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the future"
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Sparkling Waters
December 6th,1805
John Freeman was a banker in Chicago,IL, but his bank went crazy and he had to close it. He took all the money that was in his bank at the time and went to Canada where he bought a small plot of land >for $100, he built a large cabin and christened it : he Tradeing Post, since there were still Native Americans, he could trade with them whenever they wanted.
One day a very beautiful Native girl walked in. "These are my money." She said holding up a bunch of beautiful pelts with rich fur. "My People wish for you to join our tribe because of your hospitality and kindness and because you have been so good to us. I have come here to trade furs for pretty glass beads worth one fur,not because I think that the beads are worth more than the furs,they are not. But because these furs are my only source of money." She held up a pure white mink pelt.
"This one is worth a bowlful of beads, which in the city cost $7.25. Will you trade?"John's eyebrows shot high on his forehead,man,this girl knew more than you would think. He smiled and pulled out a large bowl of many pretty colored glass beads,some multi-colored others just one solid color, and some striped."Pick out the ones you wish to have and then lets trade." His eyes twinkled."I, ah,will need your name, because I write down in my account book the names of all who trade with me, is that okay with you?"He was getting flustered, those big soft,solemn brown eyes were getting on his nerves,and her slightly upturned at the corners full lips were rather ah, distracting.
'My goodness' He told himself silently 'get a hold of yourself John.'
The Native Girl smiled and her large brown eyes became pools of warm liquid."Of course, my name is Star, or at least that is what my mother Twinkling Star calls me, because she says when I am excited my eyes shine like two twin stars."Her eyes did have the appearance of two twin stars at that moment, but suddenly the two stars vanished beneath long, thickly fringed lashes and her head dipped to her chest, when she saw John's emotions plainly portrayed in his handsome gray eyes. She was frightened by what she saw, and I shan't tell you what she saw.
'Star, what a beautiful name.' John was thinking and smiled into her eyes until her head dipped to her chest."Thank you, Star, that is for telling me your name. Usually girls don't tell me their names"Then"Have you picked out the beads you want so that we can trade?"John Freeman said.
Star thought inwardly 'He doesn't have my real name, and he shan't he might have some bad ideas. Although I have only heard from other girls and squaws the terrible tales of men tracking them down and raping them.'She shuddered inwardly.She nodded to his question if she was done yet.
He said,"Alright, so you left me half the bowl,here pick out a leather pouch, which I am giving you and..." He stopped when she said,"What size? Is it any particular one?"He shook his head."No you can pick out any pouch you want."
"Okay, here are my furs, I will trade now,"She held up the mink one,"This one I caught when it was half frozen, I put it out of it's misery and now you shall have it in exchange all these beads,"She inclined her lovely, and I might add, shapely head toward the dark green leather pouch stuffed with glass beads.
"It is a fair trade!" Exclaimed John examining the exquisite fur,
"Why this is a large fur, where in the world did you get such a gorgeous fur?"John asked incredulous.'Besides the fact that it is being brought by a very beautiful maiden.'He added silently. Star's eyes shone because of the praise of her most prize fur.
So they began to trade as she began to look at the bolts of cloth and the shoes and all the other things in the trading post.
"My word!"She said,"How do you ever get all these things here?"her brown eyes wide and innocent gazed at him and he couldn't help himself he burst out laughing,"Why do you laugh?"Star asked her face spoke plainly of her hurt.
"I'm s-s-sor-rry Star!"He managed through his laughter,"It just struck my funny bone! That's all!Sorry!Hahahahaha!"
She just stood there shaking her head and then it dawned on her she too began laughing,"Oh!"She gasped,"I must be pretty stupid!"
And they both roared with laughter.......
When Star (or should I say Venesa Ruall or her indian name Sparkling Waters)
finally was able to stop laughing she said, "You see,mister...?"
John quickly said, "John Freeman."
And she continued,"You see Mr.Freeman, I'm here also to get enough supplies to last the winter through and for the children so that they won't be bored as you're people say it. Well, anyway, I uh, well, I need to trade fast, so I will need a sled, like that one on that wall over there." She pointed a small yet shapely and slender hand toward the far wall by John's entrance to his part of the cabin.
John turned and looked in the sled's directon. "Yes? Well I will trade that for one fur, and if you don't think it is fair to me, well that is OK with me. I get enough furs anyway, and just a little less will not hurt me." When he turned back to her he looked strait into her arge,brown beautiful eyes and saw huge tears glistening there, "What is the matter?...Star?" He asked his voice suddenly gone husky on him.
"You are so kind to me, sir." She said it simply enough but it just melted John's heart and he said, "You don't need to pay more that what is the just amount." He replied and his handsome face became a blur to her eyes and she began to sway, "What!"
She gasped, "What is wrong with me?" And she would have fallen had John been elsewhere.
"Why are you acting like this?" He asked softy, when
she was secure in his arms,"I was never treated this way, never in my whole entire life!" She said so softly that John had to bend down his face to her mouth to hear her words.
Star looked into his eyes and her breath came in short gaspes her busum heaving with the effort.
Her heart seemed in her throte and she swallowed hard.
John was sort of in the same predicament, and just then quite suddenly they both realized the intimate position that they were in and both sprang apart like they were charged with the same type of charge whether positive or negative it didn't matter they just sprang quite apart!
John licked his lips for they were dry and said, "I think we should trade. " And Star agreed heartily!
"I should be going now." Star said about 10 minutes later after he and she had quickly traded all those furs in for whatever she needed to get.
"But John Freeman, My tribe wishes you to become my husband. And I need to go now." And she rushed from The Tradeing Post so fast that she almost tripped. "Oh!" She exclaimed and ran to her new sled and to the sled she had brought to carry all her goods that she had just gotten, and so getting her horses she loaded both sleds to the topmost capacity and hitching the sleds one behind the other she hitched her horses up and with a sharp "Hah!" to both horses she was gone into the snowy evening.
Somehow John lived throught this ordeal and now he just stood on his porch staring at the retreaing form of Star."Why didn't I kiss her?" He said thoughtfuly, "Most men my age would have!" His brow furrowed and he went back inside....
As Star was pulled away on the front sled she looked back and saw John gazing after her with an almost forlorn expression on his handsome face. "What has gotten into me?" She asked herself angrily and she jerked the horses to an abrupt halt!
Suddenly her face burned with guilt,"Why didn't I even thank Mr.Freeman?"and she turned the horses around and without even a sharp word of command the horses ran back pulling the heavey sleds quickly and quietly over the packed snow for they knew what their mistress wanted.
When she arrived at The Tradeing Post.....
Star gently pulled the reins in and pulled the horses firmly to a stop.
She lifted her skirt and climbed gingerly down from the sleds onto the thinly crusted snow beside the sleds. "Ooch!" She exclaimed as her tiny boots slipped through the thin crust, and a few pieces of cold, cold snow hit her ankles making her shiver!
As Star climbed onto the porch John came curiously to the door for he thought he'd heard a noise and she walked to the door and opened it silently walking right into him.
John looked down in surprise, "Star!" His gray eyes looked down into her large,soft brown ones.
"Why did you come back? Don't you have to get to your home before dark?"
Star gave a slight shiver and John realized that she must be frozen."Here,"He invited, "come sit by the fire." He led her to the fire cheerily burning in the big fireplace in his part of the cabin and brought her a stuffed chair with soft furs sewn onto it for comfort then he went to the pot whistling merrily over the fire and handed her a cup of coffee and warned, "Careful, it's hot." She looked up at him and said, "I have something to tell you, please, sit down." Taking a sip of the hot coffee she indicated another stuffed chair beside hers which John had oviously been sitting in earlier, before she had made a noise on the porch.
He moved and sat down and then looked expectantly at her, as if to say 'Well? What is it?'
She smiled and said, "Mr. Freeman," But John broke in saying, "Just call me John." Star's smile widened and her eyes twinkled as she said, "OK, John, " p>And then she became quite serious, "I've come back to appologize for my attitude and the way I acted after you were so kind to me..so...will you forgive me?" She set her cup down on the smooth wooden floor and raised an eyebrow at the texture of the wood then looked up at John who was smiling into the fire and stroking his smoothly shaven jaw thoughtfuly, at last when he sensed her waiting he said, "Star, you don't have to appologise for anything, what I mean is, well,"He stopped, momentarily at a loss for words, then he spoke again, gazing thoughfuly into Star's eyes."Well, Star, you see, how you acted is quite normal for a girl ,"Then the look he recieved made him quickly add,"or young woman."He nodded as though trying to convince himself of what he had just said. It wasn't that Star was ignorant it was just that...she needed!
it retold to her, and so John being a sensitive young man realized this and now was trying to explain it as simply as possible."Star, uh, you see I,um.....how shall I say this, uh,"Then"Oh!" And he slammed his hand on the arm of the chair in consternation.Then after a moment of deep thought he spoke again,"I see."He said as he realized just how difficult this might just turn out be."Star, please try to understand that I am having a very hard time explaining this thing to you."Then a thought hit him, "Star, how old are you?"
Star smiled in amusement and said, "Seventeen.Why?"
John just stroked his jaw and muttered, "Just 'cause........"Then he sat up strait and exclaimed, "Wait a minute!What am I trying to explain to you?" Star laughed a musically, sweet laugh and said, "I think you were trying to explain why I felt like I did when you were being kind to me, and I think it is also because you are quite a handsome man." She blushed after she had spoke those bold words and John grinned into the fire his shoulders shook with laughter but Star thankfuly didn't notice this.
"Oh!"She exclaimed, "I guess I had better be truthful to you, you see my name is Venessa Ruall, not Star, that is what the Indians who took me and my father in called me, and then my stepmother named me Sparkling Waters because many times I act like a sparkling stream, or something to that discription." John stil grinning said, "Thanks for telling me."He said it enthusiasticly that Venessa burst out laughing!
"Anyway," he explained."You're a young woman and you have mixed feelings at this age, and so when ever you see a handsome guy you'll feel strangely and after you mature it will pass, although I would think that at your present age you would have passed this part of life."Venessa laughed, "Oh, but I already did!"
Then she realized just what she now was implying,"Oh, I didn't mean it that way!"She explained rapidly, starting tolook rather worried.
