• Indian •

Greer and Cameron left Portland the next morning on the train up the Columbia River, travelling toward Central County in Eastern Oregon.

They enjoyed their seats because they liked to travel on trains.

The Indian girl travelled with them. They spent a great deal of time looking at her because she was very pretty. She was tall and slender and had long straight black hair. Her features were delicately voluptuous. They were both interested in her mouth.

She sat there exquisitely, looking at the Columbia River as the train travelled up the river toward Eastern Oregon. She saw things that interested her.

Greer and Cameron started talking with Magic Child after they were three or four hours out of Portland. They were curious as to what it was all about.

The girl hadn’t said more than a hundred words since she had walked into the whorehouse and started to change their lives. None of the words were about what they were supposed to do except go to Central County and meet a Miss Hawkline who would then tell them what she would pay them five thousand dollars to do.

“Why are we going to Central County?” Greer said.

“You kill people, don’t you?” Magic Child said. Her voice was gentle and precise. They were surprised by the sound of her voice. They didn’t expect it to sound that way when she said that.

“Sometimes,” Greer said.

“They got a lot of sheep trouble over that way,” Cameron said. “I heard there was some killings there. 4 men killed last week and 9 during the month. I know 3 Portland gunmen who went up there a few days ago. Good men, too.”

“Real good,” Greer said. “Probably the best three men going I know of except for maybe two more. Take a lot to put those boys away. ‘1`hey went up there to work for the cattlemen. Which side is your bosslady on or does she want some personal work done?”

“Miss Hawkline will tell you what she wants done,” Magic Child said.

“Can’t even get a hint out of you, huh?” Greer said, smiling.

Magic Child looked out the window at the Columbia River. There was a small boat on the river. Two people were sitting in the boat. She couldn’t tell what they were doing. One of the people was holding an umbrella, though it wasn’t raining and the sun wasn’t shining either.

Greer and Cameron gave up trying to find out what they were supposed to do but they were curious about Magic Child. They had been surprised by her voice because she didn’t sound like an Indian. She sounded like an Eastern woman who’d had a lot of booklearning.

They’d also taken a closer look at her and had seen that she wasn`t an Indian.

They didn’t say anything about it. They had the money and that’s what counted for them. They figured if she wanted to be an Indian that was her business.