Across the Border

by Arleta Richardson

  The water was colder than she expected, and Alice shivered as it crept up to her knees. It had been a dry spring, and the creek was low, so it didn’t take long to reach the other side. She headed into the woods in the direction from which she had seen the Indians approach the Rush farm.

  Toward the middle of the morning, Frances came into the kitchen.

  “Polly, when Alice finishes helping you, would you send her upstairs? She can sew while Mama and I cut quilt blocks. I should have told her that this morning.”

  “Yep, you should have,” Polly agreed. “She’s already off daydreamin’ somewhere. She carried all them jars up from the root cellar, and I let her have a little time off before we start hullin’ berries. She’s probably down by the creek.”

  Frances frowned. “Why didn’t she come upstairs? She knew her sewing wasn’t finished. When is she going to learn to be responsible?”

  “How soon we forget,” Polly reminded her with a smirk. “I don’t recall you was running around lookin’ for work when you was ten years old … well, almost eleven. She’ll grow out of it, same as you did.”

  “I suppose I’ll have to go and find her,” Frances said. “I’ll send her down when you’re ready for her.”

  Frances rounded the house and headed for the creek. She had to admit that the day was better for being outdoors than staying in the house. The cottonwood trees still looked fresh and new, and the breeze was just warm enough to be comfortable. It was hard to imagine that in just a few weeks, the hot prairie sun would make the house inviting. She glanced toward the old soddy where the family had lived for their first few months in South Dakota. It was still a retreat during the summer storms and unbearable heat, but the big house was certainly better for everyday living.

  At the creek, Will joined Frances.

  He swiped at his face. “It’s hot out there in the field. Luke said to come see if Alice was here, and we could put our feet in the water.”

  “That’s what I came for too,” Frances said.

  “You’re going to wade?”

  “No.” Frances laughed. “I was looking for Alice. It would be fun to stay here, but I don’t want to leave Mama working alone. I guess Alice hasn’t been with you?”

  “Nope. Haven’t seen her since breakfast.”

  “Maybe she’s playing in the soddy. Want to have a look?”

  Frances and Will stepped into the little underground house and looked around. The interior was dim, and it took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust.

  “Remember when we lived in here?” Frances asked.

  Will nodded. “I was little then. I slept over there.” He ran to the bunk bed built against one of the walls and sat down. “You and Alice slept over there.”

  “Right. And the organ was in this corner.” It hadn’t been easy, Frances recalled, to convince Papa that the organ had to be moved from Willow Creek with them. But he had relented, and everyone admitted that the instrument had relieved many hours of loneliness.

  Frances was proud of the way Simon was learning to play the instrument. “If we lived in town,” she had told Mama, “I could give music lessons for a living. But no one wants to come this far out on the prairie to learn.”

  Will was ready to leave. “She’s not here, so she has to be back at the house. Let’s go see.”

  Frances agreed, and they returned to the kitchen.

  Alice was getting tired. There was still nothing in sight but trees. She wished she had put on her shoes before she started out, but she’d had no idea that the Indian village was this far away from the creek. Their friend Silver Wing walked to their place often with her little boy and a new papoose on her back. She never seemed worn out when she got there.

  Alice sat down to ponder the situation. She surely must be near the village. It didn’t make sense to turn around and go back without visiting someone. Besides, she admitted to herself, the woods looked just as dense behind her as they did in front. If she were on a path, it was hard to tell where it went. As she gazed back and forth, she had to confess that she wasn’t sure which way led home, if she did want to retrace her steps.

  Well, there’s no point in just sitting here, she thought. In a few minutes she would come to a clearing, and someone would be able to show her the way back to the creek. The woods were quiet, and only a bird flying from branch to branch or a small animal scampering through the leaves made any noise.

  Alice couldn’t see the sun, so she had no idea how late it might be. For the first time she began to worry about what Polly would say when she called and Alice didn’t answer. There were a lot of berries to get ready for canning, and Polly would be cross if Alice wasn’t there to help her. Perhaps she should turn around and hurry back.

  Uncertain of which way to go, she hesitated. Suddenly a loud crash startled her, followed by the sound of something heavy approaching.

  Alice’s heart beat wildly, and she started to run in a direction she judged to be away from whatever or whoever was coming toward her.

  Luke and Simon hadn’t finished washing up for dinner when Polly’s voice reached them from the kitchen. “Don’t s’pose you’ve seen Alice this morning?”

  “Nope. We got another missin’ young ’un to look for? When did you see her last?” Luke asked.

  Polly came out to the porch, wiping her hands on her apron. “Little after eight o’clock, I guess. Didn’t know she wasn’t around till Frances came lookin’ for her midmorning. Frances and Will already searched everywhere they can think of, but there’s a lot of places to be on a couple thousand acres. Alice ain’t never gone off like this before. I can’t think what got into her.”

  Luke wiped his hands and face and headed for the table. “My guess is she’s gone across the creek.”

  Polly shook her head. “She knows she ain’t to go in the creek without someone there, even to wade.”

  Luke raised his eyebrows. “The only reason for a kid knowin’ anything is so’s they’ll have something to forget. A warm mornin’, cool water, and a woods you ain’t explored yet is hard to pass up. ’Specially if no one is watchin’ and hollerin’ at you to come home.”

  Simon quickly stuffed his dinner into his mouth. “I’ll go find her.”

  “Me too,” Will echoed.

  “So’s we can lose two more of you? Not likely.” Polly eyed them sternly. “I want both of you havin’ lessons with Frances this afternoon or stayin’ right here under my eye. You can hull berries and draw water to wash ’em. Luke’ll take care of Alice.”

  The boys groaned, but neither argued with Polly.

  Manda came into the kitchen with a worried expression. “I wish someone could tell me why a child disappears whenever Chad is away from home. Frances couldn’t even eat. She’s back out there looking every place she went this morning. Where in the world could Alice have gone?”

  “We know she didn’t go with Chad the way the last one did.” Polly looked at Simon, and he ducked his head.

  Luke knew the boy hadn’t been allowed to forget how he had hidden in the wagon when Chad and Henry left for their first trip from Willow Creek to the new homestead. Luke had been obliged to ride to the first night’s campsite to bring him back. Simon had been only five years old then, but he clearly still remembered the uproar he had caused.

  “I’ll start up by the reservation,” Luke offered. “I got an idea she’s visitin’ the neighbors.”

  Manda’s eyes opened wide. “The reservation! She doesn’t even know where it is! She couldn’t walk that far, could she?”

  “We’ll find out.” Luke gulped the last of his coffee, then stood. “Better wrap me up a sandwich and some cookies. She’s gonna be hungry. I reckon she’d head straight into the woods and not travel too fast. I might overtake her when she stops to rest. Even with the head start she got, I think I can catch her before dark. If she gets to the village, she’s safe
.”

  “Let’s pray before you leave,” Manda said. They all bowed their heads.

  Luke waited respectfully, but privately he thought the time would be better spent searching for Alice. He wasn’t against religion or the practices of Bible reading and prayer, but he felt that the Almighty probably expected him to use his wits and get along in life without bothering Him with every little thing that came along. This was especially true when Luke had a pretty fair idea about what needed to be done, as he did now.

  Tucking Alice’s lunch in one big pocket and her shoes in the other, he set off toward the creek. The family trailed behind him looking anxious.

  “We’re goin’ in the right direction.” Luke pointed toward the ground. “Looks to me like some little girl has been here, and we ain’t got that many girls around. Don’t you reckon she laid out this dollhouse?”

  Manda agreed that it looked that way. “She’ll be frightened if she can’t get back home. What will we do if you don’t find her?” Tears shimmered in her eyes.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be home before dark,” Luke assured her. “Chances are she’s already at the village, and someone will start this way with her.”

  He crossed the creek and swiftly disappeared into the woods.

  Chapter Three

  Help from the Indians

  Manda, Polly, and Frances slowly walked back to the house, with Simon and Will following them. Polly had more help with her jam than she expected, since everyone wanted to stay together until they knew that Alice was safe.

  It would be a long afternoon.

  Luke knew it was at least an hour’s walk to the village at the quickest pace, but he really didn’t expect to go all the way. He was sure he’d see Alice coming toward him soon. He strode through the woods, enjoying the cool dimness provided by the trees. This was taking time from his work, which had to be carried out alone until Chad, Henry, and Ethan returned from Nebraska, but it was sure restful back here.

  His mind wandered to a poem that Frances had read to the family one evening. He thought it might have been called “Trees.” He did recall that it said only God could make a tree. He peered at the branches towering over his head. Would someone as powerful as that really have time to solve the small problems of people on earth, as Henry and the family believed? If so, should he try to make a bargain with God to help find Alice? Once again, as when Simon had been missing, Luke wished that he knew a little more about praying. He would have liked to believe that he was entitled to ask the Almighty for aid.

  Suddenly Luke realized that he was entering the clearing that surrounded the village, and he hadn’t yet seen Alice. For the first time he felt a stab of worry. He couldn’t have missed her if she had been on the trail, and she surely wouldn’t have left it. He hurried toward the tepee where their friend Silver Wing and her husband, Black Wolf, lived.

  Silver Wing greeted him cordially but was clearly surprised. “How good to see you. Do you bring good news from my friends?”

  “Everyone is well,” Luke replied. “I’ve come to take Alice home. Her mother is concerned about her.”

  Silver Wing’s smile faded, and she looked alarmed. “Alice? But she is not here.” Silver Wing clapped sharply, and when a small boy appeared, she gave him quick directions in her language. “The men will fan out through the woods,” she told Luke. “They’ll find her soon. I will return to the farm with you.”

  As they hurried back toward home, Silver Wing explained why Black Wolf wasn’t with them. “He has gone this week to the mission school to help repair some buildings. We are grateful for the education we received there—and for the teaching about God.”

  “Don’t you have a god of your own?” Luke asked. “I thought Indians believed nature is their god.”

  “There is only one God,” Silver Wing answered simply. “He is the Creator of nature. We do not worship the things He has made, as wonderful as they are.”

  “I don’t think all Indians believe that way. I’ve met some who say they don’t want any part of the white man’s God.”

  “That is true. And Indians meet many white men who feel the same way.” Silver Wing glanced at Luke, but he didn’t reply. She continued. “I have also seen that when they meet trouble, God is the first one they call on.”

  For a while they walked in silence, and Luke thought over her words. She couldn’t know that he had considered doing just that. He had reached the end of what he could do by himself.

  “How long will it take your men to start searching?” he asked finally.

  Silver Wing eyed him with a surprised expression. “They are all around us right now. Haven’t you seen them?”

  Luke admitted that he hadn’t, nor had he heard any noise among the trees.

  Silver Wing shook her head. “You will not hear them, but once in a while, you will catch sight of one if you look carefully.”

  But as closely as he watched, Luke saw only slight movements in the woods that might have been the wind or running creatures. The closer they came to the creek, the more concerned he was that Alice had been carried off and wouldn’t be found. He dreaded facing Manda and the others with the news that she was gone.

  Running in her bare feet wasn’t the best way to travel, Alice found. There seemed to be more slippery pine needles, leaves, and tree roots than she had noticed before. This wasn’t the path she’d come on, but she didn’t dare turn around to search for it. Whatever was chasing her was falling behind. She could no longer hear the crunch of branches. But what if it had gone around the trees and was waiting to pounce on her? She mustn’t stop until she reached the creek and could see the house.

  All at once Alice was pulled back sharply. Her heart almost stopped.

  She looked around to see what had grabbed her.

  Then she sobbed with relief. Her skirt was caught on the branches of a fallen tree. The only sound she could hear was her own gasping breath.

  Peering around cautiously, she saw nothing but trees in every direction. Carefully Alice loosened her skirt from the branch. She was glad it wasn’t torn. Ma wouldn’t be happy about that, and Frances would probably give Alice the task of mending it.

  Gratefully she sat down and leaned against the tree. She was weary and would rest for a few minutes. Then she’d make up her mind which way home might be. Resting her head against the tree trunk, she fell asleep.

  When she awoke, the woods seemed a little darker than before. How long had she slept? She must make herself get up, or it would be past suppertime at home. She was hungry and thirsty, and there didn’t appear to be anything to eat or drink out here in the woods.

  Before she could move, though, Alice’s heart thumped again. A voice shouted something she didn’t understand, and the sound echoed throughout the woods until it seemed that there must be a hundred people saying the same thing. At the same time, Alice was lifted from the ground by strong brown arms and was carried swiftly through the trees.

  The shout reached Silver Wing and Luke, and Silver Wing smiled.

  “They have found her. She will be at home before we are.”

  Luke was startled. “How do you know?”

  “They just told us. Did you not hear them?”

  “I heard a noise, but I didn’t know what it was.”

  “A happy noise,” Silver Wing said. “It is the signal that the child is safe. It is the quickest way invented to send a message. One man will bring her home, and the others will return to the village.”

  When they reached the creek, Luke was amazed. The whole family was already gathered around Alice. Silver Wing had predicted correctly.

  Simon ran to meet Luke and Silver Wing. “Alice is here!” he called. “She’s already here! Swift Eagle brought her, and he’s gone. Did you see him? How did you know she was here so you could come home?”

  But Simon didn’t wait for answers to any of his quest
ions. He raced back to the others as Alice began telling her story.

  It was an evening of rejoicing. Silver Wing was invited to stay, but after lingering just long enough to join in thanking God for Alice’s safe return, she said she had to get back to her family. They would meet again soon, she promised.

  When chores and supper were over, a sober, thoughtful Luke retired to the bunkhouse alone. He sat quietly looking at the stars, reliving the events of the day. When Henry returned, Luke intended to have a long talk with him about the God who had answered in response to the call of His children.

  Chapter Four

  Breakbone Fever

  Mr. Rush, Henry, and Ethan returned from Willow Creek the week after the big sale. The family was happy to have them home and eager to share the news of all that had happened while they were gone. When Alice’s story was repeated, Ethan regarded her sternly.

  “I thought you were old enough that I wouldn’t have to keep my eye on you every minute. Ma told me to look after you, but I can’t watch you for the rest of my life.”

  “I’m sorry, Ethan. I won’t do it again.”

  “She won’t have time to,” Simon put in. “Frances has her sewing every minute that Polly doesn’t have a job for her.”

  “We don’t need your comments, Simon,” Mr. Rush told him. “I recall you once did something just as foolish.”

  Mrs. Rush wanted to hear about her friends in Willow Creek.

  “Lydia sent you some things. Said she wished you had come along to visit,” Mr. Rush replied. “The schoolteacher asked how Frances is doing with the children’s lessons, and all the ladies showed up with good food the day of the sale.”