| Saint was a tiny wisp of a girl with fair
glowing clear skin, shining dark brown hair always immaculately coiffed
whatever the hour of the day. Sometimes it appeared she must have had her
hair done before getting out of bed. Saint had a little way as to prove
perfect in that she never seemed to wish to become too well acquainted. As
she was turning away from the conversation her head and eyes are turned
toward her acquaintance and, all the while, her body is slipping slowly
away. One is rather aware she was there, but in a moment, like a spirit,
she would be gone. Whether it was from this, she earned her nickname or
from having the word saint in part of her actual name wasn't questioned.
There were no secrets among the girls at the
boarding school and for this reason everyone knew that when Mildred
received a letter from her cousin there was always a five-dollar bill
there. It was at this time Saint appeared before Mildred's door.
"Why Saint!" "What a surprise!" Mildred
truly was surprised. The very sophisticated "older" girl of the Senior
class was always friendly but did not bother associating with the Junior
girls. "What brings you here?" Mildred never had any trouble getting to
the reason for the girl's visit since she knew it was not to do with being
social. Sure enough Saint was to the point also.
In her hands she carried the most
attractive small radio Mildred had ever seen. It was a dark brown color
and spoke of elegance. Saint held the radio up as if to let Mildred see
what she possessed. "I would like to borrow five dollars against this
little radio?" She was handing it to Mildred.
Well, if the object had of been the Hope
diamond or a Faberge Egg it wouldn't have been as appealing. Now how did
this little tiny girl child know to tempt Mildred with something so
desirable? In other words there would have been nothing more right and
more to be coveted. This was the one thing the girl so missed since she
had arrived. Music was something their family always used daily for
keeping their spirit well and alive. Here within the heavy stone building
and the stark furnishings there was nothing to soften the heavy regimen.
The promise this little box held for relief and gaiety all was directly in
front of the girl.
"Sure!" Mildred was all ready mentally in
possession of the radio. When Saint was gone, she took it and discovered
it was a perfect size for the window ledge. With the heavy drapes hanging
over it the sound was there but no evidence of its existence was present.
As the days turned into months, Saint never
reappeared to claim the radio. It played almost continually during the
times the girls were in the room. If Mildred was not there, then her room
mate enjoyed it.
One day, maybe six months later, the little
girl showed up at Mildred's door with a five-dollar bill to reclaim her
property. Of course, even though there would be a gap in their world
without the sound of it, it after all did belong to Saint. So, with a
loving brush over the top, as if to dust the object, Mildred handed the
radio back to the owner.
The two girls, Mildred and her room mate,
missed the music and chatter to come from its secret place there in the
corner of the window ledge, but they made no complaints because, after all
they had enjoyed it for months and months. They were just girls and
probably, this would be the first experience Mildred would have with
someone of the Osage tribe, other than her family. She well should have
known about their acumen for the financial maneuvering. It was true,
Mildred was protected from having to lend the radio out. If anyone asked
she simply said, "It isn't mine, go ask Saint." "Where upon Saint would
say, "No, I can't." "She is holding it as collateral." "I owe her five
dollars." This was just a clever way of keeping the radio from bouncing
from room to room maybe to become forever lost among the many places it
would go.
The day soon arrived when Mildred received
another letter from her cousin with the customary five dollars tucked
between the pages of his lengthy note. This time when Saint appeared
before her at the door with the little radio in hand there was no exchange
of conversation. Mildred simply stepped to her dresser drawer, pulled out
the five dollars and handed it to Saint.
Years slipped away and it was told to
Mildred that Saint worked in a bank. "Now, why does that not surprise me."
The woman smiled to herself. |
