Allie Summer was on the Big Horn Indian Reservation. All the homes that had been burnt down in Odas Schafer’s raid had been restored or rebuilt, and new homes were being constructed under the watchful eye of a new agent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a man named Edgar Chambers. Allie wasn’t much more impressed with Chambers than she had been with Wylie Wilcox, but she thought it only fair to give the new agent a chance.
The matter of the attacks on the white settlers’ homes was just about settled. Ace Folsom—the only one of the four raiders to survive the shootout at Art Rogers' home—had been willing to plea bargain for a reduced sentence. He would get life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 20 years, instead of a rope. His testimony was conclusive.
Colonel Timothy Einarsen had, indeed, been involved, but he had been working closely with cattleman Jack Owens. As Allie and Dan Harmon had deduced—and Owens had publicly announced—he wanted the reservation land. So, he concocted the idea of dressing white men up as Indians and killing white settlers, hoping this would inspire Washington to remove the Northern Cheyenne from the land given to them. Owens had approached Einarsen, whom he had known for a long time, about sharing in the process. Einarsen, who hated the Indians and hated his current assignment even more, was more than willing to help, which included petitioning Washington for the displacement of the Northern Cheyenne to Indian Territory. That would mean Ft. Pearson would no longer be needed, and Einarsen could perhaps get the cushy job he wanted back in Washington.
"Einarsen's initial persistence that Indians couldn't be the culprits was simply a ruse to throw any suspicion off himself and any motives he might have for wanting them gone," Allie had told Dan Harmon.
Einarsen, whose parents had been from Scandinavia, taught Ace Folsom the Scandinavian song—Ace was the singer, so technically he could also argue that he, himself, had not killed anyone—and Jack Owens provided the other Indian equipment—and the money. It had almost worked, because the day after Allie had shot Einarsen, General Davis Gordon, the commanding military officer of the territory, had received a wire from Washington, ordering the relocation of the Northern Cheyenne to Indian Territory. When Davis explained the situation to the War Department—with Allie’s help—Washington rescinded the order and allowed the Northern Cheyenne to remain on the Big Horn. Edgar Chambers had arrived, as the new agent, shortly afterwards. In a twist of irony, General Gordon told Allie that, because the Northern Cheyenne had been so peaceful in recent years, there was strong consideration to closing down Fort Pearson. No decision had been made yet, however.
Allie was standing with her uncle, Bear Claw, watching the activity in the village. Fleet Fox had been allowed to return, and he remained the respected chief of the tribe. The wind was blowing, but the air was clean and the sky was clear.
And then she saw him. She smiled and waved.
Swift Current was walking with Robin-in-the-Nest. He was still very weak from loss of blood, but he was recovering rapidly. Robin-in-the-Nest was his constant companion, and had nursed him back onto the road of health. He spotted Allie, and smiled and waved in return.
“This is his home, Summer Rain,” Bear Claw said. “But he will probably never be happy here, and he could never be happy here. He was born to roam. In time, perhaps, he will learn to accept it.”
Allie knew who Bear Claw was talking about. And she knew her uncle was right. “He wants to die a warroior's death, my uncle. But those days are over.” She paused a moment. “He offered his life to save mine.”
“He loves no one more than he loves you.”
Allie knew that, but she knew now that the love she and Swift Current shared was the love of brother and sister, not husband and wife. Robin-in-the-Nest would make a good wife for Swift Current, and maybe, just maybe, his father was wrong and the young Indian brave could find happiness here. In time. It simply renewed her commitment to the Rangers, to bring law, order, and peace to the territory, to protect her people--Indian and white.
She mounted her horse. “I will return and visit when I can, Bear Claw,” she said.
“You will always be welcome, daughter of my brother. This you know.”
Allie simply nodded. She rode out of the village, without looking back.
The eyes of Allie Summer…never looked back.
The End
Allie will be back. I have already begun a new Rob Conners/River Bend story, and Allie will be prominent in it.
I hope you enjoyed Allie's Dilemma. Thank you for sharing your time with me. If you have any questions or comments, I would certainly enjoy hearing from you. God bless.
Mark K. Lewis