Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-02-22
LEGEND OF THE FALLS.

but the main part of which has been
swept away by the floods I'm recent years.
However, they were there somewhere,
and among them was the beautiful squaw,
Anpeta Sapa, whose name the pale faces
interpret Dark Day. The Dark Day had
been n reigning belle among her people.
She attended all the plum stone parties,
kettle drums, 2 o'clock %.Ss and other
little affairs of the Kind that We're given
by her friends, nnd ut the great dances Of
her tribe her beauties and good qualities
OF heart and mind were praised in weird
chants. a bold and brave young war
rior fell desperately In love with her,
and took her TO his tepee TO be his
wife. The ancient traditions do not re.
cite the name Of the warrior, but TO make
the tale run along the more easily he
shall be known rs "The Lofty for the
chronicles describe him rs tnll athletic
Indian, with fiery eye and commanding
presence. The pair lived very happily
together for a few years, and their union
was blessed with two children, boy and
agirl. The Dark Day was a model house
wife. she kept the table standing and
the Yictuals warm while waiting for her
husband TO come in from a hunt and
when he scolded her In an aboriginal, un-
reasonable way about nothing at all, in
stead OF calling on his mother -in-law to
squclch him, she simply cast her dark pen
sive eyes TO the ground, heard him out,
and then ran mp and gave him kiss,
after which he became more reasonable.
In the meantime The Lofty had become
famous hunter, unrivaled In the chase
by any OF the warriors of the tribe Game
was scarce when he could not go out and
brig In half dozen deer and few buf-
falo. This made him popular among the
young men who gathered about him. and
told him that on the death Of an old chief
they would make him chief OF the tribe.
He listened 10 them and very soon be-
came victim of ''swell head.n Now he
had psSion;'tely promised the beautiful
Anpeta > Slpl That to her his entire affec-
tion WCi'd hc given; that lie would ever
cherish E.. with "a "Florcntine Fourteenth
century !eNo;ion' Tor words to that
effect. alG would never, never, never,
desert he? for another. But his flatterers
and admirers began to poison his mind.
They urged upon him that, for the In
terests of the tribe, he should ally himself
10y marriage with n certain powerful
family, in order to gain their support in
future times Ambitious and anxious to
retain himself In the good graces of his
friends he ut last--but, oh! how reluct-
antiy yielded TO their opportunities and
entered upon marriage of expediency.
Now, for Sioux The Lofty seems TO
have been a very good sort OF fellow. II
is even related that he had conscience,
and that after becoming a bigamist this
conscience gave him many little prick,
for had he not told the beautiful Anpeta
Sapa that he was her ownest own, and
would never bestow any part of his affec-
tions upon another? Under the circum-
stances he did not like to break the news
OF his recent marriage to wife No. /; SO he
made 10 appear 10 her that he was only
contemplating marriage, and with true
Indian laZness tried to persuade her that
II was all for his and her good and for the
best interests of the tribe that the mar
riage should take place. He tried to make
II out, too, that owing TO the numerous
receptions and levees it was becoming
necessary for him to hold in order to keep
up his popularity, the tax upon her rs the
lady of his household was becoming too
great for one woman alone to bear, and
that she must have some one to help
her out on these high society occa-
sions. IL was, indeed, Il dark day. The
stolid Indian wife wcpt and pleaded and
protested She would do all the work of
the household alone, and would slave day
and night if thereby she might retain the
undivided love of her husband and win his
approving smiles-for even n stolid Sioux
will sometimes smile when he Is pleased.
1t was in vain that he told her that the
new wife would not be permitted to cast
any dark shadow upon the households
that Anpeta Sapa would always be fore
most In his affections, and that she had
naught to fear. The faithful, pleading
wife, brushed aside all these subterfuges
as unworthy of the bold warrior on whom
her heart was fixed, and her chidings and
pleadings were more passionate and de-
spairing than ever. The Lofty returned
from the interview discounted and sor-
rowful, but at last he determined to tell
her all. She listened to his story-told
in gentle tones, for The Lofty was not
heartless or cruel-but she uttered not
word. Her heart was broken. She went
to reside with her parents, taking her two
children with her, for there were no
divorce courts 10 resort to IN those days.
In the fall Of the year great hunt was
organized, and the entire village, squaws,
papooses and all-went out upon the ex-
pedition. When they were returning
down the river, well laden with the spoils
of their hunt, Anpeta Sapa in canoe
with her two children hung behind the
rest Of the party. She ran the canoe
ashore on an island-probably the same
that Is now called Nicollet-and hero she
arrayed herself in the picturesque attire
in which she had been welded to the am
bitious warrior. a crown of eagle feath-
ers rested upon her raven locks; great
strings Of wampum decked her bosom;
richly embroidered clothes constituted
her garments. Then the children, too,
she arrayed in gorgeous attire. The little
boy, who already gave promise OF becom-
ing great warrior, and who was dearly
beloved of his father, she painted and
decked in true warrior style, and i'm his
hands she placed a bow and arrow. Then
stepping again with him into her frail
canoe, she pushed out into the middle OF
the stream. In moment the canoe was
in the current, sliding slowly toward tho
cataract.
Then, with her eyes fixed upon the far
distant horizon and needing nought about
her, she commenced to chant her death
song, wherein she recounted the story of
the happy days which she had spent with
her husband and Of the evil days that had
followed. While she was yet singing the
wierd song of death the canoe reached the
crest Of the falls. In q moment all was
over The frail vessel shot over tho preci-
pice and was dashed to pieces on the rocks
below, while tho heart broken wife Of The
Lofty and her two children were carried
axray hv tho ra nida md In rorporal auh-