When James and his troop rode into the meadow shortly after the burn, Lone Eagle materialized almost before the officer dismounted. My husband sat close by my side at the eating table while we conferred. Once his point was made, Lone Eagle moved away slightly but watched us through hawkish eyes, especially when James gifted me with a copy of Hawthorne’s latest work called Twice Told Tales.
The news my military friend brought was not encouraging. There were clashes between settlers and Indians north of Fort Ramson, one so severe the soldiers intervened with a field piece. Settlers were clamoring for the removal of the tribes to reservations like the colonial “praying towns” of old so that missionaries could convert them.
Information from back east was by necessity somewhat dated. The coun
