The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-23
TOCCOA, THE BEAUTIFUL.


phan of a powerful chief. From he,
childhood the tribe had regarded Toccoa
with interest and respect, for she was moi
only wonderfully beautiful, but wise and
thoughtful beyond her age. As a child
Toccoa was the embodiment of reckless
gayety; but as she grew to Nomanhood
she became silent and melancholy, ceased
to join in the sports of the Indian maid.
ems, ever wandering away from them,
and sitting alone on some eminence,
with hands clasped, and deep despon.
dency in her great black eyes, that ever
seemed fixed upon terribly fascinating
object, from which it was impossible to
withdraw them; and the aged of the
tribe would say, "Toccoa sees more than
the wisest of US can see"
"What dost thou gee, Toccoa?" her
young companions would ask.
"Ask me not; cannot tell thee,"
Toccoa would reply.
Then the maidens would say: "Thou
wilt not tell US, Toccoa, because thou
seest that which will make thee more
beautiful than thy companions and
thou art only studying spells by which
thou wilt keep captive the hearts of our
young warriors"
II am proud of our young warriors" !"
replied the girl; "but neither seek or
desire their love-"
"Ah!" exclaimed the maidens, "thou
hast caught glimpse of warrior in the
home of the Great Spirit; that is the
reason thou carest not for our bravesw
"No, no, my friends. I only love our
hunting grounds-their forest trees, our
mountain streams, the graves of our kim
dred, and I think only of the greatness
of our people,"
"But why art thou so sorrowful, Toe.
Goa? Such things should make thee
glad. Wouldst thou be warrior, and
fight for our homes2"
II wouldl Oh, would" cried Toe.
Goa; no harm should come to my people
only over my dead body. Oh! would
that I were warrior, to lead our braves
/ would sweep our enemies from the
earth None should live to 1ten
US
"Then," thought the Indian maidens,
"Toccoa is ambitious. She has war.
rior's heart in her bosom-she is impa.
tient of control, and desires to rule the
tribe" Thus they spoke to the chiefs
wife, as she sat in the door of her wig.
wan, nursing the chiefs infant son.
"Wou!dst thou have our great chiefs
and young kinsman die, that thou mighst
be head of our tribe, lead our warriors to
battle, and preside over our councils 2"
Wherefore dost thou question me
thus 2" asked the girl.
'Thy companions say, Toccoa will
never be wife to any of our braves, and
she loves nothing better than our hunt.
ing grounds. Dost thou not know, Toe
Goa, what woman loves she desires to
possess, and call it her own? ?"
''Good mother, my love is not like the
maiden's love for a warrior, or the wo-
mans love for ornament. It is as the
affection of the Great Spirit, who loves
us because we are His people. Thus do
| love our hunting grounds, because they
belong to our tribe; our dead lie in them
the blood of those heroes who wrested
them from others, flows around them, q
broad stream, across which our enemies
cannot pass. Our groves, our mountain
passes still echo with the war-whoop, the
wedding song, and the wall for the dead
of generations passed away, and in the
skies above us ever fill their shadows"
"Thou art deceitful, Toccoa |" inter-
rupted the chiefs wife. "a woman's
thoughts for good go not beyond her
wigwam."
The squaw feared Toccoa, and said to
the chief: "Toccoa has not woman's
heart in her breast. She is ambitious,
and desires to rule the tribe like thee.
When woman has no wigwam, no war.
rior, no children of her own, and thinks
of the things of which men think, she
becomes dangerous, and is to be feared.
Beware of Toccoal She will seek to do
thee harm. Even now when we find her
al midnight kneeling, with soft, fearful
eyes and outstretched arms, gazing up at
the pale moon, or see her lying PROSTATE
before the rising sun, as if drinking in
its bcams, she may be weaving spells by
which thy strength will fail, thy arm
grow powerless; and before thou hast
numbered half thy days thou wilt pass
away, with thy infant son, from the hunt
ing grounds Of thy foretathers, and q
weak woman will be head of thy tribe |"
The words of the squaw troubled the
chief, and he called his wise men in
council, to deliberate on the strange con-
duct of Toccoa.
Toccoa was with her young companions
by mountain stream. Some of the
maidens were sporting in the waters,
some wreathing their brows with flowers,
others were braiding their long, black
tresses and trimming them with crimson
berries. Toccoa sat on high rock gaz.
ing in the distance, her hair was un-
bound, and swept around the girl like
garment of raven plumes. No flowers
were on her brow, or berries on her
beautiful arms. Every now and then the
merry maidens would call to her
"Toccua, thou art too beautiful not to
wear flowers. Come down and trim thy
neck and tresses with berries, and gaze
at thyself in water, and thou wilt never
again think of anything else but thy
beauty"
While the maidens thus spoke, boy
came shouting: "Toccoa Toccoa the
fathers of the tribe are iu council, aud
call tor thee"
Her young companions looked at each
other with startled gaze, like a herd Of
frightened fawns when they hear the
huntsman's horn, and followed Toccoa at
u distance, as she walked with calm but
mournful mien to the assembly.
"Toccoa," said the most aged father of
the tribe, thou must tell us why thou art
different. from the maidens, thy compan-
ions? Tell us why thou dost not wear
flowers, and deck thyself with berries? ?
We must know, for we suspect thee Of
dark and fearful thoughts"
Gather" replied Toccoa, "it is be.
cause can only think of the things the
Great Spirit show me-"
"What are those things, daughter?"
"I must not tell thee"