Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1849-12-28
From The National Lateifge,cer.
Indian Legends.
THE LOVERS STAR.

| stf'
obtained the following legend from
the lips of an Indian trader whom me
at the Island Of la Pointe, in Lake SUI
perior. He said it was related to him
by hunter Of the Chippeway nation
and that he had heard similar story
among the Chippeways:
"There was once quarrel among thu
stars, when one of them was driven frou
his home in the heavens and descended
10 the earth. 1t wandered from one
tribe OF Indians TO another, aud had been
seen lowering over the camp fires of a
thousand Indians when they were pre-.
pairing to sleep. 1t always attracted at
tention and inspired wonder and admi
ration. II often lighted upon the head.
Of little children, az if for the purpose
| of playing with them, but they were in
variably frightened, and drove it away
| by their loud crying. Among all ,he
people in the world only one could be
fond who was not afraid of this beauti-
| ful star, and this was little girl, tbs
fdaughter of a Chippewayan WARRIOR
She was not afraid Of the star, but rath
er than this she loved il with her whole
heart, and was very happy in her love
That she was loved by the star in return
there could be no doubt, for wherever
she travelled with her father throuy the
wilderness, there, as the night came on,
| did the star follow; but it was never seen
in the day time. When the girl awoke
at night the star floated above her head
and when asleep. it was constantly in It's
lwatchiulness that she never opened hel
eyes, even at midnight, without behold
| ing It's brilliant light. People wondered
at this strange condition of things, bu
how much more did they wonder wher
they found that the father of the CIR
never returned without an abundance oil
game. they therefore concluded tha
the star must be the son Of the Good
Spirit, and they ever after spoke of i
with veneration. r
Slime passed on, and it was lnidsum
mer. The Indian girl had gone into
the woods for the purpose OF gathering
berries. Those of the wintergreen were
nearly all eaten up by the pigeons and
deer. as the cranberries were beginning
TO ripen, she wandered into large marsh
with view of filling her willow basket
with them. She did so, and in the tan.
gled thickets of the swamp she lost hel
way. She became frightened and cried
aloud for her father to come to her as
sistanee. The only creatures that an
swered her cries were the frogs and lone,
| ly biltern. The night was rapidly com.
ing, and the farther she wandered the
more intricate became her path. At one
time she was compelled to wade into the
water even to her knees, and then again
would she fall into deep hole and al.
most become drowned among the poi.
sonous slime and weeds. Night came
and the poor girl looked up at the sky,
hoping that she might see the star she
loved. A storm had arisen and the rain
fell so rapidly that star could not live
in it, and therefore there was none TO be
seen. The storm continued, the walers
of the country rose, and, in rushing into
the deeper lakes, they destroyed the In
dian girl, and washed her~body away,
so that it never could be found.
"Many seasons passed away and the
star continued to he seen above the
watch fires of the Chippewayans, but il
would never remain long in one place
and its light appeared to have become
dlmmed. 1t ever seemed to look for
something that it could not find, and the
people knew that it was not happy on
account Of the unlimely death of the
girl it had loved. Additional years pas
ed on, and with the leaves of autumn il
finally disappeared. A cold aud long
winter soon followed, and then the hot.
test summer that had ever been known.
During this season it so happened that a
hunter CHANGED at night TO follow bear
into one of the largest swamps of the
land, when to his astonishment he dis
covered small light hanging over the
water. Ii was so beautiful that he fol.
lowedit for a long distance, but it led in
to such dangerous places that he gave up
the pursuit, and ret urned to tell his PEG.
pie what he had seen. Aud then it was
that the oldest men of the tribe told him
that the light he had seen was the star
that had been driven from heaven, and
that it was now wandering over the earth
for the purpose of finding the beautiful
girl it had loved. And that same star is
still upon the earth, and is often seen by
the hunters as they journey at night
through the wilderness" aiisi,F-
The Louisville Journal, in copying
from an eastern paper the account Of a
very tall fellow, with the eastern editor