<TITLE>05. Par 15-17</TITLE>L-15 So then, the next in line was an elderly lady Sister Marshal was bringing out from the inside. And the poor old thing... If there's an Indian here, please don't think I'm saying this--casting off something about being poor. But probably the poor sister was so... She couldn't afford crutches, and so she had broom sticks with a--where they'd sawed off a little block and wrapped rags around it. And she was to be next: arthritis. And she was so stiffened up, she'd take these sticks, and put one out like this, and the other one, then make her steps like that; and then she'd set them out and make little bitty short steps, and when she got...
There is a--a custom sometime of Indians to plait leather in their hair, and she looked up at me, those little dark looking eyes, and them great, deep wrinkles in her cheeks, the--and the tears cutting their way down through like little ditches through her cheeks. She looked up at me like that and I thought, "Oh, God, somebody's mother. No doubt but that hands has raked back a many a little crying baby's eyes. And maybe never had very many decent meals in all of her life..."

L-16 And you have to enter in to feel for the people if you're going to pray for them. And so, standing there looking at that, she just looked up at me, and she started smiling; I never prayed or done a thing. She just got one crutch in one hand and one in the other, and handed it up to me, and went walking on off the platform just as good as anybody. Just that simple. See? Now, we--we try to make it complicated.
Is it all right for just one more little thing about... It was about three o'clock in the morning, I was still standing in the line.
And I said, "I'll pray for all of them," 'cause I had to leave the next day. And I noticed them all coming in wet way up around this a way. And I said, "What's the matter with... Why--why are they wet?"
Said, "Well, they've run out into the--the reservation and bringing their loved ones." And said, "They're not waiting to go down about ten miles to the ford." Said, "They're wade... walking right across the river with them--packing them on their back or any way to get them over there."

L-17 And then I... Coming along, pushing in from the side, coming in the back door and going out the front, there was a--a--a man that took a board and put two sticks across it. And he had an old gray headed fellow with his legs across his knees here and across his arms, and there was two great big, husky looking Indians packing him. And one was standing there, and his lips was real blue and just shivering cold, wet all over.
And I said, "You speak English?"
He said, "Leetle."
And I said, "Don't you think you'll take pneumonia, being wet?" (Seeing what he'd say, you know. I was testing his faith.)
He said, "Jesus Christ has take care of me; I brought my dad."
Said, "What's the matter with your daddy?"
"Him sick." And he was shaking; he had palsy, like that. And he... The old fellow laying there, you know.
And I said, "Does he speak English?"
"Nope."
I said, "Well, bring him here." They passed him by. I guess, his brother behind--he was a younger looking man packed--passed by. I put my hands over on him, and I said, "Sir, may the Lord bless you." I said, "Jesus help this poor, dear man who cannot help hisself. Honor the faith of his son who's brought him." Said, "All right, pass him on."
And I... Just in a moment, I--I heard something screaming and hollering. I looked around, and the old Indian had the board on his own shoulder, going around waving at everybody and going like that...?...
Where a many a time us pale faced people (See?), we just set and "Well, pray for me again; I--I'll go back through the line, or..." Oh, my. They just believe (That's all.), just childlike faith. That's the way we have to do it. See? Just believe; it's not complicated.


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