Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-12-31

not anything with the man she loved
rather than the lonely, yearning, repulsivc
life she led among these IndiansP She felt
how much this man had entered into her
very life, and knew that without him it
would never be the same again.
Week after week Archie Henderson lay
in the luxury of invalidism and idleness
basking In the warmth of sunshine and IL
fond woman's love- The bearskin portiere
of that humble hut fell like wall OF dark
ness when the faithful girl briefly left him,
in his convalescence, to seek for game or
some luxury to tempt his palate to restor
ing strength. He had read the secret in
her beautiful eyes, and his own heart had
gone out to her in return.
Then came the weeks Of feeble effort to
walk with the crude crutches she obtained
for him. The solicitous aid of her plant,
graceful form guided his wavering steps.
Seated upon the shore Of that ripping
river he at last told her all she had longed
TO know. He was unmarried; he had
never before known woman's love. Be
Meath the glorious light of the harvest
moon he told her tales of far Off lands,
where the people of his race lived in power,
refinement and luxury. He was a man of
education and social rank, and he found u
pleasure in picturing to this bright, eager
intellect the wildly contrasting scenes of
highest civilization.
The fear came to her that he, who knew
so much, who must be so loved in that
other and brighter world, could never be
content with life in that wild country,
with only the poor recompense Of her love.
All, how did he answer her-how has man
ever answered the con6ding love of wom-
an? She was only too willing to believe he
uttered the truth In the protestations of
und lying love he made. He would take her
far away from the hateful, debasing asso-
Citations that surrounded her. Her bright
mind would quickly master the situation,
while her rare beauty would make her the
cynosure Of all society.
The maturing of their affection was not
unobserved by the Indians of the rancheria.
With all her proud reserve, there were
chiefs among them who would have dared
a dozen deaths to gain her for a wife.
They had nothing but hatred for the hand
some paleface who had won the love of
their beautiful queen.
Weeks flew into months-a year had
gone by-and still the white man fingered
by the side of the lovely Indian girl. Yhcy
rode, hunted, read and swan together.
They lived outdoors through the mild win.
when the plains and hills We're clad in a
fragrant garb of endless flowers, their
young dreams of earthly love and life were
ended.
Among the bucks Of the tribe who per
sistently showed his admiration of Pancha,
was Il thriving half breed Indian, called
Concho Like Pamela, he had some Rus
sian blood in his veins, but the Indian
greatly predcminated, and his dark, pit
marked, brutal face was the only one that
aroused fear within her. He had once
openly threatened to kill Henderson, and
ever after, as often as it was possible to do
so, she kept close by his side when the say
age was at home.
But there came a time when her step
was made heavier by loves lingcring9. and
the duty of supply from field and stream
fell entirely and alone upon Henderson.
His departures were accompanied always
by her last look of love, her last caution
against an ambushed foe.
At length the twilight of a weary day
that marked his absence died into a ftl-
nerea blachness in the western sky, and
still her love, the husband of her heart and
soul, returned not. Then She dispatched,
with no stinted promises of reward, all of
the Indians she could command. Their
pine burr torches baAed on every trail and
cleaned upon the stream. Then the In
dian death cry rang out in deadly echoes
against the mountain si(r. "Ile was
found--bu, dcadn'
Slowly they bore his body to her hut,
and without Il word retired, Iudiaulike, in
grim silence. When the bearskin had
fallen at the entrance Of the hut and she
WAS alone with her beloved dead She threw
herself upon her body in uncomfortable
grief Deeply buried in bis heart was ne
keen flint arrowhead OF the foe who had
sworn his death. The shaft was fea,htrad
with the plume of "a crow-the sign OF
COncho, the hated half breed
That night the pledge of her love for
Henderson, his son, was born unto her
anticipating life through her agony ut the
death of that murdered and yet unbured
father.
pancha permitted none but her now old
and nearly helpless mother and an Indiau
girl to enter the hut for two DAYS after the
death of Henderson and the birth of his
son. Her will was law among her people
and all was mute around the mOurned
dead beside whom she sat in darkness and
in silence.
Once only was her deep grief broken il
| upon-when the confessed assassin wa.
brought to her for sentence. She refused
to look upon him or name the measure ol
his punishment, so the Indians haugc
him to the tree from which he slew his un
offending victim.
Upon the rounding bank of the river, nj
its curve opposite the great cliff, she badt
them dig a grave to bury her love. There
vera no wild lamentations, no tear,
from her With rigid features, eyes that