Puma added, “The Indian wants to protect his way of life so he can live free, and the white man wants to own the land so he can raise animals and crops to feed his family.”
Sage agreed. “Yes, that’s right. It’s a matter of two cultures clashing.”
“Which will win?”
“The dominant culture always wins in the long run.”
“Which is the dominant culture?”
“The white man’s culture is dominant, because the white man will adapt to the changing conditions. The Indian wants everything to remain the same, and things never remain the same. A culture must change to meet changing conditions or that culture will die.”
“I’m half-Indian and half-white. What should I do?”
“Son, I am not wise enough to tell you what you should do. I can only tell you what I would do.”
Puma said, “I love Cathleen, and I know that to make her happy, I must live in the white man’s world. But which white man’s world do I live in? It was white men who took the land that had been the hunting grounds of my mother’s people for thousands of years. It was white men who took the land that was in Juanita’s family for three hundred years. Neither Juanita nor her family did anything wrong, but they took her land anyway. Now there’s a Great War brewing in which white men will take the property of my great-grandparents, both in Virginia and in Georgia. My great-grandfather O’Hannon in Georgia lives a wonderful life in a beautiful location, but this beauty was bought at the price of slave labor, which I think is wrong. My great-grandfather McBain in Virginia owns no slaves, yet his world is going to be destroyed. Which white man’s world do I live in?” Puma’s face showed his anguish and concern.
“The situation is very complex,” Sage answered. “We can never know what is right or wrong for others, but we can consider carefully what is right or wrong for us at the time we are called upon to act. I think we should consider what is the right thing to do, based upon our conscience, and what is best for us and those we are obligated to provide for and protect. That’s what being a man is all about. Men have always had to make decisions, and then they have to act on those decisions. After the man has done what he believed was right, he must be willing to accept the consequences of his actions. I wish I could give you a better answer, but that’s the best I can do. I have great faith in you. I know you will do what you believe is right, and that’s all anyone could ask.”
“Thank you, Father, you have given me a good answer, and I will think long and hard on what you have shared with me. I’ll be ready to return to the ranch tomorrow. I have one more question. Did you love my mother?”
“Yes, I loved your mother very much, but for us a life together wasn’t meant to be. You’re living proof that your mother’s decision to remain with the tribe was right. Your mother would be proud of you, and I’m proud of you. Now, you must live your life in a way that you can be proud.”
Puma and his father rode back to the hacienda. They arrived just as the day was closing. People were strolling; the vaqueros were singing beautiful, old Spanish songs to the accompaniment of strumming guitars, mingling with the sounds of children playing. The smell of cooking fires and the fading light of the dying day gave way to the night. It reminded Puma of his own childhood, when he and the other Indian children played in the twilight of his village. He wiped away the tears as he watched Juanita and Carmen come running to greet them. The Mexican ladies served the evening meal while Sage and Puma told the girls of their ride into the mountains. It was the kind of evening which lingers on in one’s heart, long after the time has passed.
Before he retired, Puma announced that he would be riding to the Martin horse ranch to see Cathleen tomorrow. Carmen would like to have been invited to come along, but she realized that on this visit Puma would want to be alone with Cathleen.
The following day, Puma dressed in civilian clothing. He wanted to talk to Cathleen about their future and discuss what she might want to do. He thought she would want to make a life without the involvement of the military.
He rode past where the settlers had made their camp, and he was pleased to note that the camp was empty. The settlers had either moved onto their own land or were preparing to continue on to California with the wagon train that was wintering in Santa Fe. He had completed his obligation to Colonel Hamilton and knew the colonel would understand his decision to resign his commission and resume civilian life.
Puma was riding on the horse ranch property when he saw Kile with his grandfather driving a small herd of horses to their corral. Puma fell in with them and helped to get the horses rounded up.
Puma called out to Kile, “This is a nice herd of prime young horses. Why are you putting them into the corral?”
“The army has bought them. They want us to train them before they accept delivery,” Kile replied.
A little puzzled, Puma asked, “Are there other ranches raising horses of this quality in Santa Fe?”
“No,” answered Kile.
With a questioning look, Puma remarked, “Then you’re just breaking these horses to accommodate the colonel?”
“Yes, of course, but the colonel pays top dollar, and it looks good on his records if he notes that he’s buying horses that have already been broken to ride. He has only a few men qualified to break horses while we have many vaqueros who can do the job. It works well for everyone, and we don’t mind.”
As they drove the last of the horses into the corral, Kile said, “If you’re looking for Cathleen, she’s in the ranch house with Mother and Grandmother.”
“What makes you think I came to see Cathleen?”
“Well, you sure didn’t ride all the way over here just to watch us ride bucking horses,” Kile laughed.
“Okay, you’re right. I want to ask Cathleen to go riding with me.”
Kile grinned. “Are you afraid you might get lost if you ride by yourself? Anyway, you’d better have a good excuse ready. You’re going to have to explain where you’ve been. She’s been asking about you everyday since you’ve been gone.”
Puma took the kidding good-naturedly and hurried to the house. He knocked on the door and heard someone say, “Cathleen, I think you have someone here to see you.”
Cathleen came running and almost knocked Puma over with a big hug.
“Where’ve you been? I’ve been looking for you every day for the last week!”
“I’ve been riding with Father. I had to think some things out before I talked to you.”
“What did you have to think about?”
“If you’ll come with me, we’ll go for a ride and talk about it. I have some decisions to make, and I can’t make them until I’ve talked with you. You have to help me make these decisions.”
“Why don’t you come in and have something cool to drink while I change into riding clothes? It’ll take me only a few minutes.”
Cathleen took his hand and led him to a table in the master room and asked him to sit down. She asked the serving lady to bring him something to drink. Then she dashed off into another part of the house. Bonnie and her mother came into the room and sat with him.
Puma answered their unasked question. “I’ve asked Cathleen to ride with me.”
The women nodded.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Puma said.
“How are your parents?” Bonnie asked.
“They are fine. I went into the mountains for a few days with my father,” Puma answered.
The Mexican lady came with the cool drink. He sat sipping the drink, then after what seemed a long time, Cathleen reappeared, wearing a riding habit that consisted of a white blouse, a split-pleated black skirt, and shiny black boots with high heels. She had a black, wide-brimmed hat hanging from a strap around her neck. Her hair reflected the light; and her steps were quick and smooth. She was elegant, confident, and seemed to glide as she came toward him. She was beautiful. No matter what he did with his life, he wanted Cathleen to be a part of it. She took his hand, and they walked to thei
r horses. Someone had saddled Cathleen’s horse, and the horses were ready when they reached the hitching rail.
Puma helped Cathleen into her saddle, knowing full well that she needed no help. He liked doing it, and she seemed pleased. They rode to the river without saying a word. They were so attuned to each other that words were not needed. As they rode, they listened to the wind in the trees and the rippling river as it ran past a small rapid, then stopped their horses in a grove of trees on a knoll overlooking the river.
They dismounted and walked to a shady spot near the rapids. Puma removed a blanket from his saddle bag and spread it on the grass in the shade of a tree. He took Cathleen’s hand, and they sat on the blanket, still saying nothing. Cathleen sat close, her blue eyes sparkled as they searched his. Puma had never before seen a woman so beautiful. He wanted to reach out and embrace her, but he didn’t want to break the spell that hung over them.
They sat savoring the magic of the moment, listening to the tree branches rubbing together as they swayed in the afternoon breeze, and the tinkling sound of the river flowing past the rapids. They watched the sunlight glistening off the water. Colorful birds flitted among the branches.
Still holding Cathleen’s hand, Puma looked into her eyes and said, “I have to make a decision about what I want to do with my life. I know that any decision I make must include you. If there’s any chance that you might feel the same, then we need to make the decisions together.”
Cathleen replied, “I’ve known since I was a little girl that you’re the man I want to share my life with. I’ve been waiting for you since you went down the Rio Grande to be educated many years ago. I waited for you to return, and then I waited for you to do what you had to do to resolve the problems with the settlers. Now that you have solved that problem, I’ve been waiting every day for you to come to me. You have come, and I’m never again going to let you go anywhere or do anything without me being a part of it.”
“I feel the same, and I’ll feel that I’m the luckiest man alive if you’ll be my wife. If you say ‘yes’ we’ll begin today, to plan where and how we want to live.”
Cathleen jumped into Puma’s arms and softly said, “Yes.”
As they embraced, the world around them stood still. The wind stopped. The branches of the trees didn’t move. The water flowed smoothly over the rapids; everything seemed to stop to celebrate the moment with them.
Releasing Cathleen just enough to allow him to look into her eyes, Puma said, “There are many things we can do. Colonel Hamilton wants me to remain in the military. He says he thinks I would have a brilliant career as an officer.”
“Do you want to stay in the army?” Cathleen asked.
“No. There’s a Great War coming. It’s going to be fought about slavery, but it’s not only about slavery; it’s really about money. I think slavery is wrong. I can’t fight to preserve something I believe is wrong. I can’t fight to free slaves at the cost of the lives of my own family. I believe the South will lose the war. Everything my father’s family owns is in the South, and it will be lost or destroyed in that war. I can’t fight with the army in the West. The army is fighting my Indian people. There are great wrongs being done on both sides. The Indians are going to lose everything, even their way of life. I can’t contribute to that great wrong. I don’t want to be an officer in that conflict.”
“Do you want to stay here? We have our families and our friends here,” Cathleen asked.
“We do have our family and friends here, Cathleen, and we’ll stay here, if that’s what you want to do. If we stay here, we’ll be working for our fathers, and they would be easy to work with. But we would be working on their ranches. They are both strong men and can run their own ranches. Of course, we could have our own place, but Pat once told me about California. It sounds like a wonderful place to build a new life. We might want to consider going on to California. Think about it, and tell me what you think.”
“My mother and grandparents were going to California when they stopped here. They’ve been happy here, but I think that Grandfather sometimes wonders what their lives would have been like if they had gone on. Maybe we could complete the journey for them.”
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about, and I wanted to share it with you. After you’ve had a chance to think about it and talked to your family, we can talk again.”
“I don’t need time to think about it!" Cathleen said excitedly. "We could be married in the spring and go with the wagon train that’s spending the winter here. They’ll be resuming the journey to California as soon as the snow melts enough for the wagons to get through the mountain passes. Puma, may I tell my mother that we are betrothed?”
“Yes, of course. She’ll want to help you set a date and make plans for the wedding.”
Puma and Cathleen remained lying on the blanket, watching the sky with little white clouds drifting by. They were just two young people deeply in love, enjoying the beauty of the world around them while they contemplated their life together. Puma knew his life would be wonderful as long as Cathleen was at his side.
The end of the beginning.
Puma Son of Mountain Lion Page 24
