The Brand: A Tale of the Flathead ReservationBroderick, Therese
General
The Brand: A Tale of the Flathead Reservation
Broderick, Therese
Flathead Indian Reservation (Mont.) -- Fiction; Salish Indians -- Fiction
At last they saw the beautiful grounds of the Mission, with its church
spire and the roofs of the many buildings, interspersed with the trees,
whose fresh, green foliage was invitingly cool. The sun had grown
unusually warm for early morning and eagerly the girl reined her horse
in the refreshing shadows of the trees.
The bell suddenly pealed forth, and they hastened to dismount. West
cared for the horses and James led Bess into the beautiful little
church. The sight that met their eyes was strange to Eastern eyes.
Indians knelt with their bright-colored blankets wrapped closely about
them. The candles fluttered on the altar profusely covered with early
spring flowers. James sought the Wests’ pew and led his sister there.
As she sunk on her knees to pray the organ sounded and in marched the
somberly-clad nuns, followed by the many Indian children who were
attending school. The entire service passed like a dream to Bess;
and she was often distracted watching the children at their prayers,
listening to their sweet, untrained voices in the choir, or analyzing
some Indian, stoically moving his lips in prayer.
“_Mea culpa, mea culpa_—” murmured Bess, half audibly, as she heard
others striking their breasts; and she half turned to see if Henry
West had yet come into the seat beside them. He was not there, nor
did he come. “He is perhaps in the rear,” thought Bess. It was not
long till they knelt for the blessing, and soon all were filing out of
the church. Bess left James at the door, saying she wished to wander
through the gardens.
What a profusion of blooming shrubs! The air was sweet with the fruit
blossoms, and all along the paths were wonderfully fragrant pansies,
violets, and other early flowers. Near the church was the cemetery
with its numerous white-painted crosses. As Bess looked through the
enclosure she was attracted by an imposing monument, and, curious to
learn what distinguished person had found his last resting place here,
she entered God’s Acre. As she neared the grave she saw Henry West
kneeling in the shadow of the monument, his face buried in his arm
as he leaned against the stone. Bess suddenly halted. Never in her
life had she beheld such despair. Either he had heard her approach
or intuitively felt she was near, for without lifting his head he
stretched forth a hand to her. She could not resist the appeal. She
grasped his hard and swarthy hand, and unconsciously clasped it to her
breast.
In a moment a face, pale and drawn, was raised to meet her sympathetic
gaze. He tried to speak, but could utter no word. Releasing his hand he
pointed slowly to the tiny cross at his feet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account