When Red Feather's daughter wanted Mr.Gledware's life saved,it was so.And Red Feather gave them a great stretch of land,and Mr.Gledware got to be important in the tribe;he made himself one of them,and they thought him greater than their own chief.At the end of a few years,there was the great agitation over the boomers coming to the Oklahoma country,and much talk of the land being thrown open.The Indians didn't want it done,and they joined together to send some one to Washington to address congress on the subject.Mr.Gledware was such an orator that they thought him irresistible,so they selected him,and,for his fee,they collected over fifty thousand dollars.Think of it!
Of course he didn't go near Washington.It was the time of Kansas City's great boom.He went there and bought up city lots,and sold out at the right time,and that's why he's rich today.In the meantime,the Indians didn't know what had become of him,and Red Feather's daughter died from shame over her desertion--just pined away and hid herself from her people till she was starved to death.That's why Red Feather meant to kill Mr.Gledware.
When he had finished,Red Feather bent over Mr.Gledware and said to him,'Me speak all true?Tell Lahoma--me speak all true?'
And the man whispered feebly,'It is all true--don't kill me,for God's sake,don't kill me--save me,Lahoma,MY CHILD!'
I begged him not to kill the man.Red Feather said to me,'You hear how he treat my daughter!You my friend,Lahoma.You know all that,and yet you tell me not kill him?'
'I say not kill him.'
'Then you hate my daughter?'
'My mother could marry him,Red Feather,and I can beg for his life.'He shook his head.'No,Lahoma,he die;he leave my daughter to die and this hand do to him what he do to her.'
I never felt so helpless,so horribly weak and useless!There I was,only a few yards away,and the man was my stepfather;and his enemy was our friend.And not far away stood the man's big house filled with guests--among them strong men who could have overpowered dozens of Indians.But what could I do?