The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-01
A STREET ROMANCE.
Story of a Well known Topeka
Cigar Store Indian.
Like the Tale of Pygmalion and
GaIatea.
The Wooden Girl Comes to Life and
Falls in Love With the City Mar
shall of Usage City.

Eagles cigar store, a popular resort IN
Topeka may not have noticed that the
Indian maiden which has stood on
guard at his front door is gone. 1t is
rumored that her place is to be taken
by figure of Ada Rehan. The disap-
pearance of the Indian girl is account
ed for by the following story in the
Usage City Free Press:
There is a city marshal in this cOun-
ty who had a rather queer experience
last hallOW eve night; says the Free
Press. Let us. call him Tom rom
was in Topeka looking for fellow he
wanted. He didn't find his man and
was waiting for No. z, on the Santa F'e
10 come home. That train leaves Tope-
ka at nearly midnight. Well, about IL
o'clock Tom started to walk down to
the depot. On Kansas avenue he met
ex-Sherin John Wilkerson and stopped
to talk with him Now it happened
that they stopped in front of a cigar
store, which has as sign an Indian
girl holding a bunch of cigars, and as
they talked Tom put one arm around
the Indian girls shoulders. After talk
ing for a few minutes Tom started on
down toward the depot. Soon after he
turned down the street by the govern
ment building he heard something COM
ing behind him, that sounded like Dan
Bachelor in his wooden shoes. All the
way down to the depot he heard this
sound. He thought of foot pads, but
there was surely foot bad about
that step. Tom went into the mems
waiting room at the depot and found it
empty. He sat down and in a moment
tne door opened and in walked that In
dian girl She walked over and sat
down beside him. OF course he was
greatly astOnished, so much so that he
could not utter a word, and indeed it
never occurred to him to utter a word
to cigar sign. He wasn't exactly
scared but he watched that figure out
of the corner of his eye and SHE'D over
to the other end of the seat. But the
girl showed up near him. Then Tom
got up and walked out on the platform.
The girl followed Coming up alongside
him she said, in a deep, resonant voice
she was made of a hemlOck 1og):
Does the heart of the white chief
urn from Minnetonka?'
Tom groWled out: I don't know what
you mean
g The white chiefs love has set me
nee, the girl said, and now I would go
to his wigwam to plant his corn for
MIN, to care for it it grows to gather
the yellow ears when the leaves fall
and to cook his dog meat for him.
Again Tom said: I don't know what
you mean. 1 didn't have anything to
do with setting you Free
The pale face does not understand >
the girl said. Many, many moons ago
far away on the shores of the great
sea the pale faces call Superior Mime
netonka loved a pale face chief b11t
ner love was not returned. Mole-o
the-F ace, a witch of the MinnesOtas
had a son and she wanted Minetonka to
become his squaw. But Minnetonka's
heart was filled with love of the white
CLlCA anu II was sore because he did not
love her, and she would not listen to
the love-making of Mole-on-the-Fac
son. Then was MOle-on- the-Face angry
and she reviled Minnetonka and put a
curse on her, so that she was inpris-
Dned in a hemlock and became part or
1T, and Mole-on- the Face told her that
she would never be free till some pale
face loved her. Then Minnetonl1a' q
heart became very heavy, for at that
time, from the rising to the setting of
the. son, there were only a few pale
faces. The one MinnetOnka loved was
the only one seen the shores of the
great sea. But many moons passed
the pale faces began to come and the
tree in which MinnetOnka was impris-
oned grew big and tall. At last pale
lace cut it down. He then sawed a
piece out of it and sent it to the CITY
1t was the piece in which Minnetonka
was imprisoned. In the city pale
race cut her out of the tree and she
ehought at last she would be free. But
not So The pale face did not love
Minnetonka and the curse of Mole-in-
the-F'ace was not removed. The pale
face who cut her out of the tree sold
her, and she was sold again to this to,
DaccO man, and there has she stood for
many moons, but no one loved the poor
Indian girl until to night the white chief
loved her and put his arm around her
Then she was set free and now he shall
take her to his wigWam'
But that won't do, said Tom 4
already have a wife and three children
Minnetonka does not understand
said the girl.
Why, locke here said Tom, speak
ing earnestly and holding up his left
hand and pointing to his thumb white
man has squaW,' then telling off the
children on his fingers, and one, two,
three papoose.'
That's it, is it?
Wen. them said she,
Il ask of thee
To fly to fly to fly with me-
80 Now, Min,' said he,
1t seems to me
You're too fly. too fly. too fly with
me-
81 But big chiefs have many squaws.
said the girl. If the pale chief won't
ny with Minnetonka, then Minnetonka
will go with the pale chief to his wig
wan and be his squaw, too
Now, look here, Min said Tom,
growing desperate in earnest, that
won't do, you know. I'm not that kind
me. don't want no copper co1ored
1njun in my family. Why, people would
talk about US, you know
Just then the train came in and Tom
slipped into a car. Minnetonka tried
to follow him, but he had gone into the
smoker, and the brakeman wouldn't let
her in there. At the city where Tom is
marshal she got off and started to fol-
low him home. But Tom had been do
ing some thinking since he left Topeka
and when he got off the car he went
right up to the city building The girl
followed on up. Tom went into the
lookup and when the girl came there
ne politely invited her into the cage.