The Warrior Read Online Free

female suffragists,” he said, “I don’t think God approves of them at all; just like the savages. After what happened only last summer to the gallant General Custer up at the Little Big Horn, we probably should wipe out all Indians, but that doesn’t keep me from praying for their worthless souls and hoping to civilize them.”
    She knew she shouldn’t, but Willow couldn’t seem to help herself. “Don’t you see a conflict in what you just said?”
    He put down his cup with a clatter and glared at her. “A rebellious spirit is an abomination to the Lord, Willow. I think we need to pray about this and your task here in general.”
    Perhaps he was right. Willow bent her head and tried to think humble thoughts while Reverend Harlow bowed his head and began beseeching God to teach the errant Willow humility and also to help save the souls of the redskin devils whose obstinacy and savagery were creating economic havoc in the Northwest by not bending to the white man’s superior will that was surely as God had planned it.
    â€œAmen!” He cleared his throat and returned to his bacon and biscuits in a manner that belied his scrawny frame. “Do you remember any of your native language at all?”
    â€œSome, and I’ve been studying, so it’s coming back to me,” Willow admitted, staring at her plate so she wouldn’t glare at the old man. “I speak enough so that I feel the children will be able to understand me.”
    He grunted. “Better you should make all the little savages learn English.”
    â€œI intend to do that, too, but, sir, if I can’t communicate with them, how can I teach them anything?”
    â€œQuite so; quite so.” He lifted his cup with a feeble hand. “My dear child, you’ll have your work cut out for you with those nontreaty Nez Perce of Chief Joseph’s. The ones who have taken our religion have mostly signed the treaty, but those that belong to the Dreamers are backsliders who refuse to budge an inch; say they never signed that latest paper giving up their land.”
    â€œWell, did they?” Willow peered at him over her cup.
    â€œWhat difference does it make?” His voice rose. “Somebody signed it, that’s all that matters and now they have to get off the land. The army will enforce that, but I think Chief Joseph is a reasonable man; he won’t want to get his people killed.”
    â€œI would think, as a missionary, you would be preaching about ‘blessed are the peacemakers.’ ”
    He looked at her a long moment, blinked rheumy eyes as if trying to decide if she were being sarcastic, - seemed to decide that as a woman, she couldn’t possibly be that smart. “The whites are trying to keep the peace; but we may have to use the sword if those ignorant Indians won’t obey.”
    â€œJust how big is the new reservation?”
    The reverend shrugged. “About one-tenth the size they’ve got now, I think.”
    â€œOne-tenth?”
    â€œIt’s not as if they are using any of it except to roam around on.” He looked defensive. “If they aren’t going to farm it, why do they want it?”
    â€œWell, maybe because it’s theirs,” Willow said.
    â€œYou indeed have a rebellious spirit,” the minister said, “that is bad in a woman. You remind me of my niece, Summer; except she was blond.”
    â€œThe girls at Miss Priddy’s still talk about her,” Willow said, “but no one knows much.”
    The old man sighed. “Rebellious, Summer was. She was being sent to stay with me while I was assigned to a parsonage in Fort Smith because she had been in some kind of scandal and her father wanted to get her out of Boston.”
    Willow didn’t mean to ask, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity. “What kind of scandal?”
    â€œBelieve it or not, she wanted to allow women to vote!