an indian girl named Cathy

It was about this time of year, way out on the high country, up against
a mountain near some white rocks. There was a small house not too far
from a spring and a young indian girl was playing near there. Her hair
was long, she was about 13 or so and she was not as fast as the other
girls, but she got around. She was Ruth's daughter.
Long ago when Ruth was small she help dig for water where that spring
was. It was in the 1920's, she was small then being around her grand
parents when the whole area became dry and there was not water to be
found. The river was so low it was just damp ground and no water could
be seen running in it. People were searching for water and many found
that spring to be there for them to haul water from.


One day it went dry and no water came from it. The indian people
searched around for water and found very little and had to haul it a
long ways by horse, a bucket at a time. Ruth remembered this time and
she went to the Spring everyday and dug for water. It was dry. After a
long while the water came back to her family's place. It was from here
that the Indian people got there water.


She never left that place and stayed there all her life, and it was
here that her daughter was born and she named her Cathy.


It was a place up near the mountains and the kids had to catch a bus to
school many miles away. Cathy would stand near the road and catch the
bus, her dark hair cut shoulder length and she wore plaid dresses. It
was a long ride to school and they had to go many miles over a place
called Dry Mountain.


One day she got on the bus with the other kids and they travelled on to
school. The roads were narrow and some people drove pretty fast on
those two lane roads. One truck drove fast that day and coming over the
mountain saw the bus and could not stop. The truck hit the bus and all
the indian kids inside. They were on their way to school. Some got hurt
and others walked away.


Cathy was taken far away from home and had a hard time coming back home
from then on. She spent a lot of time at the hospital and came home
finally. Her mother had to build a ramp for her to come inside as she
could no longer walk. She fell behind in school and after a while quit
going because it was so hard for her.


In time she just stayed home and would wheel herself to the trading
post and post office and sit there for hours talking to anyone who came
in. It was during this time that I met her.


She was sitting in front of the trading post when I drove up, she was
watching me as got out of the car and went to the door. I was going to
get a pop or something, but could see her looking at me wondering who I
was. As I walked passed her she said, I know what kind of Indian you
are.


I looked at her, and could see a sparkle in her dark eyes, her legs
were narrow toothpicks it seemed like but her smile was a good one. I
said, what kind of Indian do you think I am. She looked at me with
clear eyes and said, "A hungry one".


From time to time I would see her wheeling up and down the road, from
her house to the store, I met her mother whose hair was all gray now.
She asked me once to come to the house and re-light her water heater,
it had gone out. It was sometime in November, maybe 15 years ago or so.
Cathy was there and followed me to the back room and read the
directions from the water heater cover and told me how to do it, so I
wouldn't blow them up.


It has been a long while since I have seen her, she doesn't sit by the
store anymore and I wondered what happened to her. The other day
someone told me her mother Ruth just got out of the hospital, she is
near 90 now and needs help to get around.


I read the newspaper from where they live near their reservation, the
Roosevelt Standard and saw this:


"Hi, My name is Cathy Cuch, I stay at the Stewart's Cedar Crest Care
Center, 187 West Lagoon Street (45-13), Roosevelt, Utah 84066. I would
like to have someone write to me. I miss my friends and some have
forgotten where I live now. Please send me a card or letter..."


I would appreciate it if you could drop her a card and send this around
if you could. She is a nice girl and I think would like to hear from
some of you. Send out the word to get a few letters from here and
there....


thank you.....rustywire