Storm in Paradise Valley
Page 25
The young man was certain then that he was neither Blackfoot nor white. He abandoned thoughts of going in search of his white father, as well as returning to the village of his adoptive parents. Many years had passed since then, but Joe remained in the mountains. In time, he became a legend, talked about by the young men of the tribe when they sat around their campfires, telling of finding sign of the tall warrior on this mountain or that river. But few could boast of actually seeing the lone warrior with their own eyes. In fact, Joe was not totally aware of his image as a phantom until he visited the trading post to trade some hides. The Frenchman who ran the store had been surprised to find that the legend called Joe Fox was, in fact, a real man. By that time, Joe was resigned to remain in his beloved mountains, accustomed to his solitary existence, content to live without the company of other men, and unconcerned what image his brothers had created for him. And now, upon the arrival of Malcolm and Pete, he found it hard to explain why he had not avoided these two white men. He could have, easily.