Green Eyed Woman (Paperback)

This is a story that takes place shortly after the end of the Civil War. A small group if Missouri farmers give up their efforts to eke out an existence on their few acres. They form a wagon train to travel west to California. They are members of a close-knit, parochial cult. Rhoda, wife of the self-righteous leader of the group, is an outsider who has never been integrated into their clan. She copes with her situation primarily by remaining numb.
The pioneers meet and overcome many difficulties as they struggle across Missouri and into Kansas. After the death of her infant daughter, Rhoda becomes increasingly frustrated with her position. She considers abandoning her husband and leaving with a Civil War veteran whom they meet on their travels. She decides to remain with the group, in spite of her unhappiness, for the sake of her four-year-old son.
Her situation eventually becomes so intolerable that she runs away from the wagon train. She hopes to die of starvation.
He Comes in the Night, an Indian, finds her. His kindness and understanding are overwhelming, and she falls deeply in love. He takes her to his village, where she at last gains the acceptance for which she longed. She changes her name to Aura Lee. She is no longer numb. She finds herself and her worth as she participates in the life of the Indian village.
Many happy days follow, but the unrelenting wheels of the history of th. American Indian at that time grind on, and the village meets with heartache.
A surprise encounter with a reminder of her previous life ends the book.