The Heart of the Desert (Kut-Le of the Desert)Morrow, Honoré
General
The Heart of the Desert (Kut-Le of the Desert)
Morrow, Honoré
Indians of North America -- West (U.S.) -- Fiction; Love stories; Western stories
As the two left the priest, Jack kissed Rhoda solemnly twice.
"Once for Katherine," he said, "and once for me. I don't understand
much how it all has come about, but I know Kut-le, and I'm willing to
trust you to him."
Kut-le gave Jack a clear look.
"Jack, I'll never forget that speech. If I live long enough, I'll
repay you for it."
"And an Indian keeps his promises," said Rhoda softly.
Billy Porter was not to be outdone.
"Now that it's all over with, I'll say that Kut-le is a good fighter
and that you are the handsomest couple I ever saw."
Kut-le chuckled.
"Cesca, am I such a heap fool?"
Cesca sniffed.
"White squaws no good! They--"
But Molly elbowed Cesca aside.
"You no listen to her!" she said.
"O Molly! Molly!" cried Rhoda. "You are a woman! I'm glad you were
here!" And the men's eyes blurred a little as the Indian woman hugged
the white girl to her and crooned over her.
"You no cry! You no cry! When you come back, Molly come to your
house, take care of you!"
After a moment Rhoda wiped her eyes, and Kut-le, who had been giving
the old padre something that the old fellow eyed with joy, took the
girl's hand gently.
"Come!" he said.
At the door the others watched them mount and ride away. The two sat
their horses with the grace that comes of long, hard trails.
"Maybe I've done wrong," said Jack. "But I don't feel so. I'm awful
sorry for DeWitt."
"I'm awful sorry for DeWitt," agreed Porter, "but I'm sorrier for
myself. I'm older than DeWitt a whole lot. He's young enough to get
over anything."
When they had ridden out of sight of the monastery, Kut-le pulled in
his horse and dismounted. Then he stood looking up into Rhoda's face.
In his eyes was the same look of exaltation that made hers wonderful.
He put his hand on her knee.
"We've a long ride ahead of us," he said softly. "I want something
that I can't have on horseback."
Rhoda laid her hand on his.
"You meant it all, Rhoda? It was not only to save my life?"
"Do you have to ask that?" said Rhoda.
"No!" answered Kut-le simply. "You see I waited for you. I knew that
they would bring you back. And if you had not spoken, I would rather
have died. I had made up my mind to that. O my love! It has come to
us greatly!"
Then, as if the flood, controlled all these months, had burst its
bonds, Kut-le lifted Rhoda from her saddle to his arms and laid his
lips to hers. For a long moment the two clung to each other as if they
knew that life could hold no moment for them so sweet as this. Then
they mounted and, side by side, they rode off into the desert sunset.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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