American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
Because of his strength he was worked like a dog at hauling packs and
carrying wood; because of his fame he was set to cleaning fish and
washing vessels with the squaws. Seldom did he get to speak a word to
his mother or any of his people. Always he was driven.
One day, when he lagged almost fainting, a maiden brought him water to
drink. Siena looked up, and all about him suddenly brightened, as when
sunlight bursts from cloud.
“Who is kind to Siena?” he asked, drinking.
“Baroma’s daughter,” replied the maiden.
“What is her name?”
Quickly the maiden bent her head, veiling dusky eyes with dusky hair.
“Emihiyah.”
“Siena has wandered on lonely trails and listened to voices not meant
for other ears. He has heard the music of Emihiyah on the winds. Let
the daughter of Siena’s great foe not fear to tell of her name.”
“Emihiyah means a wind kiss on the flowers in the moonlight,” she
whispered shyly and fled.
Love came to the last of the Sienas and it was like a glory. Death
shuddered no more in Siena’s soul. He saw into the future, and out of
his gloom he rose again, god-chosen in his own sight, with such added
beauty to his stern face and power to his piercing eye and strength to
his lofty frame that the Crees quailed before him and marveled. Once
more sweet voices came to him, and ever on the soft winds were songs of
the dewy moorlands to the northward, songs of the pines and the laugh
of the loon and of the rushing, green-white, thundering Athabasca,
god-forsaken river.
* * * * *
Siena’s people saw him strong and patient, and they toiled on,
unbroken, faithful. While he lived, the pride of Baroma was vaunting.
“Siena waits” were the simple words he said to his mother, and she
repeated them as wisdom. But the flame of his eye was like the leaping
Northern Lights, and it kept alive the fire deep down in their breasts.
In the winter when the Crees lolled in their wigwams, when less labor
fell to Siena, he set traps in the snow trails for silver fox and
marten. No Cree had ever been such a trapper as Siena. In the long
months he captured many furs, with which he wrought a robe the like of
which had not before been the delight of a maiden’s eye. He kept it by
him for seven nights, and always during this time his ear was turned to
the wind. The seventh night was the night of the midwinter feast, and
when the torches burned bright in front of Baroma’s lodge Siena took
the robe and, passing slowly and stately till he stood before Emihiyah,
he laid it at her feet.
Emihiyah’s dusky face paled, her eyes that shone like stars drooped
behind her flying hair, and all her slender body trembled.
“Slave!” cried Baroma, leaping erect. “Come closer that Baroma may see
what kind of a dog approaches Emihiyah.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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