Pine Ridge's personal Santa knows this when he sees the children's faces: a toy does make a difference

PINE RIDGE RESERVATION, S.D. — Lash LaRue handed the girl a box of art supplies. Then he turned and wiped his eyes.

“Damn it,” he said, maybe a little surprised with himself, maybe a little embarrassed.

It had been a couple of years since the 50-year-old Iowa musician had seen the girl. But he had already brushed away tears telling her story earlier that week, onstage at Omaha’s 21st Saloon. And again, the night before, in a motel lobby in Gordon, Nebraska, a dozen or so miles from the South Dakota border.

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