The Night Watchman(98)

The Committee




Louis didn’t want to leave his horses. Moses was laid up with a bum leg. They needed coaxing. Otherwise, the committee for Washington would consist of Juggie Blue, Millie Cloud, and Thomas Wazhashk. They had received an offer to stay at Ruth Muskrat Bronson’s house. She was the executive secretary of the National Congress of American Indians and ran the whole shebang out of her house because they didn’t have funds for a Washington office yet. Shortly after they accepted, she said she couldn’t take them in after all. Consternation. They found a cheap hotel.

“I don’t think I can do this,” said Millie to Juggie. “I can’t sit in front of a bunch of senators. I don’t trust my voice.”

“Have you ever before lost your voice?”

“No. But I say things.”

“Everybody says things.”

“My things come out wrong.”

Juggie went silent. Millie did say things that offended people or set them off. What if she did this to a senator and wrecked the testimony?

“Can’t you testify about the study?” asked Millie.

“Hell no,” said Juggie. “I’m already there to read Thomas’s statement if he croaks. I’d be a mess if I had to think about yours too.”

“Let’s get Patrice to take my place.”

“Are you crazy?”

“You seen her new glasses? She looks serious. Patrice is the only one who will study my study until she knows it backward and forward. And she’s good at talking.”



Juggie and Millie drove to the jewel bearing plant and waited for Patrice to get off work. When she walked into the parking lot they waylaid her.

“Can I give you a lift home? Millie and me have something to ask you,” asked Juggie.

“No thanks,” said Patrice, but they insisted until she waved Doris and Valentine off.

“So?’’ she said as she got into the backseat of the DeSoto. Millie turned around and stared through her disconcerting eyeglasses. Patrice stared back at her through her equally disconcerting eyeglasses.

“See what I mean about the eyeglasses?” said Millie as they pulled out onto the main road. “They hide Pixie’s eyes. She’s much less cute, but that would be a good thing.”

“For what?”

Patrice felt disconcerted in general, as if this had happened before. Oh yes, she remembered. There had been Bucky, and then the last time she’d been coerced into an automobile she’d ended up wearing a poisonous waterjack suit and swimming in a glass tank.

“Good thing for what?” she said again.

“Good thing for giving testimony in Washington, D.C.,” said Millie. “I can’t do it. I have to write things out before I know what I should say. You can think on your feet.”

“Why would you have to think on your feet? Don’t you just read the study?”

“They want to question me.”

“Oh no. I can’t answer questions. I don’t know everything about your study. I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can,” said Millie. “You’re not that stupid.”

Patrice was used to Millie’s way of talking.

“I’m not stupid at all, Millie. But I have to stay home and work.”

“The tribal council will talk to your boss. I’ll help out with your family.”

“You’re there a lot anyway,” said Patrice.

“Taking notes,” said Millie. “I might change from economics to anthropology.”

“Whatever that is,” said Juggie.

“I won’t do it,” said Patrice. “But I’ll practice with you, Millie, so you won’t go off the rails.”

“You should come with us,” said Millie. “In case I do go off the rails.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” said Patrice.



“The meeting will come to order.”

Thomas commenced with the formalities and since Millie was there, and said she knew personal shorthand, she was the one who took notes, including notes on the notes Juggie had taken at the last meeting. The real business of the council was to decide who would go to Washington, D.C.

“Moses?”

“My leg has been acting up. I believe that I will pass.”

“Louis?”

“A bad time of year for the horses.”

Louis had got county and state officials to sign a letter of support. He was still working on the local chapters of the American Legion. He could go up to anyone and get their signature with his bull body and cute smile. He could even get people to donate cash money. But he didn’t want to go to Washington.

“You just need to be there, so they see we have a delegation.”

“I wouldn’t be no good. All I’d think of is they wrecked my son,” said Louis.

Thomas looked down at his sheaf of papers and passed his hand over his forehead. He was extra tired that day and fighting dizziness.

“We know that Millie doesn’t want to go,” said Thomas. “But Patrice can back her up if we raise a little more money. Plus, she can testify on the jewel bearing plant. What about you, Juggie? Don’t let me down.”

“I’m not missing this. Doesn’t come by every day.”