Chapter 19: What was shall be

Tom had visited with Gray Eagle and showed him the deed and explained the area that it represented. Gray Eagle was happy with the purchase, and Tom felt the he looked better than he had in a long time. His laughter came easy, and he found many things to smile at. Tom felt good. Tom told Gray Eagle that he would have the Deed kept with the gold in the tunnels of the mountain. When Gray Eagle asked why it was to be kept there. He smiled and said, "No Indian would care about either, and no white man would waste his time looking for papers with so much gold to be had." Gray Eagle laughed and said that it was good that his son was home, and that he had been missed. Tom smiled at his parents before he turned to leave.

He visited each of the people working in the valley. He was shown the work that they had done, and he saw the pride in their faces. He praised each one for the good work, and told them that they worked to make all of the Cheyenne people safe.

Tom saw that many of the old men had moved their lodges into the valley to be close to the work. He saw that many were getting around much better than they had been before, and their heads were held high once again. They were doing important work. Even old Pony Walk helped the young men butcher the kills and tanned the hides. He didn't have to move around too much and his work was important. The words of these men once again carried weight, and they enjoyed the feelings of again helping the tribe.

Tom was impressed with the hides that Pony Walk was tanning, even though he was the best in the village, these were even better then he usually did. Tom told him how much he liked his work and Pony Walk beamed with pride.

When Tom turned to leave Pony Walk called to him, he had a serious expression on his old weathered face. "Long ago, I was war chief of the Cheyenne. I looked at the old warriors of the village, and said that they were useless, but I gave them meat for their cook pots. When I was too old to be war chief I was still a good hunter and warrior, I helped the Cheyenne be strong and we made our enemies shake in fear. Now I am old, and Fighting Hawk is war chief of the Cheyenne. He looks at the old warriors and says they are not useless, and he gives us work that we can once again make our people strong. I wish I had been as good a war chief as Fighting Hawk." Tom looked at Pony Walk, and he could see the regret of the decisions that he had made in his life. Tom knew that every man had those regrets. He smiled and said softly, "I hope that I grow to be as wise as Pony Walk." He clasped the old man's shoulders and left quietly.

The days passed slowly, but Tom knew that he had to be seen by every man, woman and child. They were working hard because he said that they had to do this, and he wanted them to see that he appreciated their work. He talked with each one, and listened to them. Some had ideas to get the work done better. He knew that some of them were impractical, but others sounded like very good ideas. He decided that the warriors directing the work needed to pay more attention to the ideas, and he decided to have a talk with each of them.

After Tom had made his rounds of all of the people, he could be found sitting on the steps of his house. One look at him and the people were hesitant to disturb him. He was always lost in thought, and they didn't want to intrude on his thoughts. Big Cloud came and went often, working on the things that Tom wanted done. He didn't think twice about interrupting him. He knew what he was thinking about, and knew that Tom treasured any distraction. Big Cloud knew that Tom had not seen Moon Flower and Little Mule since he had been back. He also knew that they would not come to him unless he sent for them. He knew that Tom was still trying to work out how each of the women and children needed to fit into his life. He was having a hard time trying to decide how this was to be done, and to be fair to everybody. He was at a loss.

Tom stretched when he woke. Even though he still hadn't managed to sleep in the bed, he did at least sleep in the room. The floor was comfortable with his blankets. He looked at the fluffy bed where Kelly had slept and knew that she was already up. He knew that he was sleeping much too late these days. He went to see what she had for breakfast. He found her in the kitchen. She was doing this and that, while Sara jumped at her orders. Paul move a lot slower, but he still did what she told him. When Tom saw that one of Running Deer's helpers was jumping to her orders he felt a little confused as to why he would even be there.

Tom watched Kelly command her kitchen like a war chief during a battle, and he smiled. The smile vanished when she turned around and he saw the gold broach on her dress, and the necklace around her neck. Fury raged through him and he stormed into the room and grabbed Kelly by the hair. She screamed and Paul got up, but a look at Tom's eyes froze him in place. He ordered the children out of the house, and to wait for him by the barn. He went to the library and dragged Kelly behind him. She screamed and flailed the entire way. When he got there he turned and slapped her hard. She went down in a heap. He pulled her to her feet and yanked the necklace from her neck, the broach followed and her dress ripped from the neck to the waist before the pin gave and it came away in his hand. He threw them on the floor and slapped her.

When she was there he told her, "Get the jewelry and put it back where you found it. You had no right to take it in the first place. I told you that the chest was never to be opened. What do you do? Not only open it, but take jewelry from the chest. Put it back!" He trembled with rage, and she quickly took the key and opened the chest. She threw the things back in, slammed the lid and locked the chest. She turned to offer the key to Tom. The look in his eyes frightened her more than the violence that he had shown. He told her to put it back where she found it, and she put the key back on the top of the chest. She swallowed hard as she turned to face him again. When she started to say something, his hand shot out and slapped her again. She waited without speaking. She realized that there really wasn't much that she could say. She had done the one thing that he had said not to, and there wasn't anything that she could say to make it any better. She really didn't think that with all of that jewelry that he would mind if she took just a couple of little things, but now she saw that he did.

Tom grabbed her by the hair again. He pulled her to her feet and dragged her outside. He pulled her to the barn, and the children watched as he shoved her roughly inside. He took a length of rope and fashioned a noose. Kelly was afraid and started to run. Tom calmly slapped her when she tried to get by him. He slipped the noose around her neck and it started to tighten. Kelly felt panic, but she couldn't get the thing to loosen up. Tom smiled at her and gave the rope a pull. It tightened even further and suddenly she couldn't breathe. She looked at him in fear and when he let the rope go slack she could breathe again. She gasped air. Tom led her out of the barn and told the children to come with him. Tom set a brisk pace as he set off across the valley. Kelly soon found out that if she wanted to keep breathing that she had better keep a firm hold on the rope.

Kelly grew tired before the others and her grip on the rope slackened, but when she slipped and fell Tom didn't stop and just dragged her by the rope. Without air she quickly found the energy to get back on her feet and get some slack on the rope. She was careful not to fall again, even though she felt bone tired. Tom couldn't believe it, it wasn't even four miles to the end of the valley and she was gasping and panting like an overloaded plow horse before they were half way there. He knew that if he didn't slow down she would fall again, and he would have to drag her until she passed out. Since the children weren't doing much better, he decided to use them as an excuse. He adjusted his speed to the children.

By the time that they reached the end of the valley Kelly could barely stand, and the children were panting like old dogs on a hot day. Tom stopped and told them that they could rest for five minutes. They all dropped where they were. Kelly started to speak and Tom tightened the rope. He growled that there was nothing that she could say that he wanted to listen to. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but he steeled himself and continued to wait. When he was sure that five minutes had passed he said that it was time to go. He didn't look back when he turned to leave. The rope tightened for a second before there was slack once more.

Thirty minutes later they were walking into the Cheyenne village. Many people looked at him, but when they saw his face they decided better then to speak. Some waved, but weren't surprised when he didn't respond. The children were staying close to his side. They were afraid of the sudden change of everything that they had known. He didn't give a thought to them; he could sense exactly where they were and knew that they were safe.

Moon Flower and Little Mule saw him coming and they started to go to him. When they saw his face they stopped and waited for him to come to the lodge. When he got there he handed the rope to Moon Flower, and spoke in English to Little Mule. "You will tell Moon Flower all that I say. This is my wife, and these are my children. I have chosen them, it was my choice. She has disobeyed and insulted me. I will leave her punishment to you. Be warned that she is carrying a baby. I will no longer speak to her until she can speak the Cheyenne language, and knows the ways of the Cheyenne. You both are responsible to see that she learns, as well as the girl. The girl has not displeased me, and is not to be punished. I will speak to each of you when you get things settled here." Tom went into his lodge, and removed his clothes. As he put on his deer skin britches he felt more human than he had in a long time. His moccasins felt good on his feet, not like the hard boots, and he began to feel at home once again. He heard loud cries outside the lodge more than once, but he ignored it. He knew that his women could handle anything that might come up.