The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-24
Stories of an Inland State.

Inc yelloW glow Oh the aged AFTERNOON shot
obliquely through dormer window. and in
| 1t swan the minute specks OF old dust
dry with Imprisonment. In The roof above
the light turned single thin shingle bloody
red.
There were in this deserted attic old
trunks, old clothes, old window shades, old
shoes-in fact all the remnants of the
poorer days of Dutch Jake's family.
Dutch Jake sat down on an old trunk.
and sucking his pipe blew forth with pre-
else delay long, thin thread of eilmy
smoke-aiming if with seriousness at a
parfleche suspended from a rafter near the
western wall of the roof
'Ugh," shrugged Dutch Jake with his
eyes fastened on this bundle of rawh.de
dried with the suns of centuries and black
with antiquity. He rubbed his brow and
looked at the thing again phlegmatically.
Then he spoke:
Thing of God. You bring the chills and
sweats and Dutch Jake is finished. He is
finished
He fastened his eyes on the Sacred Bundle
and went on, with something like despera-
ton in his voice.
Dutch Jake ends here and goes out Ike
a burnt latch, just as sure as the sun rises
and does not go out, just as sure as this
world has got too dog-gone smart for its
breeches.''
He dropped his head and repeated this
over and over again: TOO dog-gone smart
for its breeches; too dog-gone much ex-
planning; too dog-gone much contempt for
everything and everybody else; too dog
gone much respect for their own"
The man was lowering in his voice In
this until it ceased altogether and became a
mental reflection: Had not some fool
white man declared that there was but
one moon and when it was dark it was
merely in a shadow? How did that man
know that a shadow was there? Had he
been there? Did not the Indians say that
every moon is a separate moon and when
she begins to fade and die that the mice are
nibbling her away? Was not the mice plan
to Jake's mind as worthy as the shadow
scheme? Yes"
He spoke audibly again:
Some day a wise galoot will come along
and prove the shadow scheme as big
humbug as the mice plan"
He now raised his eyes to the Sacred
Bundle with a propitiating tone in his
voice:
much. The white mans religion is the only
religion according to him. But what does
he know about it? Does the white mans
God tip the scales deeper than the Indians
God or the Chinaman's God or anybody's
god. No."
He went on his, eyes on the Sacred Bun
die: Dutch Jake don't deny Gods ex-
n afnb n I'm hiS
powder wet there. There is a God. I have
felt him in the storm on the night prairie.
There IS God. But l say he is the God of
all alike. And do say he isn't doing out
the best to the white children who know
so much. Don't it stand to reason that he
don't? Suppose 1 have children and one Is
helpless? Do 1 despise that one? 1 guess
not / am nearer him than all the rest,
ready to protect him and I let the others
scratch for themselves. Now this white
race says the Indians God is a myth.
There amt any doubt in my mind that the
same God is over white man and Indian,
only he personally protects and guides the
Indian and lets these white galoots Shift
for themselves; lets EN- figure out about
the moon and shadows. But he is right
there in person among the Indians and
guides EN- and protects 'em, makes his
medicine strong or makes it weak and lets
the chief consul the Sacred Bundle-look a
the darn thing move-and get wisdom. And
it's as good as any mans altar or any
mans candle or any mans Bible so far as
1 can see.''
The Sacred Bundle moved slightly to and
fro and brought him back to fear.
Jake" he thought. You was a con-
summate ass to steal It. Didn't it belong
to the Indian tribe. Hadn't they had it for
centuries?'
Why had he stolen it? Because he had
known that the Indians did not allow NOR
tai to look within it raw-hide sides. Be-
cause he was leaving the tribe forever and
he attempted to crafty his curiosity by
stealing this bundle, this sacred thing,
which was the visible manifestation of an
invisible God.
He spoke again: ''You can't take Il
back; you can't live with 1t here, for the
thing is dragging you down.
Could he burn It? Yes, and he knew he
would drop dead with the thing in his
hands before he could reach the fire. Why
not ask his family in conformance with an
Indian custom to burn his house when he
died. That would break its evil spell No
No. For his lawyers would say that his
mind was diseased and his will would be
contested and his family ruined.
He raised himself angrily and cried:
There must be no contest
Yes 1t must stay. And must II drag down
his family too? He knew it was dra gging
MIN down-it was always showing in his
dreams, but must the evil thing kill his
wife and his babies? No. No. He mus.
burn it if he die. He stepped forward and
touched il. but waddled back terror-strick-
m. 1t was beyond his power to take it |
Town.
Why had he never opened II? He was not |
man of superstition. He had seen blood |
md death and torture. He had slept with |
prairie skull for pillow. He was not |
uperstitious. Then why had he not opened |
his Sacred Bundle which he had stolen? |
Nhen he was among the Indians he had /
believed the Medicine Man fraud. So far |
Is his art of healing was concerned he be- |
ieved him that yet. But as an agent of |
Tod he now respected him, as a priest he I
cared his evil lamentations. The Sacred |
Bundle is tribal property; its contents are |
II is always in the possession OF |
he Chief. Its origin is as unknown as the !
rigin of man. 1t may be four hundred |
ears old. may be four thousand. II was /
impossible for an Indian TO steal it, No /
indian ever had that courage much less
he intent II was death for white man
o steal IL. either at the hands of the In
ians or by the evil spell of the offended
city. Dutch Jake on leaving the Indian
ribe had slipped into the chiefs teepee.
here the thing hung on the west side,
urtherest from the door-iap. II hung on
he west because the Indians worshiped
be west and not the east for the east
rings night Jake stole il and fed He
ad forgotten H. One day here among his