Evening star., 1898-12-24

| with an eagr vlgJf that left many scalps
hanging in his lodge
He stole horses until the medicine man
| ciassed him as the greatest pagan Of them
While he reduced the census of his neigh
| DOTS his own tribe waxed populous and
rich through Wis wisdom.
,,,ids. inen came the day when he was chosen
chle1: and even as he had been the greatest
the tribe had ever h@s enown. ane greatest 'n'sr
And the husks had all passed away from
the nokum. for SWeet-Grass honored her
in his prosperity even as she had toiled and
shaved for him when they fought with the
| dogs for the AcrapA
The Conyersion of svveet-Grass.
Father Lareomsalwas as great warrior
as sweet-Grass. He, too, was a fearless
, brave. His bow was the Christian religion
| and his arrows Gods love, feathered by his
own simple, honest ways
Through the Crees' tepees he wandered
at will; and with the Blackfoot he slept
| back to back on the sky kissed prairie.
AS a rule an Indian does not receive re-
nglon with open armS-he is not looking for
| 1t. He has other things to think Of
AND though they received the father for
! his own sake, his Masters commands they
cared not much about
rather LacOmbe was working his way
southwark through the Blackfoot country
one morning in May
He came upon small party of Black
! foot. With them they had a captiye-a
| Cree maiden.
| Practical Christianity was part of the
| 1ather.s creed, and he determined to rescue
| the girl if he had to pawn his Red river
carts to the Indians.
Camp here he said to them: for bar
| gain with Indians is like Chinese play
| 1t Will end only when there is nothing more
| to be said on either side.
so they encamped where they were,
| among the SDrlng flowers and smoked the
| pipe of peace and bargained for the girl.
The priest meant to have her free at any
cost. but it was also legitimate to get her
cheaply. In the end he gave an order on
the Hudson's Bay Company for a sum suff-
cient to bankrupt his small means
he took the girl with him on his south
ern trip, for there was way of sending
her to her people till he should return in
the autumn.
1t had been the usual order of Blackfoot
enterprise; the war party had swooped
down upon the few Crees she had been
with at the time, and killed them all but
herself. Her parents had not been of the
party
In October Father Lacombe went north
again-back among the Crees.
one evening, after he had camped, he saw
a large outfit of Indians trailing toward
him. He hid the girl under a cart, the
sides of which were draped by large
canvas.
1t was Sweet-Grass' party. They en-
camped beside the father for the night
To Father Lacombe the Indians were as
children; to him their lives were an open
book, and the misery that was in one old
couples hearts was soon poured into his
sympathetic ear
To an Indian there is no loss so great as
the loss of child; even horses are less to
be lamented.
And Many Herbs had lost daughter,
the Biackfoot had attacked the party she
was with in the spring and all had been mur-
dered even the daslghtep.4 Father Lacombe
hc6
it The priest had several gifts besides his
great generosity and his wide humanity.
He had that fine dramatic instinct which
makes the mest of an opportunity. Evi-
IDENTIFY God had delivered the captive into
his hands that good might come of the evil
which had been done.
That was the priests way-profit for his
Master. Another would have calculated
how many fns the girl would exchange
for E.
When the father spoke of hope, Many
Herbs scoffeds Alive there might be hope,
yes. But wasinot Two Winds dead? Could
the priest take stripped wand of the red
willow and change it into the form of Two
Winds, and alive? ~
Was not Sweet-GEass also like stricken
buffalo? Two Winds was TO have gone to
the chiefs loige even at that time-at the
time of the gpeat huntS..-p
Surely thought1the priest, ''the Father
| has given thesa people into my hands, If
Sweet Grass also nfevedl the maid much
good must come ofothe rnscue.
Then he spoke aaouds tfr the Crees and
prayed silently in his heart the while.
| Iiloquently he told, in the short. terse SEN
tences of the Indian, the infinite power and
mercy of the, rIord. That If they would
| only listen it 'wDuld heal the arrow wounds
in their hearts. 81
| "Will your God, who is so powerful. give
me back Two Winds?' cried Many Herbs.
| 'Or bring her back to my LODGE" asked the
little Sweet-Grass.i
Have patiencea my brothers." said the
priest. You have forgotten one thing
you have forgotten the power of this?' and
| he held aloft the black cross which was
| tucked in his girde
| The light from the aspen camp fire flick
cred against the brass image of the Savior
dropping from the cruel, holding nails.
| Surely the light of his mission was in the
gray eyes of the black-cassocked man. as
he drew himself up to his full height and
| held the figure toward the Indians with
commanding Supplication.
| 1t Sweet-Grass who said: Call on
| your Medicine to give Two Winds. If
| it can do that I will believe-I and my
| tribe. The Little Father shall have five
horses if he can do this thing. 1 have
spoken. - L
The chief and the priest were old friends
almost old antagonists on the question.
| Pere Lacombe knew that Sweet-Grass'
| words were like the flow Of the Saskatch-
| ewan-a thing to be depended upon.
And L have heard he said, as the Cree
chief ceased speaking and placed the long
L
| heard and my Master has heard, and the
| power Of the cross is for good!'
| Among the whites Pere Lacombe was the
| one man SweetGrass trusted and as the
priest spoke he started forward eagerly, in
a half-famished way, as a gaunt wolf eyes
| a life that is just out of his reach
| 1.-TWO Winds" he whispered, huskily, ex-
pectantly. "Yes!' answered the priest, in
his deep voice, as he drew aside the canvas
| of the cart.
| It was as though God had looked down
! and smiled upon the camp as Two Winds
| came and stood in the light of the camp
| fire; the same light that had ficked at the
| brass Savior stceaked with bronze the
| black mass OF her hair, and showed the
great love-light in the sparkling eyes.
Pe-e Lacombe stood a little to one side
! with bowed head, his hands crossed loving
| ly over the brass Savior as he held it
| against his breast. The power of the cross
| had come to pass.
Thus was the conversion of Sweet-Grass.
| Doubtful IndOrsement.
From TitBits
Patent Medicine Mani don't know
| who TO ;c1, 4