The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-04-06

But, oh, the hopeless waiting!
Taught cunning by the crafty savages,
he made the best of his situation. He
went hunting and fishing with the Indian
lads and rapidly became a ~favorite in the
village. The red squaws plated rich mats
for his Wigw2m and made handsome leg
glngs and Eloccasins for their young pale
face brother.
The months sped by, summer and au-
sunni passed, aud the cold northern winter
set in. One December day when the ground
was frozen hard and the lake was one sheet
of glittering ice u band of warriors return
ed from n f0ray they had made among the
white settlements to the southwark. There
was great rejoicing in the village over the
scalps ana the plumber. 1t made the white
boys heart tl:rob rs he recognized among
the spoil familiar articles of household use
shears, knives, Il housewife and a pair
OF candlesticks such as he had often seen
In his home Mt distant Penacook. But
what gave him the greatest start was that
he saw dangling from one huge redskins
belt a string of shining steel skates.
Evidently none of the Indians had ever
seen any of these articles before. They
crowded around the lucky warrior whose
prize they were and examined them with
the greatest curiosity. What were they?
What was their use? The warrior could
not tell.
docs the young p~aleface know" ques-
toned the braves as they gathered about
the young captive.
Laban touched the skates reverently and
answered that he knew their use very well.
"Speak, my sonr' cried the old chief
who had adopted him. "Tell my nation
what are these pieces of smooth steel fas-
tened together with straps of leather"
"They are wings with which to fly"
said the boy. with a solemn air. "The
Great Spirit has sent them as gifts to the
red men,"
The Indians shake their beads and look
doubtfully at one another. They can
hardly understand it. It is a wonderful
thing.
GLOW can one fly with these things?"
asked the old chief incredulously.
Come with me to the lake, and I will
show our braves how to use the mystic
rious wings" returned the lad, with great
er interest than he really cared to show.
In his excitement he trembled. The hand
in which he held the mysterious wings
shook.
The idea was received favorabiy. The
whole village rushed down to the shore
where the lake lay stretching it's cleaning
length miles and miles away to the south
ward.
When the Ice was reached, Laban fitted
a pair of skates upon the feet of four of
the young braves. The sharpest, strong
est pair he bound upon his own feet. Then,
Selling a musket from the hands of a war
rior standing near, he babe the braves
4 ok,rl yDon +l,,;, roof o,d foJ1o-r hs,o
They endeavored to do as he directed,
but only stumbled over each other, making
the greatest confusion possible. The crowd
of warriors, women and children regarded
the scene with amazement and concern.
Scarcely able to control his countenance,
Laban berated the crestfallen braves for
their carelessness.
"You did not do as told you, " he said.
"Now, stand up and watch me-, and you
will see better how to do it."
He darted off, swift as a swallow, over
the ice thut had not a break or a Granny
in it, now skating in a circle, now in a
straight line, now ~retreating, now advanc-
ing, his motions watched with the great
est interest by the savages.
He had tested his skill and the suraness
Of his skates. They were buckled secure
ly. They were stanch and strong. He was
ready for the supreme effort.
Dashing up to where the four young In
dams We're waiting, trembling and expect
ant, he shouted:
"Now forward, forward. where the Great
Spirit calls you! Away, away! Follow
mel"
Like an arrow shot from a bow the young
p~aleface flew over the cleaning ice. The
sharp steels struck fire, so rapidly did they
glide along that smooth, frozen highway.
In attempting to follow him the unlucky
braves again stumbled and struggled in a
ridiculous heap upon the slippery floor Of
the lake. In the excitement few noticed
the vanishing figure of Laban Whitaker.
When it was too late, a few of the savages
discharged their muskets after the fugi-
tive, but the bullets fell far short of the
mark. While they still gazed in amaze
ment the lad disappeared behind a point
of land, and they never saw him more.
"Great Spirit called paleface, not In
dams. White mans wings, not Indian's,"
said the old chief resignedly. But the
squaws Of the village, after heo old Indian
fashion, made lamentation as for the dead.
Some six weeks afterward a thin, bag
gard boy, dressed in the furs of the Indian
and carrying a musket and a pair of
skates, staggered out from the forest and
approached the little hamlet OF the Merri-
mac. Dogs barked at the approach of
the strange visitant, and the settlers gath
cred in small groups, wondering what the
Indian lad might want.
But as he drew nearer they saw that it
was NO Indian, but a white boy, and the
wonderment was still greater until he cried
out, "Don't you know Laban Whitaker"
That night there was rejoicing in Pena-
cook. The garrison house of Deacon Whit
aker was filled with n%eighhors, who gath
cred to offer their congratulations and lis
ten to Laban's story. Scarcely could they
believe the tales that the lad standing
among them safe and sound had passed
through such peril, but they could not
doubt him, for there were the wonderful
skates, and there was La.,an himself.
On one of the streets of New Hampshire's
capital city there stands an old style man
sion. 1t is owned and occupied by one Of
Laban Whitaker's descendants, and if you
were to visit it you would be shown the
identical skates with which the young pi-
oneer boy outwitted the Indians.-Fred
Myron Colby in Washington News.
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