Outside the Reservation....part FIVE

After the ceremony and the feast was over, the passing of the peace pipe by Grandfather was had by all men that wanted to join. Grandfather packed the bowl then lit it up to pass around the circle it was the biggest one in quite a long time it pleased him. When the peace pipe reached Grandfather he said , " Aho !! It is good to have so many men to smoke the peace pipe the Spirits are happy today !! Then every one said their goodbyes then went to their homes and Jake took Henrietta by the hand to walk her to their new home. When they were out of sight he stopped then took her in his arms which he had been waiting to do for such a long time. It was such a wonderful feeling he had never felt this before neither had Marietta. They walked the path towards their home it didn't take long to get there. When Jake opened the door the sweet smell of lavender wafted out. Something that Maddie had put in there for them he supposed.

They went inside the house and Marietta was surprised to find all those nice things that Maddie had brought there to fix it up nice for her. Jake had the tinware set placed on the table with along with some little trinkets Maddie gave them. Marrietta loved the tinware set and all the other things too. " I love those curtains Maddie put up here Jake. This house looks so special and I thank you for having it all fixed up so pretty for me." There was a pot of tea brewing on the woodstove for them. " Would you like to have a cup of tea Marietta ? You just sit right down here and make yourself at home." He got two cups and pored the tea then sat down right beside his bride happy as could be. "Would you like some honey for your tea my dear wife?? " She blushed when Jake said that ! "Yes I would my dear husband, thank you. " Jake reached for the honey pot and two spoons to stir it in the tea cups. It was beginning to get dark as the sun was setting so he lit a lantern so they could see it was kinda dark inside the house.

Her Maw and Paw along with her brother Walter were walking up past their house and saw the dim light and wondered what was going on inside that cozy nest but decided not to disturb them. They would find out soon enough how things went for the newly weds. They had already planned a party for them tomorrow, invited all the people at the wedding to come on up they'd be most welcomed. As they approached their home Walters coyote welcomed them back home. That meant he would need to feed them and clean out their pen cause they sure could leave a mess in there ! They all went inside and his Maw got some scraps of food for the pups and their Momma to eat. His paw went out and got a pail of water from the nearby brook to help out Walter. Walter took the food out and made sure each of the pups got a fair share along with their Momma. He put down more dry grass for their bed and to keep them warm as it was getting a little cooler that night. Then he went inside where his Maw was making some hot tea for them to drink and relax before going to bed .

Chet and Maddie were wondering about Jake and Henrietta as neither one of them had been with anybody. " They will do just fine Maddie it comes naturally what should happen between them. " She was silent for a while thinking about what he had just said. Which brought back wonderful memories of their first night together. " I know that Chet we were in their place quite a while back. " He spoke, " Would you like some herb tea before going to bed Maddie ? It's been a long day, trying to think of the right words to say for Jake and Henrietta was tiring for me. " " You did just fine !! I loved your choice of words Chet . And Yes, I would love a cup of herb tea. " She set out two cups and the honey pot with two spoons while Chet fixed up the teapot. "It was such a nice day for Jake and Marietta's ceremony . I was so happy to see so many good friends join us here too Chet. She did look so pretty in that dress her Maw made for the wedding, that was so special. Jake was looking good too he must have got some new pants and a shirt to wear. Seemed odd not to see him with a hat on as he always wore one." Chet poured the tea and set it on the table then sat down next to Maddie. He said," This is a wonderful night we might as well enjoy it Maddie. "

"We have a party to go to tomorrow up at Marietta's parents house. Did you decide what we should bring along for food yet ? I have got some pork in the barrel and some potatoes to bake. " She said,

"I will make some apple pie and bring some cheese to go with it. We could make up some chicory to drink too. We have that huge coffee pot we could bring it in. I know that Little Feather will make pemmican for a sweet treat, Spirit Crow will bring his dried meat too. " They still had some time so they started to get things ready for tomorrow before they retired for the night. Then there was some one knocking at their door. "Who goes there ? " Chet hollered. " It is Openhand, I came to see if you both could come to our tepee please. The children are feeling sick and I am not sure what it could be.

Red Bird sent me to fetch the both of you. " They looked at each other and Chet spoke, " Of course we will come with you right now Openhand, lets get going." They hurried down the road fast as they could the moon was full and lit their way. They reached the reservation and went to their tepee where Red Bird was sitting by the twins beds looking so worried. She looked up when they came into their sleeping place. " We didn't know what was wrong with them this time, Openhand usually knows what it is. " Chet and Maddie took a look at White Dove and Little Bear. Their little bellies were bloated and they seemed to be feverish. "What did they eat at the ceremony we had for Jake and Marietta ? Anything different than what they usually eat ? " Maddie asked them.

Red Wing spoke, " They did eat a little bit of everything that was served Maddie. It may have been the pemmican that Little Feather made. They have never eaten that before. Maybe the berries made them bloat up. But what made them feverish? " Then Maddie said," Make them some herb tea with honey and make sure they drank lots of it. That should flush out anything that was bad for them."

Openhand fixed the herb tea but not strong as he usually made it. He added some honey and handed a cup to White Dove and one to Little Bear. They drank it all and he gave them more. It seemed the twins were very thirsty and drank three cups of tea. Red Bird said, "Maybe we should find out what berries Little Feather used to make the pemmican. " So Openhand and Chet walked up the road to find that out. Little Feather and Spirit Crow were sitting out on the stoop and were surprised when they saw the both of them approaching. "We came to find out what berries you used when you made that pemmican for the ceremony today. The twins ate it and we think it made them sick." "It was the huckleberry. I hope it didn't make them really sick " " We are giving them herb tea to flush it out that should start working soon. We need to get back to them now."

To be continued ....... Written by Barbara J Briggs.........2/22/09