Cowbells clanking surprised Caroline. Her cattle never came home this early. Then she saw 300 Indians on horseback stampeding the cattle.
They rode into Caroline's yard, dismounted, and thrust their spears into the ground. Their gaudy head dresses hung past their shoulders and glinted in the sun.
Two chiefs and an interpreter came to her door.
"We're hungry and want an ox," the interpreter said.
The chiefs pointed to Caroline's large fat ox.
She couldn't bear to part with it, so she brought out sacks of flour and meal.
The interpreter shook his head. Then she offered several sides of bacon, but that didn't do, either.
A prairie plow had crippled the fat ox's mate, so Caroline offered her.
"Not fat enough," said the chiefs.
Caroline considered. She and her two servants stood alone against 300 Comanches and Kiowa. They could, she knew, take anything they wanted.
But she wanted that big fat ox, too.
What should she do?
Coming soon in
THIEVES, RASCALS & SORE LOSERS
by Marilyn June Coffey
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