The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-04-05
THE
BRIDE OF DACOTAH.
A TALE OF THE DELAWARES.

n lttble Cnllu now CouiO ava
by a Ieathern thong the beautiful KID, which
gambolIed and frlsked by Its side.
In the midst of the group an altar had
been raised, formed OF pled-up stones and
pieces of wood The ex chief, being one OF
the elders OF the tribe, ottcisted as priest,
and giving the signal, the same sort of wild
chanting again commenced. In the m,ds,
of this the kid, unsuspectingly frolicking
and scattering showers of blossoms around
from its garlsnded neck, was brought to q
stake beside the wood. The lovers were
now called upon to advance to the altar, ano
hand IN hand they stood forth before the
whole tribe. Then a murmur Of satisfaction
ran through the thropg.
The officiating Indian raised the kid, and
laid it upon the wood of the altar then the
bride and bridegroom, standing side by side,
with joined palms, laid each q hand upon
the head of the little animal, the type OF
spotless and perfect innocency then, with
their faces looking towards the sun, they
repeated the following words:
'.Oh Sun behold our vow, and witness
our eternal promise. Upon this sPotless
victim we cast our past transgressions
against the will of thy great spirit, and
nromiss that with souls as white we Will
tourney together through the forest of life,
until hand 10 hand we enter upon the bound
less hunting fields of thy glory. Dacotah
will be TO Rosy Morn loving aud constant as
the faithful FIRE king Molako unto his wife
Minhsla, the river of the murmuring waters
and Rosy Morn unto her chief Dacotsh will
be for ever tender and true as the Moon, the
mighty goddess, unto thee, oh Sun among
the cloudy mountains of thy kingdom"
Then the bride and bridegroom threw
themselves in an attitude of worship upon
the ground before the altar; the besting OF
the victim told that the sacrifice of its life
had had offered, and fire cracking amongst
the wood of the altar ssnctifed the offering
TO the deity of their worship.
The welded pair now arose from their at
titudss of obeissnce, and again the chanting
and the dance commenced, ending in SORT
of romping psntomime, supposed 10 be des
criptive of q bear hunt.
In the meantime the creature comforts had
not been forgotten. While the marriage
ceremony was going on, various birds,
beasts, and fishes were in course of prepare
ton at the ad jscent camp fire.
When the marriage feast was over, q
dretty little advertisement took place, and
many 8 wedding gift was laid at the brides
feet, and the children of the party came
tripping in, leading by long moose cord
the beautiful eik,-now perfectly tame,-the
elk which had indirectly saved Dacotah',
life on the memorable morning of the chase
They had hung his antlers with gariands o
wild flowers instead of the cypress wnIct
so lately adorned them, and as he strode
along, sweeping the branches of the trees
and care lest he should trample on some
of his little compositions, ne looked perfec
picture of majesty and elegance. The
children led him up to Rosy Morn, and il
teeir childish way formally made her 4
present of the splendid creature, with al
much Importance as though he had been
their especial capture, aud without question
freely their own to Deslow. 1t was q nob!t
gift, and the bride received it with JOY nor
did she yer after neglect to feed with her
own hands the gentle creature known by 81
the tribe as Dacotsh's elk.
Amid feasting and dancing the eve
ming passed away, and all vent merry as
marriage bell. 1t was very pleasant
to see the beamiDg smile OF happiness
that lighted up the face OF the still
comely mother OF Rosy Nom. She had
waited through years Of sorrow and suffer
ing for this moment; and now that it had
aTTlFtA, uSI uenIk oFoA "ASh JOY
as she gazed upon the youthful couple, ana
silently bestowed upon them her blessing
a mothers sacred and not unsvaillng gift
Man is not allowed to be perfectly happy
lest, bacoming proud, he SHOULD forget tnt
hand in the hollow OF which he is sustained
We must not forget that there ia one cir
c1mstsnce which it was impossible for the
happy party to overlook, inasmuch as tht
RI bafn .har Rnsy
Morn, beautiful, stately, good as she WAS
was dumb. Oh how they missed that sweer
voice, which in bygone days had poured
forth such stirring melody as the warriors
gathered around her They would hesi
her no more Henceforth Rosy Morn mus
converse with them by signs and gestures
and with wondrous meaning Chances from
her soft, lustrous eyes. Other maidens sang
to them, but they sang not 80 sweetly. anc
the voice of Rosy Morn was missed in tins
throng. But all were full of rejoicing OF
the occasion SO long looked for, so long de
SPARED of, yet so suddenly and unexpected
" presenting itself Dacotsh, radiant with
bliss, looked the perfect lover and chief com
blned his noble countenauce glowed with
contentment. For, in the spirit of his
bridal vow, forgetting the wrongs, injuries
hHu sbiiO"o Vi INC phSt' oAN aCI'N'i- HNA aug
only the blessedness of the present, he
iuaugurated from that day new creed
peace on earth and fellowship and good viii
to all men.
In course of time Q chubby little face,
with all the beauty and intelligence OF
his parents learnt to look up to Dacotah,
and little eager lips uttered, whenever he
approached, sounds in every way correspond
ing to our English "Dadda."
The Bride of Dacotah loved her boy ten
derry, and it was her great pleasure to swing
his cradle between two trees while she sal
near embroidering little tanics and CATERS
for MN with all kinds of beads and quilts
Her great SORROW was that she could moi
speak to him-could never call him Daco
tab by name, as she had so ofleu called his
father but the boy learnt to understand the
language of her eyes, and smiled sweetly
beneath her soft, maternal caress. On one
occasion, as she sat close to him, gazing into
the forest, and wondering when her chief
would return from mis- hunting, little cry
from the boy drew her attention. On hor
ror within foot of her darling was the
large fat head of a rattlesnake, the eyes OF
which darted FIRE ere Ii sprang to FIX its
curling fangs into the child. The agony OF
th0N iio"chL W LHe feFFUF stElChcu 1VtHci
was intense. The child was some distance
from her in an other instant the fatal bite
would kill him ! even if she could reach him,
was she snre that the serpent would 80 soon
desert his prey? But instinct was stronger
within her than reason, and q shrek, tina,
seemed to burst her very soul, came from
those long silent lips. 1t was the first sound
that had escaped them for over four years,
and its effect was truly magical. the angry
crest of the serpent fell suddenly, terrified
BY a shock which was more than mortal in
its intensity. With rapid coils it took its
slimy way back to the forest depths, robbed
of its prey BY the irresistible power OF love.
At the terrible summons the women of the
tribe FASTENED to the spot. and what was
Their astonlshment to hear Rosy Morn mar
rate In the most glowing terms, and with a
tongue az unfpttered as ,h.;, o-n Tho dan