In the silence she continued her look, then turned her face and eyes back to Dick, who knelt close to her, holding her hand.

With a pressure of her fingers on his and a beckoning of her eyes, she drew his ear down to her lips.

“Red Cloud,” she whispered, “I love you best. And I am proud I belonged to you for such a long, long time.” Still closer she drew him with the pressure of her fingers. “I’m sorry there were no babies, Red Cloud.”

With the relaxing of her fingers she eased him from her so that she could look from one to the other.

“Two bonnie, bonnie men. Good-by, bonnie men. Good-by, Red Cloud.”

In the pause, they waited,