| Show hastily to his cradle wrapped the boy in the homespun quilt and embraced him His name was Thomas Simeon and like Isaac of old had been born late in the lives of his mother and aging father He had curly brown hair and his large soft brown eyes laughed as Hannzh 1ifted the delightful child above her at ams length Indians or no have my baby Simeon Indians Hannah thought out loud Returning the baby to her arms she sought the large pine rocking chalr Its sturdiness enveloped the mother and her son and soon he was sucking in rhythm with 1ts squeaky rocking Hannah dozed as the infant nursed She might have slept for some time had not the sound of horses--two maybe three-awakened her Their hooves madesplashing sound as they sloshed noisily through mud and water one hoof and then the other beating outrhythm At first half dreaming she imagined that her husband was returning from the inmumerable duties that were his as spiritusl and temporal leader of the rudinentary colony She remained in the rocking chair re1lishing the last moments with the baby when she realized Isaac had had plenty of time to reach the front door Like 1ightning searing the day sky anxlous thoughts surged through her now alert mind She was alone Any visitor from the settlement would have long since knocked at the cabin door Inmediately she rose to her feet the baby in her arms her heart pounding Should she open the door exposing herself and her child to whatever unknown danger might lurk outside Or would 1t be better to place the board quietly across the entrance in hopes the intruder would become discouraged and leave Turning she scanned the small room forhint ofhiding place volce boomed from just outside the door inlow gutteral command Where Morley the chief startled jerked its head back and an attendant brave demanded His white horse Behind Walker were his squaw Hannah poked her head hesitantly throughopen door and explained to the Indian Father not at home right now She hesitated But back before dark Rivulets of sweat ran down back asspring wind crept through the yawning partially Forley is he should be Hannahentrance She stared at the tall sinewy chief arrayed in the paraphernalia of the Utes His aquiline face was framed with white eagle feathers like the fan ofpeacock Bells on elther side |
