The Red Cloud chief., 1880-05-13

~ I'm
AFTER q while q giimmeing Hight
appeared. and tho passage turned sud
denly into q large haiL. which was full
OF people, Fritz thought nj first, but
then he saw that they were not people.
but strange rounded shapes Ia white or
gray, who moved and bounded. and
seemed to be playing game Of some
sort. II was like q game of bowls, but
the thinss they rolled to and fro on the
rocky floor were not balls. but shapes
like themselves. only smaller and round
er, and Of all beautiful colors, red and
purple and yellow. The CREATIVE.
liked to roll. It would sss~. Cor they
skipped and Jumped z, they went along.
and laughed "ith a surt OF cracking
lsnghtr:, whi3n echoed sadly back from
The rJof OF the cave. The big shapes
laughed too in great booming tones.
Altogether they made a great deal of
noise. Still the damp little hand clasped
Fritz's wrist, and looking down, he saw
that his guide was no other than one Of
those same small shapes which were the
balls Of the game. There was some
thing so familiar In the p~ink-cheeked
feecy outline, that in his surprise Fritz
forgot 70 be afraid, and spoke aloud,
crying. why! It's a cloudr
".To be sure. What did you sup
pose me to be. and why did you come
to the clouds house If you didn't want
10 see cloudsP replied the thing.
".Didn't you see our name Oh the
door? Or perhaps you can't read,
stupid" demanded a large white cloud,
leaving the group Of players and com
ing up TO Fritz and his companion.
"'Yes, / a read, and l did sec
the name stammered Fritz, 'still /
didn't
You did and you didn't; how in
telligent you seem to be- said the
white cloud, with a toss and curl; while
a big black tnunderclcId. pitching a
little yellow bell clear across the cave.
shouted in sullen tones which echoed
Nghtfully from the rocks overhead,
What's that boy doing here spelling
our game? Cumulus. it's your roll.
Turn that little beggar out. He has no
business here, interfering with the
sports of his bettersr'
Fritz trembled. but his small con.
ductor faced tho black cloud undaunt-
edly.
Hold your tonguer he said. This
boy is my visitor. / let him in, and
you're not to bully him. l won't per-
NIT it,
%. Yon, indeedr clustered the thun-
derplond. Pray what can you do
about it, Little Pink 1 shall say
what I like, and do as | like
"'No, you WON'T cried all the small
o1nvrln tnrna. r..-. x--as. -
from the floor. We fair.weather
clouds are not a bit afraid Of you, As
you know. We know very well how to
drive You black mes away, and we will
do it ROW If you are not civil Their
voices though bright were threatening,
and n little violet bit made a dash
straight at the nose of the thunder
cloud, who shrank into a corner, mutter-
ing wrathfully.
"'Don't be at all afraid said Little
Pink to Fritz in a patronizing tone.
He sha'n't do you any harm. That
sort of cloud is always afraid to face lis,
because we are SO many, you see, and
can serve him as he deserves, Well
now. and what brought you up here,
prayT
81 didn't know who lived here, and
wanted SO much to see,' replied Fritz,
shyly; ,,..., n.,,.
this was our house?' demanded the lit
tie cloud, astohished.
"'No, indeed. 1 didn't even know
that you had a house,.
".WhatP Not know thatP Pray,
where did you suppose we were when
you didn't see us in the skyP' cried Lit
tie Pink. A housed OF course we
have a house. Everybody has one.
You've got a house yourself, haven't
you? Why, we've lived here always,
all we clouds. Sometimes we have
great family meetings. when we get to-
gether and indulge In all sorts Of fun
and frolic, never going outdoors for
weeks at a time
"'Oh, those must be the times when
our fields all burn up, and the streams
run dry, and the poor cattle low with
thirst said Fritz, suddenly enlight-
ened. so you are enjoying yourselves
up here all the time, are you? l call
that very unkind, and'-suddenly rec
~ollecting where he was, he hung his
head, abashed at his own daring.
Little Pink hung his head, too, with
a grieved face.
81 never thought of that BEFORE he
said, penitently. 1T was pleasant for
us, and the time went fast. l recollect
now that the world has looked rather
queer and yellow sometimes when we
have come out again after q long alb.
sence, but it grew green presently, and
l did not suppose any n minded
"All this while a strange growing
sound had been going on in a room
opening from the hall, across whose en-
trance stout bars were fixed.
"'What is that?' asked Fritz, unable
longer to restrain his curiosity.
"'That? That's only the North
Wind replied Little Pink, in an absent
tone. We've shut him up, because
summer, and he's such a restless crea-
ture, and so violent, that he will break
loose if he can, and do all manner of
mischief. Last year, about this time.
he got out and raised q great storm,
and made a fearful mess of it down be-
low
81 recollect. That was the storm
that killed three of our sheep. and
ruined the barley CROP exclaimed
Fritz. %. it was dreadful. We had to
make half aloaf do the work of q whole
one all winter long in consequence. 1t
was hungry times in the valley, / can
tell you. Oh, the evil wind!"
"'You poor fellow cried the little
cloud. We'll, he's safe now. as you
see. He can't get out and plague you
this year, at least. But I'm so sorry
you went hungry. 1t wasn't our fault;
really it wasn't, still l should like to
make it up to you somehow. if l could
He reflected a moment, then he went
forward and gave q call which col
lected all the other clouds around him.
Fritz watched them consulting to-
gether; at last they moved toward him
in a body.
".Now, Boy said Little Pink, who
seemed to have elected himself spokes-
man, because you're a good boy and
have had bad luck, and because you're
the first boy who ever came up here
and raped on our door. we're going
to propose a bargain. So long IS you
| l.,o = Al