The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1888-11-03

Legarde, she was as calm as a summer
morning. She yielded to his embraces
she returned them with interest; she
showed her love so warmly that if he
had any doubt he was more than sat-
isfied now.
"Come," he said, "tell me when YOU
will be my wife?"
"Let the pale face be at yonder
rock" she replied, pointing to a dis.
tant one, "before the sun has drank up
the dew. There let him remain until
Bright Eyes comes. She will not be
long. Then she will answer"
And SO it was decided, and the gray
of morning found Legarde at the trys-
ting place. But the hours crept along
and he was yet alone. The sun rose
and began heating all around him.
Something must have detained the In
dian girl, he fancied, and determined
to wait no longer. Suddenly, how
ever, he was aroused by a startling
hiss. He turned and saw a huge rat
tlesnake crawling up the side of the
rock. Fleeing toward the other side
Cor he was unarmed and there was
not even q stick for defense near) he
would have descended, but was met
by another serpent. For a moment
he stood overpowered by fear. Then
he saw the scaly monsters crawling up
toward him in every direction-knew
that the hot sun rays haa lured them
from their holes-knew that he was
standing over their den, and thousands
upon thousands were surrounding
him.
"Oh, my Godl what shall doP"
burst from his lips in the terrible
agony of the moment.
A wild, ringing, almost fiend1sh
laugh rang upon his ears, as if in re-
ply, and, looking up, he saw Bright
Eyes standing upon rock high above
him.
bright Eyesl Bright Eyesl For
heavens sake, save me !" he shouted,
and the answer came back borne by
the wind to his ears:
"The pale faces tongue is as false as
the serpent's. He would have made
her his wife and then deserted her.
The very night she promised to be
his she crawled near his wigwam and
heard all. She told him to come here
here to the very center of the SER
pents' den-for his answer. The uois-
oned teeth and fiery tongues will give
it to him. Seep
The pen could not if it would, and
would not if it could, describe the
scene that followed. The Indian girl
from her lofty lookout, saw all-saw
a human form fighting with countless
serpents, whose fangs were driven
deep into the quiveriDg flesh. She
saw him fight with the courage of
despair. She heard his prayers for
mercy, and answered with hcrrid,
hooking laughter. She saw the mad
dened wretch, completely covered with
net work of scaly coils, leap head
long from the rock-knew that she
was terribly revenged, and calmly
sought old Joe, and told him that his
master wanted him.
All! how the old man shuddered
when he found the disfgured corpse,
and read at a glance the true history
OF the matter. His eyes could not be
deceived, no matter how another's
might be. He made coffin of bark,
buried the remains, and even as he
was doing 30 saw the incarnate devil
of woman standing at a little dis
lance laughing and making hooking
gestures. That sight was too much.
"God forgive me-" he muttered be-
tween his teeth. at may be wrong
to take a human life, but" The
ringing of rifle cut the sentence
short, and at the same time ended a
human existence.
He started forward, saw that the
Indian girl was dead, and then hast
ened to his canoe and fled for his life.
He had taken the punishment into his
own hands. Reader, do you or do you
not blame him?