Evening star., 1897-04-17

INTO WATER

ravel the mysteries of the future-trying
to convert this white-souled woman who.
without knowing it. has been the means Of
making me better man.
I've noticed all along, though, that the
love of a good woman always makes a man
gcntler. braver and better.
when Red Fox had explained to me
that Wakalona had not been killed. but had
wandered away. l urged him to can the
scouts and search the plains for her; but
he shook his head. 1t is true that my
child has not been killed he said sadly,
but she is dead. 1t is true that she still
walks the earth. but she is dead to me and
to all her people, and the great brave
bowed his head in silent sorrow.
Then / remembered having heard that an
Indian who had lost his scalp was looked
upon as enc demented or dead. and l knew
then what had happened to the Princess
WSkalona.
How best % break the news to poor Nc
A.aster was a question over which l pom
Gered on my way back to the camp. He
was strong and sensible He had seen many
a comrade pulled out of a wreck, mungled
almost beyond recognition. He had been in
more than one Indian fight. but he had
never lain helpless upon a stretcher and
listened to tale such as l might tell and
1 would aot tell it. I'd lie first. and SO 1
did. And while 1 framed story of how
Wakalona had gone that very day to visit
Il nele ehoorinS camp. the poor princess
wandered ever the prairie. All night she
walked The tieckless wilds, AMI when the
stars paled lay down upon the damp earth
&c sleep. She knew that she was expected
20 d.e-that she ought to die, Tut she
shunncI ceath. Not from any dread Of it,
intended to die. burt she woul1 put the
thought of it by for little while longer,
and dream of the pale-faced brave. An,
he might love her still: who could tell; for
the white people were so strange. She
slept, and doubtless dreamed Of the little
field. of her father, of the twilight time
and of the sweet surprise of her lovers
arms about her, and then she started up
and the recollection of her misfortune
made her heart sad, and soon she slept
again
when she awoke the sun was high In
the heavens. She was hungry ard thirsty.
The blood had dried in her midnight hair,
ard now she went down to the river to
drink and bathe her fevered face. Then
she sat by the river for q long time trying
to make up her mind to die. but she could
rot There was certain amount Of mys-
terry about the river. and she liked to look
Upon its quiet face. Where did 1t come
ard where was 1t going? Then. in her wild
way, she Hkened her life to the river
Where did she come from and where was
she going? She couldn't make it out Only
she remembered that her teacher, the
brakeman. had said something about anoth-
er world beyond the sky; but he was still
In this world. and she loathed to leave il.
and so che sat all through the long sum-
mer day with her hands locked over her
knees. rocking to and fro. half grooming
and half moaning:
When the great red sun Ii half in the sky
And half in the earth, the dead must die
She knew that she was counted among
the dead by her people. and IL she returned
to them she would be drowned in this
river when the sun went down.
Yes, 1t was clearly her duty now to die,
and she would drown herself at the set Of
sun. Having reconciled herself to her fate,
she fell asleep. and when she awoke the
sky was all studded with stars She had
slept over the death time. and now must
await another sunset. She went down to
the river and bathed her face Oh! the
mystery of the river; where did 1t come
from and where was 1t going? Would 1t
Bear her back to her lost lover? No,-it was
howing toward the morning, and would
carry her farther away. She turned away,
haunted by the conviction that she had no
piace In this world. for she had heard
them sing In the death chant:
The shadows lie upon the shore
The dead shall walk the Garth No mora
And yet she could not put out of her
neart the longing to live and, setting her
face from those she loved she wandered
Out over the starlit plain All night she
tramped through the sagebrush with never
pause for rest or sleep, and when the red
sun swung out Of the earth she tramped