Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-20

1dll CruIcu, Hall SUuNeu anu dlOue
was sad one, and the operator, feeling
his own utter loneliness, tried to per-
suade her to stay. Pointing to the west,
she began to chant;
"When the great red sun is half in the sky
And half in the earth, the dead must die.
"Then she barred her bowed head He
saw the little round spot where the skin
had been cut away and understood.
This revelation, however, caused the
agent to rcdoublc his efforts to save the
hapless maiden from herself.
after much coaxing he succeeded in
getting her into his little room in tho
rear of the telegraph office, where she
soon fell asleep The sun. went down
and still she slept, and he knew she was
safe, at least for another day. The dark
ness decpcncd on tho desert waste, the
evening wore away, the operator got
Good night from the dispatcher I5
Omaha and fell asleep in his chair
Presently he was awakened by sound
as of door closing softly. He stole into
the lttlo back room only to learn that
his guest had gone. He slipped outside
and listened, but save for the doleful
cry of lone wolf tho night was voice
less, and he returned to his narrow
room.
Next day when the sun was falling
away in the west tho operator, sitting
at his little table, noticed shadow in
the door and looking up beheld the sad
face of the Indian maiden, gaunter and
sorricr than before. Again he gave her
food, and from his medicine chest,
which i'll those days was furnished by
! the company to all agents and conduct
! ors, he brought medicated bandages,
which he bound about her torn ankles,
and ointment, which he put upon her
wounded head. After that she continued
to come to him every day to accept II
mcagcr meal and at night to steal away
and sleep upon the prairie, with only tho
stars above her. At the end of fort
night she was almost well again. Now
| the woman that was in her nature caus-
| cd her to long for some ono to whom
she might tell her story in whom she
might confldc, and she told it as well
as she could to the agent. He helped
| her to arrange her hair so as to hide the
| hateful scar ut the top of her head and
! persuaded her to return to her people.
If the white man loved you once, he
will love you all the more now, and
will save you from your people if they
try to modest you, was the agents ell
couraging advice, and she determined to
return.
slide McAlaster's severely sprained
ankle had become strong and he was at
work again. The namo Of Wakalona
was never mentioned by the Indians
for to them she was dead 1t was never
mentioned by the whites when it could
be avoided, for no one cared to tell the
awful story to the brakeman, and so he
lived from day to day, expecting her to
come home. His was the only cheerful
face in the camp during those two
weeks. He was happy in the morning,
hoping that tho day would bring her
back, and happy again at night, for
there was one day less of waiting for
her return. And she did come back
"Onc night when the rain was pour
ing down she opened the door of her IA
theirs tent and waited to be welcomed
home. The old scout was pacing his
tent, for he had not ceased to grieve for
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 or two toward the tent door, and
then, pausing to look upon her for the
last time, his face grew pale as he point
ed a long arm down the darkness. In q
| hn ,tt
words Tho shadows lie upon tho
shore-to the river begoner With u
despairing look the princess turned back
into the rain swept night, and now u
new danger confronted her. The guards
had seen her at the tent door, by the
dim light of grease lamp, and now
they seized and bound her Her father
had left to her the one chance of flight /;
the guards had shown less pity And
while she sat, bound and guarded, in a
darkly lighted tent her lover slept and
dreamed Of her coming, not 100 yards
away. The day dawned grudgingly; the
darkness seemed reluctantly to leave
the earth; the sun remained behind tho
dark clouds, from which the rain con-
tinued to fall III torrents. At noon tho
rain ceased, the sun came out, meadow
larkS caroled free in the blue above, but
the hapless Wakalona lay fettered in u
rain soaked tent The story of her cap
ture was kept profound secret, for the
Indians knew that the United States
army officers would interfere if they
learned that the princess was to be put
to death. In the darkness of their igno-
rance they believed that they were do
ing their duty.
"On account of the rain we had not
gone out that day. but late in the after
noon an order c-me from the dispatcher
for us to run light to Omaha to bring
out train of steel. AS we pulled out
over the switches l noticed great
crowd of Pawnees down by the river
near the railroad bridge. AS we APP
preached we could see that they We're
waving their hands and putting up
weird signals. Now, as the engine, still
creeping along, working the water out
Of her cylinders ncared the bridge Nc
Alastcr suddenly cried, 'Wakalonap and
leaped from the engine
Il stopped the engine and, looking
over, saw Wakalona seated in canoe
her knees. A stalwart Pawnee sat in
ono end of the canoe holding a single
oar, while another Indian, equally well
proportional, sat near the girl, whose
fppt Iyprn fnttprpl and whose hands