Luis had ended, looked up into Ramon's flushed face with her slow smile. But her eyes were two deep, black wells whose depths he could not fathom.
' Where them priest you promise ? ' she asked, 300
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her voice lowered to its softest Indian tone. ' Now I think we make plenty marriage; then we go for live in your house.'
Ramon turned and caught her unexpectedly in his arms. ' Ah, now you spik foolish talk. Yoh not trus' Ramon! Why yoh talk pries', pries' all time? Lov', she's plenty pries' for us. Pries' she don' make us more lov' each other — pries' don' make us happy —we like birds that make nes' in tree-tops. Yoh think they mus' have pries' for help them be happy ? Lov'— that's plenty for me.'
Annie-Many-Ponies drew herself away from his embrace, but she did it gently. Bill Holmes, foming up from the spring, furnished excuse enough, and Ramon let her go.
'You promise me priest for making us marriage,' she persisted in her soft voice.
Ramon twisted the points of his black mustache and regarded her askance, smiling crookedly. ' Yoh 'fraid for trus' me, that's why I promise,' lie said at last. ' Me, I don' need padre to mumble-mumble foolish words before I can be happy. Yoh 'fraid of Luck Leen'sey, that's why I prom-301
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ise. Now yoh come way up here, so Luck don' matter no more. Yoh be happy weeth me.'
' You promise,' Annie-Many-Ponies repeated, a sullen note creeping into her voice.
Bill Holmes, lounging up to the doorway, glanced from one to the other and laughed. ' What's the matter, Ramon ?' he bantered. ' Can't you square it with your squaw ? Go after her with a club, why don't you? That's what they're used to.'
Ramon did not make any reply whatever, and Bill gave another chuckling laugh and joined Luis, who was going to take the gaunt horses to a tiny meadow beyond the hill. As he went he said something that made Luis look back over hit shoulder and laugh.
Annie-Many-Ponies lifted her head and stared straight at Ramon. He did not meet her eyes, nor did he show any resentment of Bill Holmes' speech; yet he had sworn that he loved her, that he would be proud to have her for his wife. She, the daughter of a chief, had been insulted in his presence, and he had made no protest, shown no indignation.
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' You promise priest for making us marriage,' she reiterated coldly, as if she meant to force his real self into the open. 'You promise you put ring of gold for wedding on my finger, like white woman's got.'
Eamon's laugh was not pleasant. ' Yoh theenk I marry squaw ? ' he sneered. ' Luck Leen'sey, he don't marry yoh. Why yoh theenk I marry yoh? You be good, Ramon lov' yoh. Buy yoh lots pretty theengs, me — treat yoh fine. Yoh lucky girl, yoh bet. Yoh don't be foolish no more. Yoh run away, be my womans. Wat yoh theenk ? Go back, perhaps? Yoh theenk Luck Leen'sey take yoh back? You gone off with Eamon Chavez, he say; yoh stay weeth Eamon then. Yoh Eamon's woman now. Yoh not be foolish like yoh too good for be kees. Luck, he kees yoh many times, I bet! Yoh don' play good girl no more for Eamon — oh-h, no! That joke she's w'at yoh call ches'nut. We don' want no more soch foolish talk, or else maybe I do w'at Bill Holmes says she's good for squaw! '
' You awful big liar,' Annie-Many-Ponies stated with a calm, terrific frankness. ' You 303
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plenty big thief. You fool me plenty — now I don't be fool no more. You so mean yoh think all mens like you. You think all girls bad girls. You awful big fool, you think I stay for you. I
go.'
Ramon twisted his mustache and laughed at her. ' ~Now yoh so pretty, when yoh mad,' he teased. 'How yoh go? All yoh theengs in cabin — monee, clothes, grob — how yoh go? Yoh mad now — pretty soon Ramon he makes yoh glad! Shame for soch cross words — soch cross looks! Xow I don't talk till yoh be good girl, and says yoh lov' Ramon. I don't let yoh go, neither. Yoh don't get far way — I promise yoh for true. I breeng yoh back, sweetheart, I promise I breeng yoh back! Yoh don't want to go no more w'en I'm through weeth yoh — I promise yoh! Yoh theenk I let yoh go? O-oh-h, no! Ramon not let yoh get far away! '
In her heart she knew that he spoke at last the truth; that this was the real Ramon whom she had never before seen. To every woman must come sometime the bitter awakening from her dreamworld to the real world in all its sordidness and
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selfishness. Annie-Many-Ponies, standing there looking at Ramon — Ramon who laughed at her goodness — knew now what the future that had lain behind the mountains held in store for her. Not happiness, surely; not the wide ring of gold that would say she was Ramon's wife. Luis was right. He had spoken the truth, though she had believed that he lied when he said Ramon would never marry a woman. He would love and laugh and ride away, Luis had told her. Well, then —
' Shunka Chistala! ' she called softly to the little black dog, that came eagerly, wagging his burr-matted tail. She laid her hand on its head when the dog jumped up to greet her. She smiled faintly while she fondled its silky, flapping ears.
' Why you all time pat that dam-dog ? ' Ramon flashed out jealously. 'You don't pet yoh man what lov' yoh! '
'Dogs don't lie,' said Annie-Many-Ponies coldly, and walked away. She did not look back, she did not hurry, though she must have known that Ramon in one bound could have stopped her with his man's strength. Her head was high, her shoulders were straight, her eyes were so black the 305
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pupils did not show at all, and a film of inscrutability veiled what bitter thoughts were behind them.
