Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-28
GEORGIA INDIAN LORE.
Gold Leaf. or Romance OF the Maid of
sawnee Mountain.
From the Cumming tGa.) Clarion.

From the Cumming Ca Clarion.
One of Sawnee's sons was named
Stakeholder from his having initiated
from his early boyhood the manner OF
killing snakes practiced by the wild deer
of the country. With moccasins on his
feet he no sooner saw a snake, of what
ever kind, than he pounced upon 1t and
stamped it, by jumping up and down, until
1t was killed and added TO bis many tro-
phies Of similar kind. This young buck
was a model man, straight as an ar
row, strong as young Sampson, feet
as an antelope, perfect in physique,
chisseled by the Master hand OF nature.
He, too, was In love. He loved the beau
tiful woman, the Golden Leaf OF the
forest, the bright-eyed maiden whom be
had been taught TO call sister. He knew,
however, she was an adopted child Of his
father and that the desire Of bis sIre's heart
was that his son and Gold Leaf should
succeed him as heads OF his tribe. Hence
be woOed, and wOOed. but never won the
heart and love Of his own hearts life.
She was his meat and his drink-all be
had was shared with her, all his
trophies laid at her feet. He
gave her many rattle snakes
rattle and be-decked her with rattlesnake
buttons. In one of these he ingeniously
set Gold Leafs diamond which ever after
she wore around her neck, the splendor
of which rivaled the light OF her eyes and
caused many a one Of the whites TO won
der what IL was. Dalrymple suspected
the truth and IN spite OF hfmsejt belsan1 70
devise ways and means or obtaininiHg III
This wouid be dihicult as Gold Leaf bad,
been shQ 81 him from the day on the mou n
tain when che, had looked beyond his
covert acts'' into the depths whence
sprang the selfish and hypOcritical mo-
tives that had prempted them. 60
Stakeholder had also become suspicious
10 the point Of JealOuslwat cbfulness. He
knew by instinct that Gold Leaf loved
Dalrymple and saw with painful pleasure
that he did not love Go d Leaf Dali
rymple, aware 81 snake Killers jealousy
and also OF The utter hopelessness OF win
ming Gold Leaf without returning love for
love, m ade 40 bis mind 70 pfnmDt action
at the first opp0rtuBity that gave promise
Of success. bis plan was TO ealcn Cold
Leaf alone, rob Der OF her diamond, and
ny 10 civilization and 70 o lapidary.na q
Gold Leaf was often alone. One day
she had been str0lling all over the noun
tain, a slave 70 the meditat.Ons suggested
by uurequitted love. She was alone and
yet not alone. DaIrymple was logging
her footsteps, and Suake-Killer was alert
in the mountain. Gold Leaf finally stop
ped 10 rest on the spot where she had dis
covered Dalrymple's perfdy. She sat
down on the same rock on which she sat
on that eventful day. Slowly, cautiously.
Dalrymple approached her. With the
bound OF a tiger be sprang at her throat.
They grappled each other, she in self de-
tense, and be, with a desperate effort 20
secure the glittering gem at her neck.
The western side OF sawDee mountain
rises with perpendicular abrup tness sew
eral hundred feet high. Before It's sides
grew up in bushes, eaplinKs and q thick
underground, fall from the top OF the
highest peak would have caused instant
death. Near the top u shelving rock
with path BY which the Top may be
reached. In their struggles Gold Lear
and Dalrymple had approached very near