Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-05-30

himself.
Then Ah-ra-kee found two other men. one
of whom was a metaphysician, who could
wink fog, and the other politician. who
could sneeze thunder and whistle tornadoes
and, with It's crew thus complete, the Feath-
er Canoe sailed into the presence of the
Great Chief and his daughter, Smile Of
Light
And when the people saw the Feather
Canoe they rubbed their eyes and remarked
- Sho, now, it can't be-
BUTT was.
ltgenerallyis.
When the-but, BY the way, have not
vet described Smile of Light
Nor can describe her She was prettier
than your cousin at Christmas time 4 sun
beam in a blanket, star in mOcclsins-no
simile can be found to give You an exact idea
Of what she was like. Her hair was finer
than maize-si.k and blacker than the wing
Of the black bird. Her ewes were like stars
on river Of a calm night. Her lips were
redder than the strawberries and her breath
like the breath of pine woods after rain. Her
football was ike the snowfall Grass grew
greener where she walked, and when she
smiled the other girls in the village went out
and butted their heads against the trees and
wished she had the smallpox. Now You can
form a faint idea Of her.
VII.
When. | repeat. the Great Chief saw All
ra-kee and the Feather Canoe, he knew that
the hard conditions had been complied with
and his daughter fairly won. But Ah-ra-kee
was poor and not the sort Of husband he de
sired for Smile Of Light, 50 he resolved to
try and cheat Ah-ra-kee Of his bride and OBJ
tain possession Of the Feather Canoe by set
ting him some impossible task.
So the Great Chief made great feast,
and he, his daughter, Ah-r-kee. Strong
Arm, Fine Ear, Fleet Foot, Big Mouth, and
the others OF the crew sat down to it. They
had couple of partridges, and buffalo
roasted whole. and some berries.
- You see your dinner" said the Great
Chief, and closed his eyes piously to say
grace.
D." do-Amcn 80 said Big Mouth, ~wal-
lowing berries, birds and buffalo before the
Great Chief could open his eyes, e but |
don't see yours"
The Chief Medicine Man was as,onished
and, with eyes protruding from his head, he
observed
- Heavens what mouth 80
Dear children, it Is very wrong to make
remarks about strangers hehayiorat table.
The Great Chief knew this and ordered two
warriors to remove the Chief Medicine Man
and tomahawk him So the Chief Medicine
Man was led away 10 execution. hut At the
door of the lodge he paused, and looking at
Big Mouth like bird fascinated by rattle
snake. remarked " know its very rude.
but heavens what a mouth -
" Ny son, " said the willy old chief, " YOU
got the Feather Canoe without trouble So
fair a bride should only be Won by deeds
greater than any that were done before. |
will feast You and your friends. and If one of
them can eat all that Is set before him and
then not be satisfied my daughter shall be
yours.
Then the Great Chief gathered all the
maize in all the villages Of his tribe and set
all the squaws to bake it. and they piled up
the loayes in hills on the beach
- Mercy me - said Smile of Light, - the
man nerer can eat all that horr7d bread -
b. and by Big Mouth came lettering down
to the beach and said .' Now, then. din
ner: and be quick about it," and sat down
/ before the mountain of bread. Four stout
warriors with pitehforls began throwing the
loves into his mouth
/ How he ate People began TO feel sym
/ pathv for the late Chief Medicine Man. The
mountains of bread melted away like fog
| banks at sunrise The four stout warriors
/ toied they fell dead from exhaustion and
/ fresh ones stepped forward in their places.
! At least sixty loayes were in the air at the
same time Occasionally an excited feeder
would lose his hold and throw the fork along
with the loaf into the insatiate and insatia-
ble mouth, but the diner never noticed 1t.
At last the meal was done. There was not
left to the tribe a crust, a crumb, a single
kernel Of corn. The crows began to emi-
crate to Egypt Ah-ra-kee and Smile Of
Light were happy. Big Mouth turned to
the Great Chief and said = What sort o.
pie have You to-day -
But the Great Chief was not vet salts
fed
Ny son" said he to the lover of Smile
of Light, - in the frosty Caucasus there Is 4
great medicine which makes the arrow re
bound from a warriors body Ike hail from
rock. Bring me the great medicine by noor
it Is now ll;4j-and my daughter i
yours"
Ah-ra-kee signed to Fleet Foot. lie wa
gone.
- Bless me - remarked the Great Chief
- what particularly vivid fash Of light
ming that was but didn't hear any thun
der
In 2.I6 l-2 Fleet Foot had reached tn,
frosty Caucasus. He seized the great medi
cine and hurried homeward. On his way h'
met maleyolent old witch.
- Friend, - said She, '' You are wearicd
t..ste of this vial and your strength shall b
increased
Fleet Foot hastily drained the vial of it
contents. A drowsiness came over him. Ii
thought of the sermons he might hear O
sultry summer Sunday afternoons if he onl
had been born five thousand years later; O
the " Castle of Incidence which Thomson
would write of the chloroiorm Sir jaime
Simpson was yet to invent of the Mort
, American Reriac, and similar subjects.
haze came over his eyes he felt a singing i
his ears; in minute he was sound aslee
sound as Rip Van Winkle--sound as tn
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus--sound as
gross of assorted tops.
So the minutes fled fast now only ten re
, mained. then but nine, eight, seven, si1
Had a reporter of originality been there h
would have said that the most intense ez
citement prevailed. Fleet Foot came not
- Fine Ear said Ah-ra-kee anxiously
- listen, perhaps you can hear him coming.
Fine Ear laid his head to the grounC
! - Hush :" said he - ye-es-yes, | hea
q = him snoring. lie Is asleep, little this sid
: of the Alleghanies, but beyond the HuC
SON.
Il Tben Ah-ra-kee signed to the great pr,
genitor of ward politicians, and he sneeze
: thunder and whistled whirlwinds and thel
|" was terrible tempest. The rolling of I'll
: thunder and the cracking of the great tre'
i as they fell aroused Fleet Foot f.; he startt
: up, seized the great medicine and fled hom
ward, arriving in safety, with nearly a mil
ute tospare.
Still the Great Chief was not satisfied
W Great chiefs rarely are satisfied.
+ My son, he said, - third and fin
N trial yet remains. If yoa succeed then
r bless you, my children Havey you in yol
company man strong enough to lift all Il
" old and silver in all the villages of Il
ibe?''
. g believe have was Ah--a-kee's r
ne ply.
D. 81 the Great Chief commanded and the
made great iron chest as big as a mountai
n, and they heaped together all the gold al
Of all the silver from all the villages of Il
tribe and placed it in the chest. Then Strol