The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-11-14
THE LEGEND OF
BONNIE FEMME.
. Story of Early Days in
Missouri.
By SIDNEY e. POWELL.
CHAPTER xv.-A MYSTERY CLEARS.

II thunder bolt had burst over
their heads they could have shown
no greater astonishment, for that
the veritable Haha, alive and free,
stood before them they could have
no doubt.
Loni, s%pringing to him as she had
done to Annette, again bewailed her
unhappy people and her own DESC
lation.
"You shall not suffer-" said he,
"and the pale face says you must
live with her. VIII you go?n
"No, Haha is here, he my people.
/ no leave Haha, he son to me-"
Strange emotions were agitating
Annette. TTls was indeed Haha,
but he had not recognized her, nor
asked a question about her. Yet he
knew her Intentions. Was he really
supernatural?
The next moment he was at her
side, and his voice trembling 80
strangely, she thought, as he said:
"Please forgive me-"
"Forgive you," she said, "my
best friend! oh, Haha, how glad I
am that you are alive, that I may
thank you as long al I live."
"You will despise me when you
know how I have deceived you"
"Despise you, never!" she said,
earnestly. 81 promise nothing can
make me despise you, nor shake my
confidence in you, nor cause me to
forget how kind and good you were
to me-"
"You promise me-" he said, with
o faint smile, as he loosened the
skins from his person, and disclosed
to her the uniform of a captain in
the United States army.
els it Captain Harmon9" asked
Mr.. Laselle, for the voice now
undisguised was certainly his.
Loni like a hunted deer at bay
seemed ready to run away at a
moments warning. To see Haha
robed in q soldiers uniform was
almost too much for her.
But the transformation was not
complete till, rubbing a wet hand
kerchief he had provided himself
with over his face, neck and hands,
he stood before them the handsome
soldier-Captain Harmon-as An
nette parted with him an hour ago
in front Of Loni's wigwam.
"Loni," he said, turning to her,
"don't lie afraid Of me. 1t is tho
same Haha that brought you bread
and medicine and put it in your
mouth when you were too weak to
feed yourself. l cooked it there"
he said, pointing to q fat rock on
the floor.
eyes, it is Haha," said Loni,
at him with q wild, wonder
ing look.
"Tell u.s." said Mr.. Laselle, "what
made you thus disguise yourself"
81 WILL" said Capt. Harmon, "but
I will have to 60 back to my boy
hood, for 1t is quite a history If I
had time to tell 1t; but will have to
put it now into as few words as
possible.
~ was born in the mountains OF
Virginia and when I was a boy eight
years old I was captured by the
Indians. At fifteen I made my
escape from them and through great
perils and suffering made my way
home to find my father dead and my
mother married again and gone, no
one knew where. Some said she
was dead and she may have been,
for in all my searching I have found
no trace Of her.
"But I believed then she had been
captured by the Indians, as she and
her husband started out to the west,
Now to find her was the n great
absorbing wish Of my heart, and,
coming to st. Louis, l joined the
troops who were sent out into this
country to explore 1t and to protect
the settlers, but ] soon discovered !
had poor prospect of finding her
that way, 30 l concluded to disguise
myself as an Indian and 60 among
the different tribes, which was an
easy matter for mo to do, as I was
already familiar with their customs
and much of their language.
"For three years I have lived
among various tribes, but my home
was with the Comanches, as Burns
the trapper lived among them, and
we could help each other In many
ways. During the time I have had
frequent communication with tho
garrison ut st. Louis, and been sue
cessf1l q great many times in ward
ing OF difficulties with the Indians.
"My suocess in obtaining supplies
for them gave me q great deal Of
power with them, believing, too, as
they did, I vas Of their race and was
their benefactor from the love I bore
them, which was the truth. I tried
to use my influence over them for
their b~etterment, for in their ignor-
snce and weakness, I felt the
greatest pity for them.
"When You were brought into the
bridge cave" he said, looking at
Annette, "the morning after you
were captured, I determined TO frse
YOU. and I was 80 excited and indig-