The Indian in the Cupboard

Omri puts the cowboy and horse into a clothing crate and gives them bits of food, plus fabric scraps for bedding. The cowboy deliberately ignores him, but when Omri gives him water in a toy bottle, he angrily tosses it out, saying if he cannot hold his liquor like the other cowboys, at least he should do better than giants and blue deserts for hallucinations. He sits down and sobs.

Omri leaves him alone and visits Little Bear, who has finished the paintings and prepares for bed. Omri gives him bits of rodent feed for his horse, then makes the mistake of asking if there’s anything the chief needs. Little Bear wants fire, a tomahawk, and fish to hunt. Using the remains of the firelighter and sticks from the trash bin Omri a tiny blaze a few inches from the tepee. Little Bear enjoys the fire. Omri asks if he will do a dance; the Iroquois says there’s no reason. Omri suggests, “Maybe if I got you a wife—” (89), and Little Bear promises to dance if the boy can find him a bride.

Omri’s mom comes in and kisses him goodnight. He’s dozing when the horses whinny loudly. They’ve smelled each other. Omri realizes they can’t reach each other, and he falls asleep.

A shot awakens him. The cowboy and horse have escaped through a knot pushed out of the wooden crate. A tiny arrow strikes the crate. The cowboy and Indian are firing at each other. Little Bear is the better fighter and is about to kill the cowboy when Omri intervenes, picking up the Iroquoian. The boy explains that the cowboy is Patrick’s project and will leave soon for school.

Little Bear wants to go there, too. He looks down at the cowboy, a redhead, and says his scalp will look good on Little Bear’s belt. Omri says no. The Iroquoian offers to do a dance if he can kill the cowboy; Omri counters that, if Little Bear does that, he won’t get a wife. Little Bear puts away his knife. He says Omri should bring him to school and then to the “plasstick” store, where he can select a wife. Omri says ok.

Omri finds the cowboy on the floor and gives him back his hat, which an arrow shot off of his head. The cowboy thanks him and then laughs about thanking what he thinks is a drunken hallucination. His name is Boone, but his friends call him “Boohoo” because he is soft-hearted and tears come to him easily.

Omri asks what he would like for breakfast; Boone says nothing much—just steak, eggs, beans, coffee. 

Omri sneaks downstairs and tries to cook an egg and beans; it comes out partly cold and partly burnt. He brings the skillet upstairs, convinces both tiny men, despite their protests, to eat together, then places them and a spoonful of food on the seed tray, where they eye each other tensely. He gives them bits of bread as spoons. Little Bear digs in, but Boone protests about eating with the “Injun.” Omri says if he doesn’t, Little Bear will learn Boone’s nickname. Boone eats but complains that there is no coffee.

After breakfast, both men stand, taunt each other, and prepare to fight. Omri reminds Little Bear of his promise, but things edge toward conflict. Boone insists that, since his gun is empty, Little Bear drop his knife and fight bare-handed. The Iroquoian does so, and they engage in a no-holds-barred fight with punches, kicks, throws, and dirt to the face. Omri suddenly pins them both, declares the fight a draw, and tells them to get cleaned up for school.