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THE BIG CHIEF'S PROPOSAL Reva T. Jensen Santa Monic, California Second Place Short Story Judge George Peacock had never had time for romance, but when he decided to take a wife he marched out to the Lowry's and met Emeline as she came through the garden gate at sun-down. Her apron held the eggs she had just gathered from the coop. George reached for one and tossed it high into the air, catching it with ease and assurance. "How'd you like to scramble this for my breakfast?" he asked laughingly. "Why, Judge Peacock," she answered shyly, "you know I'd love to." George Peacock looked her square in the eyes and said, "I mean for every morning the rest of your life, Emeline. You're my kind of a girl. Will you marry me?" Six months before this, when Brigham Young, acting governor of this new western state had looked around for a man to lead a small group of men, women, and children into a new vicinity to settle and cultivate the ground and build a city of their own, he had found George Peacock, a fearless man with sound judgement, patience, understanding, and a brow-bent energy for fair play. Not every white man realized that this factor was important, especially with their new neighbors, the Indians. But George Peacock did, and when fertile valley, he called them around in a circle one night and said: "Tilling the soil's the most important phase of our existence. It's 'do or die' out here, and every family's got to do plenty. Our very life depends on the success or failure of the crops. There's no time for dreaming or fault- finding. The pioneers indicated approval. But George Peacock's voice went on, and in even more emphatic tones: "The second most important factor is to make friends with the Indians, for there are flocks of them in this country, and the land belongs to them. Tomorrow a company of us will call on Big Chief Walker and offer some blankets - 20 - |
