The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-03-10

from this river when fall and raging. Dn
oddly enough crckea were here. Ant
they camc on; 10 sing; came clad in black
crcpt up cl1e on the rocks and ON the edge o
rocks around her as if singing on SOM
hcarths,onc And they knc" they were safe
these little crickcts clad in black. Her LITTLE
brown hands had never harmed anything
And now. They were still aud cold now
Patience; pass on soon To the gold!
The moon slowly sinking. tn" moon wa
going away She was goin,, to leave me
nlonc with my dead. the very stars sccsietl
restless and uncertain, and Kept wheeling
about and around the crown and summit OF
eternal snow before mo. caught up two Hints
from the rocky little sandbar, and eagerly,
desperately struck fire II was "A friendly
sight. The Games lcapcd up III my face, aS IA
dog leaps NJ To lick Your face with hi, red
tongue when YOU have been long absent.
Oh, the kindly, friendly, familiar fire! II
was rs II had known it a Thousand years
this friendly lire lcapng III my face Inc
| red mans lire and the white mans fire, the
nor, hcrner's fire and the southcrnerS lire,
ara the same Patience; the gold soon!
And now the fire spread and ran TO the
dead il reached out its arms 60 her where
she lay pallid and alone on the white and
rounded drift wood
understood hcapcd ~ the white and
| light and abundant wood. The fire took her
! in lis pure embrace; and She mounted on
stairs of fire to the stars
The sudden aud impctuous flame that had
lcapcd far up against the mighty granite
| wall before mo had shown narrow, almost
prccpitous path leading crosswise up the
pcrilous pass Ia the world above.
And when | had Land "A circle Of white
stones about the ashes of my dead went up
10 this marrow little path and examined 1t
closely Ii wax smooth to the touch. was
thrilled with delight May he it was smooth
from the touch of human feet. At least 1T
was u gath of some wild animal; some sort of
life was surely in the habit of passing from
this awful depth and narrow spot TO the
light and life above; and surely | could
climb where either bear or mountain lion
could climb
The moon was getting far around. But i
felt that if could climb up for few hun
dred feet could then GET her light full on
the steep rocks before me, and then know
whether or not to proceed. One thing GER
tain could not ROMAN where | was Bear
WIFI INT, VIZ HOW 'Ditls W ltlt t,'hi
Tightening my belt, tying my moccasin
strings so that my feet might be certain as
the feet Of the wild beasts of the forest
about me, sprans desperately mp the ledge.
One hundred feet 200 feet And then my
breath began 10 fail little, and hanging on
to the rocks in the narrow little pass began
TO look ont and above and over the great,
deep waters below.
Not sound; not even "A single object in
sight below Death had como and death had
taken my friends and fled. The fire had come
and gone The fire had come ont Of the
rocks below and taken my life, my love, the
beautiful Indian girl, and gone away How
alone was now! Listen! We come TO the
gold now! But the moon was with me, lin
gcrcd with me n little still had oycrtaken
her in her flight. And the stars were close
aboat me now. | was comoanioncd with
worlds shall see hereafter, was set apart,
n it seemed To- mo, and belonged 10 space
Patience; one moment more, then the gold.
The narrow path had not been quite per
pcndcnar II ran up the river, rs it We're,
hn, steep 50 steep, Another struggle for
ward hul now my narrow little path, which
| could Srr lY the moonlight. was made IN
the track ui an old and docayed quartz Vein
II was smooth n oil 10 the touch, this precip
itouS. "hcrhanging path of mine; and Won
dcrr,i what beast could find pleasure or profit
in passing up or down this Eightfnl route.
I began to think Of returning. Then !
sl,ud,lcrcd ut the thought. twas so dark, 81
drSnate. 80 deadly there Then felt Of the
smooth rock under my feet, and knew that
ihcr" was less peril in going ahead than i'll
attempting to descend Death was before
me, behind me. frightened my belt
again with my left hand as held ON hard
with my right to juttng crag on the edge
Of my steep, smooth path, and then again.
with rlenchei teeth and set lips, struggled
up and on
The path wound ont and still further over
the dark abyss below. But the moon was
there, close about ME, closer than before and
the stars, | shall never have them SO close
about mo again on earth.
But the path was so narrow now! SO steep
and 80 very narrow that my body could
hardly I've drawn between the smooth hard
rocks
And At the last this steep and narrow
groove began To grow shallow What if it
should come entirely to the surface, What
II il shonll end entirely here'
had now made at least 200 feet AT an
angle of h. degs. you can calculate with pre-
cison how tar above the dark waters was
hanging,
did not dare look below. | did not dare
dream of turning back now. hardly dared
breathe. Ont on! on! Slowly. steadily, upl
up! up. My fingers were benumbcd. My
feet also had almost failed me-
At last! suddenly my outstretched hand
struck a level spot, and drew myself mp and
into u little resting place. Aud with such
thanktulness Ms few can ever know.
The moon wns full in my back now. and
looking straight into the rounded narrow
little level resting place before me. There
was a pool of water here in the heart Of this
niche in the awful ovcrhansing precipice.
And around this little pool Of water, with all
the order of nature undisturbcd there was
growing n little garden Of yellow flowers, AS
il this iissure of the earth was some angels
own perfect little garden.
gathered these flowers. They were only
IA few, and, oh, SO fraill Then reaching my
right hand out and over the dark waters
below threw them with all my might down
and away toward where "A heap Of ashes lay.
BE patient: the gold now
The moon was going behind the steep wall