Part 2

The next two days Matthew avoided her. Every time he saw her coming he'd go the other way, and if she wanted to talk to him he'd come up with some lame excuse and dash off.

At the end of the second day Maggie had had enough. She marched into the sheriff's office. Matthew sat with his face in his hands. He looked up when he heard the door slam.

"Maggie?" He got up and looked for a way to escape.

"No, Matthew, this time you're not leaving 'till I'm done. Why are you avoiding me like the plage?"

"Maggie, I'm not.."

"Oh, come on Mathew, what kind of a fool do you take me for?" Maggie had him cornered. Matthew looked her in the eyes and saw the pain he had caused her and with a sigh he told her about Ingrid's death and Emma's leaving.

"I'm sorry, Matthew," she said when he was finished.

"I just can't go thrugh that pain again!" He looked at her with eyes that begged her to understand.

"I understand Mathew. I guess it won't help to tell you that I'm not them. It's a good sentence but it dosen't help here. Matthew, this is not fair to me or to you. You're a good friend and I need all the friends I can get. I've still got two more years, don't ruin them by shutting me out. You haven't had it easy, by I need your strengh, because mine's wearing thin. I need you! No, we won't have a life time as friends, but we'll have some time."

"Maggie, I'm scared."

"So am I!" They hugged and cried together as she had done with Brian.

When their eyes were dried she asked him to take her out to the reservation.

"Why?"

"I need to talk to a friend."

At the reservation she found Cloud Dancing and told him about Dick and about her heart.

"... I can't ask him to spend two years with me nor to leave his country."

"I can not help you. It is up to him to decide." Maggie nodded.

"I know. There's something else I would like to talk to you about."

That night she had dinner at the homestead. After dinner she asked Dr. Mike to go for a walk with her.

"It's beautiful out here at night, when all the stars are out."

"It sure is."

"Dr. Mike, the reason I asked you for a walk was that I've something to tell you, something that only very few people know. When I told you that Hank was my brother I lied."

"What?" she stopped, but Maggie kept on walking.

"He is my uncle. My mother, his sister, had a boyfriend whom she dearly cared for, and they were to be married, but suddenly one day he disapeared without a trace. Unfortunately it was too late to stop me. It was the same old story over again, she went to visit some relative and when she returned the family had a new daughter."

"When did you find out?"

"I always knew. My granparents or socalled parents despised me, but didn't wanna' bring any shame on their beloved daughter. They called me bastard only when my mother wasn't listening of course. My mother had given up on life. The only people that realy cared for me was Hank and Nana, she stayed when we moved. One day Hank got tired of everyone always telling him that he was no good, worthless, so he desided to leave. I cried all night and the next day I refused to let him go. He told me that he loved me and that I could always come to him and stuff like that. After that things got worse at home. One day my mother died. My grandparents didn't see any reason to keep me around now that my mother had died, so I was send to a boarding school. My years in boarding school were the best in my life. In the holidays I would be with Hank, but he moved out here. Then I started being with Nana. The rest you know."

"I don't know what to say."

"I don't know what there is to say." She stopped. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being here."

"I'll always be here for you."

Maggie smiled gratefully at her.

"I'll have to tell Dick."

"Maggie, have you thought ..."

"Please, don't start, Dr. Mike, I know what you're going to say and the answer is that to me it makes no difference who his parents were, and I don't care what other people think."

Mike studied this headstrong young girl and wondered if she had always been like this or whether it was the fact that she was dying that had given her extra backbone.

"I hope that marriage means that you can tell each other everything, so I don't mind if you tell Sully," Maggie said looking at Dr. Mike. "Maybe I would like you to. You're my friends and I would like you to know the truth. I'm not ashamed of who I am and how I came to this world. Hank told me never to be, that I was the same as everybody else."

To Dr. Mike this girl was full of surprises and secrets that she never knew about Hank and never would have expected.

"Thank you for tonight. I had a great time. I'll like to go back, I'm getting tired."

"Sure, Mathew will drive you."

They hugged.

Back at the clinic she paused outside Dick's door. Took a deep breath and opened it.

"Hallo Maggie," he said with a smile.

"Dick, there's something I have to tell you." And with tears running down her face she told him everything about her birth, her heart and Norway. She was scared, really scared, that the facts she was laying out would mean something bad.

"Now you know," she said when she was done and put her hand on the doorhandle.

"Maggie," he said calmly. His hand covered hers. She slowly turned around. He bend down his head and kissed her.

"Maggie, I'm not going to get down on one knee, 'cause then I'll never get up, so I'll ask you looking down in stead of up. Will you marry me?"

"But Dick, my heart.."

"I'll rather live two years with you then a lifetime without you."

She smiled happily at him, but it faded when she opened her mouth to say something. Dick interrupted her: "Maggie, I don't care that your parents weren't married. And Norway? My father's people don't want we, my mother's people don't want me, maybe my wife's people will."

"I can't promise you that."

"It doesn't matter as long as you want me. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said in a low voice and carefully put her arms around him, remembering his ribs. Once more she cried.

"I never knew that there where so many tears in the world," she said not letting go of him.

"There'll always be more tears, and I don't mind as long as there are more happy ones, than sad ones." He gently kissed her hair.

"The hard part is telling Hank."

"Would you like me to go with you?"

"No, stay here, by the window and then everytime I loose hope I'll just look up at you, and you will be my strength."

"I shall be your strength just like you are mine," he said as he kissed her neck.

End of part 5

on to part 6

CREATED EQUAL
Part 6 of 7

By Nina Tondering

"She sure is one of a kind," Mike said as Sully brushed her hair.

"So are you."

"I just wish there was something I could do to help her."

"Is there nothing you can do about her heart?"

"No there isn't."

"I think she teaches us an important thing. Two actually, but one on them we all ready knew."

"What's that?"

"The thing we all ready knew was that it makes no difference whether you're an Indian or white."

"And the other one?"

"To live everyday to the fullest, because tomorrow you might not be here."

"Then let's live this night to the fullest," Mike said and kissed Sully.

Maggie waited 'till after noon the next day before she went to see Hank.

"Hey Maggie, where've you been?" Hank greeted her.

"Just walking around - gathering courage - ," she thought. "Hank, there's something we have to talk about."

"Sure, what? It's not your heart, is it?"

"No, don't worry, my heart's fine. Hank, I'm getting married."

"What? With whom?" Before she could answer he coutinued. "It's Matthew, isn't it? I have noticed the way the two of you were acting. Well, I guess he's not the worst one you could find, but the mother in law you're going to get! Wow, imagine what is like being related to Michaela."

"Hank, it's not Matthew - if only it was -," she quietly thought.

"Then who is it?"

"Hank, please sit down."

"Why, are you worried I'll faint?" he asked joking.

"No, you just seem less scary when you sit down." Hank sat down.

"It's Richard Thomsen."

"Who?"

"Remember the man Dr. Mike and I brought in a couple of days ago. He'd been in a fight at the reservation."

"THE Halfbreed!"

Maggie nodded.

"Maggie, you can't be serious."

"I am, Hank. More serious than I've ever been in my life."

"I won't have it. I won't let you. No sister of mine is marrying an Indian."

Right then all of Maggie's pain, nervousness, and frustration flowed over.

"No NIECE of yours!"

Hank looked at her like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"I've had it with being you sister! You told me that there was no reason for me to be ashamed of who I was, didn't you?"

"Maggi.."

"DIDN'T YOU?!?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then why am I still hidding under the name that YOUR parents, my grandparents gave me? They didn't like either of us nor liked we them. You won't let me marry an Indian, well, he ain't, he's a halfbreed, but I guess that is just as bad, if not even worse. You wouldn't think it was so, he's half white."

"Maggie, you know ... It's not the same."

"Why not? He's a halfbreed born within the marriage and I'm a white bastard. Well, what about Nana? Is she less than you and me, because she's Norwegian?"

"NO! Maggie listen ..."

"No, I won't! I listened years ago to a Hank who told me that I had the same value like everybody else. I an't listening to a Hank that tells me that just because the man I love has a mother with a different colour of skin than me, then he hasn't the same value. It doesn't make sense, Hank! It doesn't!"

"Have you told him about your heart problem?"

"Yes, and he told me that he would rather live two years with me that a lifetime without me."

"But will he go to Norway with you?"

"Yes. His own country doesn't want him so he'll see if his wife's will."

"It won't.",p> "He know that it might have the same weird prejudices like you have, but he says that he'll follow me where ever it will please me. I love him, then what's the matter with him?"

"He's an Indian, that's what the matter with him!" Hank yelled frustrated.

Maggie opened her mouth to yell back, but stopped, put her hand over her heart and sat down.

"Maggie, are you alright?" Hank asked worried.

"No, I'm not alright," she said angrily, with a frightening pale face. "I've got an uncle who won't let me marry the man I love just because he dosen't aprove of who his mother was!" Maggie jumped up and stormed out of the door and out into the street.

"Wait a minute, Maggie, we're not finished!"

"Oh, but we are! I know where you stand and you know where I stand."

Jake came out off his shop.

"What's the matter, Hank?" he asked.

"She wants to marry a halfbreed."

"And you're letting her?"

"Hell no!"

"He hasn't got a thing to say about! It's my decision. Mine and Dick's."

The street was getting crowded with courious people. Loren came out off his shop. Dorothy and Preston came out off their offices. Mike and Andrew came out off the clinic.

"Loren, what do you think?" Hank asked.

"You can't marry a halfbreed!"

"And why not?"

"Because he's half Indian, that's why!"

"But he's also half white," Dr. Mike replyed.

"Sully dresses and acts like an Indian, but you don't mind him." Maggie pointed to the approaching Sully.

"Well, I don't know about that," Hank replyed.

Maggie turned around herself.

"You all agree with him, don't you? If you're Indian, just half, you're not worthy of a white girl's hand." Maggie looked at them in amazement.

"Not all of us," Matthew stepped forward, the Indian medicine bag dangeling around his neck. Maggie smiled at him. She spotted Grace and Robert E. She went over to them.

"Grace, what do you think? Is it alright that I marry a man who is half Indian?"

"Yes I do. We're all created equal."

"Thank you."

"What are you asking her for?" Jake came over to them. "She's a negro."

Maggie's hand flew through the air and landed hard on his cheek, leaving a clear, red mark of her fingers. She spoke in a Norwegian accent of which there was no mistake: "And I despise you Americans. You are not one nation, but hundreds, but you don't think of that! If you look different you are not as good as everyone else, you don't have as much right to be here, everthou' you have been here longer. In The Great Land being different is a crime. The Great Land with it's great constitu- tion, where everyone is created equal." She turned to the crowd and lost the accent. "No, I'm not saying that it will be different in Norway. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but I love him, and that makes him worthy in my eyes."

"And mine." Dr. Mike stepped up beside her.

"And mine." Matthew and Sully joined them.

Dr. Mike could see the paleness on Maggie's face well hidden under the blush of anger, and her strained breath. She knew that to faint now would be to loose, so she put her arm around her to support her. Maggie smiled thankfully at her.

"Reverend, can you tell us what it says in the letter to the Galatians chapter 3 verse 28?" Maggie asked him. He opened his Bible, found the place and read a bit uneasily: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

"There you see, in God's eyes there is no difference between us."

"Miss Lawson's right. Jesus helped the heathens."

"Dick isn't even a heathen. He is baptized and believe in Jesus Christ."

"Miss Lawson, I shall be honoured to wed you."

"Thank you, Reverend."

"But, miss Lawson, you've only known this man for a week," Dorothy protested.

"I know, but I also know that I ...I'm not going to say love him, because some of you may argue that and say that you can't love someone you've only known a week, but I care deeply for him, and besides ... Mrs Jennings, how long did you court your husband?" But before Dorothy could answer Maggie went on. "More than two years?"

Dorothy shut her mouth realizing her pount.

"I don't have time to court him a long time before I marry him, and in my heart I know that we care enough about each other to live as man and wife for two years."

"You're forgetting one thing, Maggie. I ain't giving you away," Hank replied.

"Then I shall ask Sully or Matthew .. or Cloud Dancing." The last name was said to defy him. "Dick and I can't afford a big wedding," she said turning to the crowd. "But we'll love for any of you, who can accept my decision, to participate." Maggie stood, almost fainting with her head held high, when her eyes fell on Dick standing on the balcony of the clinic. She stumbled to the clinic, up the stairs, down the hall, and out on the balcony where she fainted in his arms.

Hank looked up at the halfbreed who stood with his fainted niece in his arms, and for a moment their eyes met, but Hank turned away.

When Maggie woke up she was lying in the bed Dick had been occupying for the last couple of days.

"You gave os all quite a scare," Dick said as he caressed her face. Maggie looked around the bed and saw Sully, Matthew and Brian. Dr. Mike was sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Ma was afraid you might have gone into a coma or somet- hing," Brian said.

"For a moment there you had us all going," Dr. Mike said.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you," Maggie apologized.

"It's OK, I'm getting used to it," Mathew said joking.

"Maggie, we're all proud of you, of what you said," Sully said.

"Thank you, I'm just afraid that the one person's acceptance I long for the most, I haven't got."

"Maggie, I ..."

"Shh Dick, I'm marrying you no matter what."

He smiled lovingly at her. "But now that you are well you can't stay here in the clinic."

"And they don't want me at the reservation."

"Dick can live with me out at the old homestead."

"You really mean that, Matthew?" Maggie asked. He nodded.

"I'm very grateful." Dick got up and shook his hand.

"Ma, can't Maggie stay with us?" Brian asked

"I don't see why not. What about you, Sully?"

"She's more then welcome."

"I couldn't inpose on you."

"Nonsense Maggie, we'd love to have you come and live with us."

Then that was settled.

End of part 6

on to part 7

CREATED EQUAL
Part 7 of 7

By Nina Tondering

It was decided that Dick could borrow a suit of Matthew, but Maggie's weddingdress was a bit of a problem. She was to tall to to borrow Dr. Mike's. Dorothy was kind enough to let her borrow hers, but she looked awfull in it.

"I guess I'll just have to get married in my nicest dress."

"Why doesn't Mr. Thomsen just get a job, and buy you a nice wedding dress?" Brian asked.

"Because not very many people wants to hire a halfbreed."

"Why?"

"Don't know, Brian."

After dinner one night Sully found Maggie sitting out on the steps to house. It looked as if she was crying but when he confronted her she denied it.

The next day he desided to stop by the saloon. Inside Hank was sitting bent over a bottle.

"What do you want?" he asked when he saw him.

"To see if you knew what you are doing to Maggie."

"What about her?"

"Hank, you're making her miserable."

"I'm not the one marrying a halfbreed."

"No, but you are the one she wants most of all to give her away."

Hank didn't answer.

"Hank, cutting her off like this is not going to stop her. It is only hurting her and you. Your acceptance means everything to her."

"She doesn't give a dam what I think."

"Not the Maggie I know."

There was quiet for a while.

"I hear she ain't even got a wedding dress," Hank said.

"That's right. Dick offered to buy her one, but she turned it down. She said it wasn't right for the groom to buy the bride's wedding dress, and she would rather use the money for the trip."

"Has she asked any one to give her away?"

"No, she putting it off."

When Hank didn't seem to have more to say Sully left. A little while later Hank got up and went to see Loren.

On the eve of the wedding, Michaela and Sully was giving dinner.

"I don't know what we going to do about the money. It could take forever to raise it," Maggie said very down hearted.

"If only we know where old miner's treasure was," Brian said more to himself then the others.

"What?"

Brian told them the story of the old miner's treasure and how he and Sully had looked for it.

"You're right, Brian," Maggie said when he finished. "If we could only find that."

"Don't worry Maggie, I'm sure we'll find something," Dick said and put his arm around her.

The next day. The big day. Dr. Mike was helping Maggie getting dressed at the clinic.

"It's not much of a wedding dress," Maggie said a bit sad, looking down at her nicest dress. "But then on the other hand, I'm not marrying the dress." And with a smile she began putting up her hair.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "I wonder who that can be," Dr. Mike said as she opened it. Outside Hank was standing in his best clothes and with a parcel under his arm.

"Hank!" Dr. Mike exclaimed surprised. Maggie put her hands over her mouth. She was afraid to say anything, that would make him leave.

"Hallo Maggie."

"Hallo Hank."

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"But that ain't much of a wedding dress." Maggie look at him in wonder. Was he trying to make her feel bad? "I think this will be a lot better." And with those words he put the box down and opened it. Inside was a simple yet beautiful wedding dress.

"OH!" Maggie exclaimed. "Hank, I don't know what to say. Yes, I do. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" She threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her tightly.

"Hurry up and put it on. I wanna' see how it fits." Maggie nodded smiling.

A few minutes after she had it on.

"Oh, Hank, it's beautiful. Thank you so much!"

"I also brought you this," Hank said and pulled a pearl neckless out off his pocket. "Nana brought it with her from Norway," he said as he put it on her. "She gave it to me before I left. I think she wanted me to give it to my wife, but I'll like you to have it." He met her eyes in the mirror, she took his hand that was lying on her shoulder.

"Let's get your hair up," Michaela said. Maggie sat down and as she put it up she said: "Well, Maggie, now you've got something old."

"The neckless," Maggie said putting her hand over it. "Something new."

"The dress." Maggie reached out and took Hank's hand. "And you were going to borrow my veil, but .."

"I need something blue," Maggie interrupted her.

"Oh, I thought of that," Hank said and pulled out a blue garter.

As Maggie walked up the aisle at Hank's arm, she knew that she had never been happier; at the alter Dick was waiting, and Hank was bringing her to him. As they reached Dick and Matthew, and Hank gave her to Dick, he, and not Dick, put out his hand and the two men Maggie loved most in the world shook finally hands. Then Hank kissed Maggie and stepped back.

When the "I do"s were said, there was dinner at Grace's. A lot of people was there, and Maggie was thrilled to see them all. That day it didn't matter how they felt about Dick, all that mattered was that they were there. She didn't give a thought to her heart or where they were gonna' get the money. The only thing that mattered was that she was married to the man she loved and she was celebrating it with people who cared about her.

"Sully I gotta' hand it to you," Hank said. "You sure know what to say."

"Time to kiss the bride!" Jake shouted and they all came. Jake and Loren, Robert E. and Andrew, Matthew and Sully, and last but not least Hank.

"This is one of the white man's traditions I like," Cloud Dancing said as he kissed her.

There was dancing, but only slow ones, which Dick had requested due to Maggie's heart. Maggie didn't know this.

After toasts, dancing and everything, Maggie and Dick went to the old homestead, which Matthew had offered to them for the wedding night.

Early the next morning they decided to go for a walk. And they did, hand in hand, united 'till death did them part. The world around them disappeared and to them only the other one exsisted. Suddenly Mother Nature remided them of her presence as it started pouring down. Maggie put her head back and laughed, so whole heartedly that Dick couldn't help joing in.

"Let's seek shelter in that cave over there."

"Dick, it's raining into the cave."

"Then let's go a bit further in."

"AUGH!"

"What happened?"

"I bumped my foot into something."

"What?"

"I can't see, it's too dark."

"It doesn't look like it's going to clear up in the near future. Are you keen on a walk through the rain?"

"No."

"I didn't think so."

"I'm sorry I asked you to take this walk with me, some way to spend our first wedded day."

"I don't care where I am as long as I with you."

It rained most of the day. Dick and Maggie had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

"Goodmorning, Mrs. Thomsen."

"Goodmorning, dear husband." They kissed.

"I love you, Maggie."

Instead of an "I love you too" Maggie gasped.

"What?"

"Look." And there, there was the answer to their problems, the solution they had been seeking, there was the old miner's treasure.

"Well, I'll be ..."

"Dick, how much of this do you think we need for the tickets to Norway, our life there, and a ticket for you to go where ever you want when I'm gone?"

"Why don't we just take it all?"

"No, I want us just to take what we need and leave the rest. Who knows maybe another needing couple comes along."

"You're right, but there's an other thing we have to figure out."

"What?"

"How we're gonna' explain this. They probably won't believe the truth and if they did we would probably have to show them the treasure."

"We could tell them that we couldn't find it."

"Maggie, they're gonna' think I stole it."

"Yeah, you're right. I've got it. We'll just tell them that when you said you didn't have any money you lied."

"I wanted to be sure of your love for me and not my money."

"But now you are sure and we need it."

"I think that could work."

The day of Maggie's and Dick's departure arrived. "Maggie, I'm gonna' miss you."

"I'm gonna' miss you too Brian." She bend down and hugged him.

"Take good care of yourself."

"I will, Matthew." She put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Please don't cry for me, not any more," she said when she noticed Dr. Mike's watery eyes.

While she said goodbye to the rest Hank pulled Dick away. "Take good care of her."

"I will, I promise." Dick put out his hand and Hank shook it. He hadn't accepted Richard Thomsen the halfbreed, but he had accepted Richard Thomsen his niece's husband.

"Send me a wire when she ..."

"Of course."

"Goodbye Hank."

"Goodbye Maggie." There was so much both of them wanted to say but neither of them knew how.

"I love you Hank." Maggie said and threw her arms around his neck.

"Jeg elsker deg," was Hank's answer.

Reluctantly they let go off one other.

Hand in hand Maggie and Dick got on the trian.

As it drove away they waved.

"Weeping willow dry your tears,
do no longer cry for me,
for I am going to a place,
far more better then where
I ever been.
Weeping willow dry your tears,
do no longer cry for me,
for I am no longer
scared nor sad.
Weeping willow dry your tears,
do no longer cry for me,
for soon I shall be
with our God all mighty
and his angels of glory
with them shall I sing,
so cry no longer.
Weeping willow dry your tears,
do no longer cry for me,
for once again we shall meet,
in Heaven our paths
shall meet again,
and there we for ever dwell."

The first succeful heart transplantation was performed in Cape town, South Africa in 1967.

THE END