Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-11-14
BRIGHT-EYES.

BrightrEyes, the Indian girl, who had
boen brought up by theolA backwoolls-
mh9 Silas Parker, and his wife, It's
theif own child, won't out into the woods
to gather blueberries.
There had been fire in the woods
that winter, and where it ran the
berries grew thick. When Bright
Eyes had filled her pals she would
walk down into the village and go call
ing from house TO house, Berries,
blueberrics! who wants nice blue
berriesp" until she had disposed of them
all. And what with the berries and
sassafras bark, which she sold to the
druggist, and wintergrecn and cala-
mus root and nuts in autumn, and
her little bead-work bags, there was
always enough to put by to buy Bright
Eyes her gray calico frOcks. shoes for
her pretty feet, yarn for her stockings,
and those little stiT straw hats, which
she trimmed with the gray wings OF the
birds that Father Parker shot at times.
Bright-eyes was very independents, and
fonder of giving than receiving.
To-day, the berries being so thick.
she had great harvest and high noon
had come and it was time that she
went home, tidied herself, and went
down to the village to be in time for
the housekeepers who wanted berries
for tea; when, as she gathered
up her pals, singing them to sort of
yoke she placed upon her neck, she
heard a groan hard by, and after some
search found a man lying among the
underbrush, bleeding from terrible
wound in his shoulder and apparently
near his end.
The first thing Bright-Eyes did was
to stanch the wound as well rs she
could, with certain herbs of which she
knew, and bind it with her apron; the
next to go for aid.
In little time the old woodsman
and his men arrived. and together they
bore the wounded stranger to their
home. The rough. self-taught surgeon
of the place attended him; the bullet
was extracted, the fever allayed.
That the man had accidentally shot
himself had been self-evident from the
first and it was certain that had not
Bright-Eyes found him in the woods he
would have bled to death in very
little while.
He seemed grateful and not averse
to expressing his feelings.
Old Parker, as he expressed it, 'took
shine to him."
Though he's n city chap and q
college fellow" he said, "he don't put
on no frills."
The name he gave them was Charles
Graham, and he would gladly have
compensated his host for all the trouble
and expense he had been at. but that
in the far west, ut that date, the
thought OF receiving payment for such
things was never entertained.
Stay rs long as you like; we're glad
to have you.' old Parker said and
Graham fingered.
That Bright-Eyes was the attraction
was soon very evident.
More than one man of the place had
married IN Indian girl, and Bright
Eyes was Christian and went to the
little church on Sunday. and wore the
dress and had the ways of white
women.
Moreover. she was beautiful. No one
wondered at his fancy.
The girl gave him her whole heart
and soul; and when in the autumn he
went away. he slipped bright ring
with jewel in it upon the girls finger,
and said:
Before the snow falls / will return
and marry YOU"
He left also many presents. Stuffs
more costly than Bright-Eyes had ever
worn, and the girl set to work to fash
ion them into garments which she
should wear when she was his wife.
But the SHOWS came and he returned
not; nor did any message come from
him.
And people began to whisper when
they spoke of the Indian girl, and 10
say that all the teaching on earth
would not change n savage; ut last
Bright-Eyes held in her arms u little
dark-skinned babe, with its white
fathers features and its Indian mothers
eyes.
The old people were not cruel to her.
They did not drive her forth. But
one morning they awoke to find her
gone.
Il will not stay to disgrace You
she had written on piece of paper
pinned ITO her pillow. You have been
very good to me. Good-by."
ho bOI SudilCo Ht IiitI Nv
this time almost forgotten the pretty
Indian girl who had amused him that
summer in the woods. and thought her
kindness well paid for in the silk
dresses and the handful of trinkets he
had given her.
Sometimes he said to himsolf: '"She
was "a pretty creaturc!''---nnd laughed
a little. That was all.
But to every man one true love comes
at last. 1t was not long before Charles
Graham mot his fate! One of his own
race, 81 lady. beautiful and attractive.
who gave her heart to him, and whom
he married.
lie was very happy with his Mar-
caret. and for her sake resolved to live
a better life. For her sake also, he de-
sired to be rich.
1t was long ago. The spirit OF emf
grafton WAS abroad Mt that time. From
the eastern states thousands went FORTH
to the far west in search of fortune
broad. fertile lands were ready for
them. Cities yet unbuilt were marked
upon great maps. With energy every
man could prosper it was said.
Fired with this idea Charles Graham