Evening star., 1897-04-17

mentioned by the Indians. for to them she
was dead. 1t was never mentioned by the
whites when 1t could be avoided, for no one
cared to tell the awful story to the brake
man. and so he lived from day to day ex-
pecting her to come homo. His was the
only cheerful face in the camp during those
TWO weeks. He was happy in the morning
hoping that the day would bring Ler back,
and happy again at night, for there was
one day less of waiting for her return
And she did come back. One night when
the RAIN was pouring down she opened the
door OF her fathers tent and waited to be
welcomed home. The old scout was pacing
ms tent, for he had not ceased to grieye
Tor his daughter. but now that she had re-
turned to him, as one from the grave her
coming served only to augment his misery
AT sight OF her he had taken a step CT two
toward the tent door. and then pausing to
look upon her for the last time. his face
grew grave as he pointed a long arm down
the darkness. In hoarse voice he uttered
those ominous words, The shadows lie
upon the shore-to the river, be eonep
With despairing look the princess turred
back into the rain-swept night and now a
new danger confronted her. The guards
nad seen fer at the Tent door. by the dim
light Of grease lamp, and now they seized
and bound her. Her father had EFF. to her
the one chance Of fight, the yuarIs had
shown less pity. And while she sat, bound
and guarded, in jarkly lighted tent. her
lover slept and dreamed Of her coming not
100 yards away. The day dawned grutlx-
1ngiy, the darkness seemed reluctantly to
leave the earth, the sun remained behind
the dark clouds, from which the rain con-
ttnued to fall In torrents. At noon the rain
ceased. the sun came out meadow larks
caroled free in the blue above but the han
less Wakalona lay fettered in rain-soaked
tent The story of her capture was kept q
profound secret, for the Indians knew that
the United States army officers would in
terfere II they learned that the princess
was to be put to death. In the iarkusss
n hAr ha1
were doing their duty.
"On account Of the rain we had not
gone out that day, but late in the after
noon an order came from the dispatcher
for US to run light to Omaha to bring out
train OF steel. AS we pulled out over the
switches 1 noticed a great crowd Of Paw
nees down by the river near the railroad
bridge. As we approached we could see
that they were waving their hands and
putting up weird signals. Now as the en-
gine. still creeping along. working the
water out of her cylinders. neared the
lona,' and leaped from the engine. I
stopped the engine and looking over. saw
Wakalona seated in a canoe with her head
bowed down almost to her knees. stall
wart Pawnee sat in one end of the canoe
holding single oar, while another Indian,
equally well proportioned, sat near the
girl. whose feet were fettered and whose
hands were bound behind her back. Now
the whole band began to chant:
Luc shauOWB lie upon the shore.
Tne dead shall walk the Garth no more
THE sun sat like great red wheel that
mad sunk hub deep In the sand, and when
half the rim was below, and half above
the earth, the second stanza of the death
chant arose from the river. as the boat was
pushed out into the stream:
When the great red ssn is half In the sky
And half in the earth, the dead must die
"Now. for the first time Wakalona lifted
her eyes. and she beheld her lover leapinp
from the shore. A few strokes brought him
within reach Of the little boat and he
climbed aboard. The Indian at the car
stood up and faced him. The big brake.
man swung his long right arm, caught the
Pawnee under the ear. and over he went
Reaching down. he lifted the other Indian
bodily. turned him half over. and with ali
his might drove him head first into the
sand at the bottom Of the river.
while this was going on the little bark
was drifting rapidly toward the bridge
McAlastez cut the cord that bound the
woman. set1ed the car and made the land
just below the engine. Lafting the girl
IN his arms he ran up the dump. placed heI
In the caboose, and we were or As w
reached the east end of the bridge locked
back and saw the ba6led hand swarmine
In from the west. but even as they ran the
sun went down, the death hour had passed
ana they turned back to their tents.