St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1898-04-02
A Romance Of !.
=. the Reservation.

influences of the season Little Porcu-
pine and Runs-Sideways We're going
wickiya. Other Of the young men We're
going wickiya, or a-wooing, also, but
these two had allowed their fancies to
turn at one and the same time to Lark
that-Sings, and that Is what made the
old women talk.
Lark-that-sings was pudgy of face
and sqaat Of stature, but her eyes were
large, liquid and black as o young does
and her clear, saffron skin as smooth
and glossy as a cottonwood leaf. The
thick braid of hair fell from either side
of the bright streak of yermilion that
divided her scalp, and her mouth was
an aboriginal poets dream. Individual
ly, therefore, these young men were not
to blame, although there was no doubt
that collectively their affections were
misplaced and unfortunate. For one
thing, it made considerable trouble In
the Takowakan family. ., ,.s ..s-.
Takowakan was the fond, male and
only parent Of Lark-that-Sings. He
had marked preference for Runs
Sideways as o suitor for his daughters
hand. He had emphasized this pref.
erence upon his daughters person with
his hickory COO stick-that was when
the horses came-but without avail.
It would have been all right and
there would have been no trouble If
1t had not been for the Black Robes,
who had put rebellious and independent
| ideas into the maiden's head along with
the alphabet. It was an evil day for
Takowakan when he let Lark-that-
Sings go to them to learn the ways of
the white people. It was all bad.
Little Porcupine, the son of Majaoka,
was anything but model character.
None could say with certainty that he
was a thief, but no one of the tribe
4 doubted 1t. A remarkable talent for
making the thing that was not as the
thing that was made him a valuable
/ witness, and he was better known i9
| the federal courts than the United
States marshal Marshals came,
amassed wealth and went, but Little
Porcupine was always on deck. He
liked the excitement of metropolitan
life at Deadwood. There he Jared
sumptuously every day and was pro-
E4vided with unlimited cigarettes, with
pretty pictures in the packets. More
over, the intellectual strife of cross
examination was JOY to his soul. He
. was really the most engaging and un-
\ scrupu1ouss liar / ever knew, yet he had
sweet, grave politeness of manner
and abounding good humor, and liked
him. {
AS for Runs-Sideways, he, while not
prepossessing, was phenomenallyt truth
full for an Indian, and quite unsuspect'
ing of mendacity in others. He was in.
4 dustrious and never returned from ths
i chase empty-handed. The taste o.
agency whisky was unknown to him
i and in other respects his morals were
above reproach.
). In spite of oil this, when the maid
! ems took their vessels, and, chatterins
and giggling, wended their way to ths
creek for water, Lark-that-Sings pais
no attention when Runs-Sideway
J ,plucked her by the blanket; but when
d little further on, Little Porcupin'
:. stepped from the willows by the trai
J and did the same thing, she unhesitat
!. ingly broke ranks. And when Runs
} Sideways brought four Of his eigh
, ponies and tied them by the Takowa
kan domicile, the maiden would not un
!. tie them, although herfather entreate'
her earnestly-at the last, with tn
hickory rod aforesaid-to do so. Fo
7 the tying of the ponies was definit
: proposal of marriage, and the untyinl
9 would have been an acceptance.
Three days after this occurrence al
,ennigrant wagon, drawn by a milch co,
and two-year-old steer, rolled toll
]. ssomely into Fort Randall, and tn
: dusty pioneers who were with the ou'
At explained with much fervent pre-
, family that their team Of horses an
i two good saddle ponies had been stole
4 from them two nights before. !
). posse was at once organized TO rid
A. back and see what could be done .
!. trace the robbers. A good ooking an
8 intelligent young Indian, whom eh
!, post trader addressed as Little Porcs
t pine offered his services as trailer fo
y the modest compensation of two do
g lars per diem and rations, and his offe
9 was accepted. ~
r Back over thesprairie they sped. an
0 soon. arrived at the camping plat
i where the horses were stolen. Hel
y Little Porcupine quickly found q
e trail, although it had rained since on
was quite. imperceptible to the rest
J. the party With more than the saga
ity of bloodhound. he followed u
: trail for two whole days, throug
Il bunch grass and pricl1y pear beds an
!, !, along dim buffalo paths until, near u
= . mouth OF a deep canyon running wes
= ward. he confessed that he had lost
: He said that the tracks were those
. = two mounted men leading four horse
: one of them Iamc In the left hind TO
j : and the other little 3sore-footed. Th
= convinced the emigrants that they hs
i good trailer, for two of their hors
81 were in the condition described. By
- after alI, that was not much satssfa
!, tion.
There was buzz OF excitement
Y the village on the banks of Willow cre'
q when Little Porcupine rode up TO TAX
= wakan's tepee on an American hors
which limped a little In the left MI
foot. but was good horse for all ths
and, disuiounting, tied 1t with thr
n, Others, two Of them ponies, to saplin
" Takowakan was not at home, but Lar
that-Sings was, and she was in the a
~ ~ unfvirU the horses when the O