A love between two very different men is put to the test. John Strobaw, a young mixed-blood, grows up in the relative security of a family farm after the Civil War. His mother raises her family as Americans, but his foster brother, Matthew Brandt feels his red blood more keenly and leaves to ride with Crazy Horse. John doesn’t understand the longing he feels for his absent companion until he has his first sexual experience with a man and he only thinks of Matthew. After the murder of Crazy Horse, Matthew makes his way back home. John fights hard against a growing lust for Matthew, but when he ultimately succumbs, he is lost to this handsome, dusky warrior. Just when the future looks bright, another suitor appears -- a handsome Cheyenne army scout, and trouble looms on the horizon.

Echoes of the Flute

Then Matthew brought me back to reality. “How’s this thing gonna end?”   30


We sat in our own stink and listened to the fort come alive the next morning. Thursday, if I calculated right. My unwashed flesh bothered me more than my aching gut. We both anticipated and dreaded Hanlihan’s arrival. Yet, he didn’t come. A stir of excitement outside the guardhouse about mid-morning, including some shooting close at hand, increased our anxiety. Sitting in a locked cage while events go on all around us left us feeling helpless.


Chapter 98