Authors: James D. Doss
Daisy Perika found herself on that proverbial spot. She knew that the best cure for what ailed her nephew was not tea brewed from the tincture of peony or valerian roots, but a brand-new sweetheartâand here was Sarah Frank, applying for the job!
But she's young enough to be Charlie's daughter.
On the other handâ
The girl is half-Ute.
Which reminded the Ute elder:
But her other half is Papago.
Daisy shook her head and snapped: “Charlie's ranch is no place for a young ladyâit's full of half-wit, cow-pie kickers.” In a gentler tone, she added: “You'll be better off here with me.” Noting that Sarah was still giving her nephew the cow-eyes, the crafty old woman added a spicy enticement. “There's lots of important things I could teach youâlike how to use nutmeg and dill weed to kill fleas and centipedes.”
The silly girl's not listening to a single word I'm saying.
The sly old woman tried another approach. “And on days when I get all lonesome and blue, it'd be nice to have somebody to talk to.”
I might as well be talking to a tree.
At a pleading look from her nephew, the tribal elder ground her remaining teeth, mumbled: “I've been having some troubles with my hip joints. If I was to fall down and couldn't get up, you could phone for help.” This final humiliation almost did Daisy in.
Confronted with duty, Sarah effected a girlish little shrug. “Okay. I'll stay with you for a while.”
Until Charlie realizes that he needs me.
Charlie Moon released the breath he had been holding.
Thank you, Aunt Daisy.
He looked to the heavens.
And thanks be to God.
The Shaman Sings
The Shaman Laughs
The Shaman's Bones
The Shaman's Game
The Night Visitor
Grandmother Spider
White Shell Woman
Dead Soul
The Witch's Tongue
Shadow Man
I wish to offer my thanks to
Silve Ralph Dahlstron, M.D.,
Silver City, New Mexico,
and
Geri Keams and James Bernardin,
author and illustrator, respectively, of
Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun,
ISBN 0-87358-694-8
Rising Moon Books for Young Readers from
Northland Publishing, Flagstaff, Arizona.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
STONE BUTTERFLY
. Copyright © 2006 by James D. Doss. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Doss, James D.
Stone butterfly / James D. Doss.â1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-0-312-34054-4
1. Moon, Charlie (Fictitious character: Doss)âFiction. 2. PoliceâColoradoâFiction. 3. Ute IndiansâFiction. 4. ColoradoâFiction. I. Title.
PS3554.O75S76 2006
813'.54âdc22
2006043406