st two fingers and gained a new
name. At another time the mad fool had tried to force his horse to leap
a cliff; and once he had attempted to drown himself; and yet, between
these obsessions, he could be very winning, and there were many among
Elk's band who pitied him. He was comely withal, and had married a
handsome girl, the daughter of Standing Wolf. It was easy to imagine
that Cut Finger was the guilty one, and yet to think of him was to think
of his son's intimate friend.

When he reached his tepee Grayman lit his pipe and sat down alone and
remained in deep thought for hours. He feared to find Cut Finger guilty,
for his own son was Cut Finger's friend, or fellow, and that means the
closest intimacy. There are no secrets between a Tetong and his chum.
"If Cut Finger is guilty, then my son knows of it. That I fear."

When any one came to the door he motioned them away; even his daughter
dared not enter, for she saw him in meditation. As he smoked he made
offering to the Great Spirit, and prayed that he might be shown the
right way, and his heart was greatly troubled.

Crawling Elk, with a half-dozen of his head men, was seated in his
tepee, calmly discussing the same question. The canvas of his lodge was
raised, as much to insure privacy as to let the wind sweep through. It
was not easy to accuse any man of this crime, or even to suggest the
name of any one as capable of such a foolish deed of blood. For
relationships were close; therefore it was that he, too, narrowed the
investigation down to Cut Finger. It is easier to accuse the son of a
neighbor than your own son, especially if that other is already a marked
man among reckless youths.

At five o'clock Grayman called his daughter and said, "Send my sister,
Standing Cloud, to me."

Standing Cloud came and took a seat on the outside of the tepee--on the
side where the canvas was fastened up--and there sat with bent head, her
fingers busy with blades of grass, while her brother questioned her. She
was a large and comely woman of middle age. Her expression was still
youthful, and her voice had girlish lightness. She was at once deeply
moved by her brother's questions. She did not know where her son was; he
had not been to see her for several days. She understood whereto the
questioning tended, and stoutly denied that her son would do so evil a
deed. Nevertheless, Grayman was compelled to say:

"You know he has a bad head," and he made the confused, wavering s