The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-20
VERSE AND ANECDOTE.
BY THE FALLS OF MINNEHAHA.

On the bridge that SPAWNED the river
Flowing down the rocky chasm.
Stood we long to view the waters
OF the Falls Of Minnehaha.
Silence regned in all that region;
Sence-save the rushing foaming water,
AS it fell in snowy whiteness
On the bosom of the river.
From the rocky heights above it
Oh, the music of the water!
Oh. the music of it's laughter.
AS it rippled DER the pebbles
The bright and shining pebbles
That sparkled in the evening sunlight,
At the feet of Minnehaha
At the feet of Laughing Water!
On the lovely scene before me.
Thinking oft of Minnehaha,
The phantom spirit of the river;
OF the lovely Laughing Water,
Daughter of the brave Dakotahs,
Loveliest OF women.
OF the land of lovely women
Did she live here by this river?
Did she love this ripping water?
Did she cook her fathers dinner
AS he sat and made his arrows?
Did she fill his clay pipe for him,
Give him drink of sparkling water;
And leave him smoking by his wigwam,
While she sat beside the waters,
Listening to its Joyous music,
As it :ell from off the high rocks
To the shining, sparkling river,
To the bosom of the river.
To the bed of shining pebbles?
Did she .'Win Hiawatha
Come again to see my father?'
The story tells us she was lovely,
Loveliest Of all the
OF the land of the Dakoals,
The land of lovely women
And her name was Minnehaha.
Minnehaha Laughing Water.
On the bridge the river
i stood and thought Of Mnnehaha,
And the peaceful airowmaker;
And of the stawGrt Hiawatha
Who came to WOO the maiden.
Thought of all the wondrous story
Told US by the great immortal,
The immortal story teller:
How the manly Hiawatha
Won his bride, fair Minnehaha.
Took her from her fathers wigwam.
Took her from the arlowmaker,
To the land of the Oiibways.
Took her to old Nocomis
To be his starlight" Moonlight" "Freiight."
To be his bride forever.
All this time. the laughing water
Rppled over stone and pebble,
Making all the silence round
Seem 50 grand. and soft, and solemn,
Like the silence of the twilight,
Like silence in the midnight,
Like the silence of the noontme
in the depths of rocky cavern.
Then from out the silent stiffness
Came boom of mighty cannon.
Shaking all the rocks about me,
Quvering all the trees above me
Startled from my dreamy musng
OF the far off Indian maiden.
And her lover. Hiawatha.
/ bethought of his youthful warfare,
OF his battle with the West Wind.
OF his fight with Mudjekeews;
Now in place of Victor's shouting
Came the booming of the cannon,
Shaking all the rocks about me,
Quivering all the trees above me,
And the bridge across the river
Shook as though ball had struck 1t.
/ began to climb the hillside
Toiling up the rocky stairway
Still the booming of the
Shook the rocky steps climbed on,
Quivering all the trees about me.
Much l wondered why this battle
With the booming of the cannon
Should be raging up above me
As came up out of dreamland,
For I heard the crack of muskets,
And the strains of martial music,
And the shouts and cries of battle.
~, ,ro,4 ct;l to;I;rr =, r,y,,.ord
Where alone there's sound of battle,
Where brothers fight, and kill each other.
Stopped. and wondered if my dreaming
In the dell beside tha river
From thinking of the long fought battles
or Hiawatha and the Westwnd,
Again, from out the silent stiffness,
Came the booming of the cannon,
The rattle of the musketry.
The strains of martial music
And the shout of men in battle.
Up came to earth and sunshine
To peaceful park and flowing river
To dusty streets and iron fences,
10 smoke Of factory, mill and engine,
To all the noises of the CITY,
! stood there in the park and listened,
Still the booming of the cannon
That swayed all the trees about me,
Even shook the earth beneath me,
Who c co"1d sGve this is m b for me-
Was l dreaming? Was it real?
aye, L see a mine OF knowledge
Standing soemnly before me.
Meekly address this statue:
August Sir, will you inform
Why this mighty cannon booming,
Why hits rattle of the muskets,
And the strains of martial music
And the shouts of i'll battle?
Do these sounds come up from China,
Or is there within this city,
This fair city of the Northwest?
Tell me, pray thee, all about it,
For my mind is bewildered;
And give me, l implore thee,
Some portion of thy knowledge
For know that thou art wisdom"
Then the statue, most benignly
Looked up, and smiled most kindly
And spake forth these words of wsdom
There's sham fight at Fort Smelling;
There's the last car-get move
Or you will surely miss it,
Slowly wisely, l departed,
While that solemn block of wisdom,
Stood still if hewn from marble,
Waiting for another dreamer
To ask another foolish question
Oct. 6, 1894. M. E. H.