The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-04-04

/ iI-S papOOSe, MISTY OdHl-
She placed her hard calloused hand upor
its little cheek. How hot ii was and hoz
strangely bright glittered its little blacl
eyes.
Now she went forth again, troubled an
hesitating. Should she go to the Medicine
Man? Surely he could drive the disease
cut Yes, she would go. But as her darl
supple form Strengthened with the resolve
she shrank again and raised her hands Il
the stars and CRIED:
Jake! jake"
But no answer came from the stars and
she returned TO the infant. Surely the
Medicine Man could help Misty Dawn. Ones
again she broke through the flap and start
ed for the Indian priest but the voice OF
| her white lord called her back, the warning
of her white husband, the squaw-man Jake
Beffel, sounded in her ears, omnipotentiy
! dictator.al. All Jakei Man with the white
face and white limbs and commanding
presence, god and sovereign of your IndiaE
! wife; superior in your wish to the dictates
| of her racial pride; 70 the commands Of heI
priest, the Medicine Man; to the centuries
| OF logged habit strong in the Red Woman :
| breast; the wish OF the apparition who had
| come into the Red Womans life, supreme.
| Jake, You had come into her savage life,
| when she had been trained through Gen.
| turtles of servility to be a Red Mans dog,
and you had wooed her with The cooing
I! love of a white man, and made her heart
| leap as that of petted cur. And you had
| loved her. given her papooses, taught her
| tenderness the Indian does not possess, OPP
| ened her eyes to a martial equality she had
never dreamed of, and then, Jake, as d
\ dream cruelty real, you had deserted her,
| left her there among her savage folk, much
| too savage to follow you fawning dog,
| too little savage to heal her hearts wound
| il. the brutal loye of a man of her kind.
| She knew that Jake was dead and now
| she felt a yearning 10 go where he lay,
she believed, on a platform in the air and
give him his vessel OF maize TO feed him
| till he gained the Happy Hunting ground.
That day the Indian Agent had called her
to his office and had taken down the curl
Gus books which he possessed and had said
through an interpreter:
waving Hair. Beffel is dead"
She had smiled to propitiate the dictatori-
al. naughty agent, though his news made
her heart throb.
How many papooses?" asked the inter
prefer.
Three" answered Waving Hair curl
ously.
What names?'
Running Bull, Howlng Wolf and Misty
Dawn"
The agent talked seriously and at length
TO the interpreter who questioned him ex-
citedly.
Tell her, said the Agent selecting his
words. THAT Beffel left to each child 800
year, to be paid to them every winter and
every heat; that he was very rich when he
died; that he left this money to his children
to be given them every year as long as
they live
The Interpreter repeated to Waving
Hair who understood vaguely.
Now tell her." said the Agent, this:
THAT she must make her mark here aci
cepting this agreement, waving all further
claim on the part of her heirs hereafter or
her children's children to his estate. This
IS law and is-but Howling Jehosophat,
what's the use, she can't understand all
that And besides she isn't going to con-
test will She doesn't know what will
It Lord, I suppose l just better order her
to sign it without explanations. Tell her
this: She must sign here, then she can
never ask more than $500 year, and she
must sign it now to get that
The Interpreter repeated this.
Here said the Agent Waving Hair"
He handed her pen and she made her
cross knowing no more the import of her
act than if ii had been a confession OF
murder she were signing.
Tell her this" said the Agent. THAT
when child dies the 500 ceases
The interpreter repeated it.
And this; that when her children are old
enough they must come and sign for them
Selves
Waving Hair had gone back TO her wig |
wan grief-stricken. But the sick papoose |
diverted her mind and she bathed It IN |
warm water and tried to sooth II.
But the little child became worse, and |
she felt the necessity Of calling for help.
II was then she had started for the Medi- |
cine Man and voice from the past the |
voice of a white husbands command had |
halted her. Once Running Bull had been |
sick and she had gone for the Medicine |
Man and her white husband had thrown /
him from the w;gwam and called him a
and told his wife he was fraud |
and never to go to him for anything.
And then her white lord had taken bot
lie from his great square trunk and given
Running Bull of its contents and he had
become we'll.
She went to a blanket ana took this lit
lie bottle out. II was empty. The dirty
abel still held TO the glass.
Then suddenly she resolved to do most
intrepid thing. She looked al the complain
nS papoose and taking the bottle walked
'orth IN the night to the Agents house.
Surely he could fill It with the white man.
Medicine and Misty Dawn would live.
She raped at the door and the Agent
anne down.
What, You Waving Hart What are
7ou proving around at this hour of the
light for?''
Waving Hair smiled in Precipitation ana
,eid up the bottle.
''Howling Jehosophat" cried the Agent
What's in the bottle?"
He took It from her and seeing it was
mpty swore roundly and said:
You want IL filled?"
The smiling woman nodded.
We'll! That caps the climax" said the
Agent. I've seen Indians drink red ink |
nd lemon extract for whisky. but pare
No. Waving Hair. III give
gu none she don understand word
sy. I'm always forgetting that"
He shook his head vehemently and the |
Soman turned away.
Waving Hair went back 70 her papoose.
he took il In her arms and rocked 10 and
70 on the furs which were strewn about,
moaning piteously over the little thing.
And her eyes filed with tears. and she J
laced it softly down again and went out !
] the night and looked up 70 the stars and |
Tould have cried Jake but her voice
siied her.