What a fine, perfectly told story! Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is an aging veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Now, after the Civil War he supports himself by traveling around lawless Reconstruction Texas and reading articles from newspapers to paying audiences. Along the way he is asked to take on the burden delivering a ten year old girl who has lived with the Kiowas since she was captured at the age of six to her surviving relatives. She speaks no English and is desperate to return to the only mother she remembers -- her Kiowa mother. These are wonderful, believable characters -- I found myself thinking of Gus from Lonesome Dove and Mattie from True Grit. And all the minor characters and even the horses have memorable personalities. In just over 200 pages, Jiles has brought to life an era and its people. Highly recommended!
