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Page 18
"Well, wasn't that handy?" cried the girl.
"It sounded good. But Silas didn't have it on paper. First off they did
stop for him if he hailed the train. He didn't go to town more'n three
or four times a year. Then the railroad changed hands. 'There arose up a
new king over Egypt which knew not Joseph'--you know, like it says in
the Bible. And when Silas Bassett waved his hat, the train didn't even
hesitate!"
Ruth laughed, but reminded her that they were talking about her
great-grandmother's adventures in the Indian country years and years
before.
"Yes, that's a fact," said Aunt Alvirah Boggs. "She did have exciting
times. Why, when they was traveling acrosst them Western prairies one
day, what should pop up but a band of Indians, with tall feathers in
their hair, and guns--mebbe bow and arrows, too. Anyway, they scare't
the white people something tremendous," and the old woman nodded
vigorously.
"Well, the neighbors who were traveling together hastened to turn their
wagons so as to make a fortress sort of, of the wagon-bodies, with the
horses and the cattle and the humans in the center. You understand?"
"Yes," Ruth agreed. "I have seen pictures of such a camp, with the
Indians attacking."
"Yes. Well, but you see," cackled the old woman suddenly, "them, Indians
didn't attack at all. They rode down at a gallop, I expect, and scared
the white folks a lot But what they come for was to see if there was a
doctor in the party. Those Indians had heard of white doctors and knowed
what they could do. The chief of the tribe had a favorite child that was
very sick, and he come to see if a white doctor could save his child's
life."
"Oh!" cried Ruth, her eyes sparkling. "What an idea!"
"Well, my pretty, I dunno," said Aunt Alvirah. "'Twas sensible enough, I
should say, for that Indian chief to want the best doctoring there was
for his child. The medicine men had tried to cure the poor little thing
and failed. I expect even Red Indians sometimes love their children."
"Why, of course, Aunt Alvirah. And you ought to see how lovable this
girl Wonota is."
"Mm--well, mebbe. Anyway, there was a doctor in that party my
great-grandmother traveled with, and he rode to the Indian village and
cured the sick child. And for the rest of their journey across them
plains Indians, first of one tribe, then of another, rode with the party
of whites. And they never had no trouble."
"Isn't that great!" cried Ruth.
And when she told Helen and Jennie about it--and the idea it had given
Ruth for a screen story--her two chums agreed that it was "perfectly
great."
So Ruth was hard at work on a scenario, or detailed plot, even before
Mr. Hammond made his arrangements with the Indian Department for the
transferring of the services of Princess Wonota from Dakota Joe's Wild
West Show to the Alectrion Film Corporation for a certain number of
months.
The matter had now gone so far that it could not be kept from Dakota
Joe. He had spent money and pulled all the wires he could at the
reservation to keep "Dead-Shot" Wonota in his employ. At first he did
not realize that any outside agency was at work against him and for die
girl's benefit.
Ruth and her friends drove to a distant town to see the Indian girl when
the Wild West Show played for two days. They attended the matinee and
saw Wonota between the two performances and had dinner with her at the
local hotel. After dinner they all went to an attorney's office, where
the papers in the case were ready, and Wonota signed her new contract
and Helen and Jennie were two of the witnesses thereto. Mr. Hammond
could not be present, but he had trusted to Ruth's good sense and
business acumen.
In a week--giving Dakota Joe due notice--the old contract would be dead
and Wonota would be at liberty under permission from the Indian Agent to
leave the show. As Helen stopped the car before the torch-lighted
entrance to the show for Wonota to step out, Dakota Joe strode out to
the side of the road. He was scowling viciously.
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