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

It's INC WEAK ullu WOuuuel COlllu w tN-
pected to enjoy the mountain air and
the morning. June was i'll tho noun
tains, but the snow was still heavy on
the high peaks. The yellow river, soilcd
by the Leadville smelters and still
froighted with floating mush ice, splash
ed by on its way to Pueblo and tho
Terre Caliante. The little gray, glad
faced surgeon came along presently and
told Frank that he might go home on
Saturday, and that made tho old en-
gineer, usually little mite cranky and
irritable, as happy us boy about to be
loosed from school
Say, Frank" began, "have you
ever known an Indian girl who could
by any stretch of imagination be consid.
cred handsomeY
Eyes, " he said thoughtfully, placing
his we'll foot on the top of tho railing
and frowning from mere force of habit
1--WE were lying at North Platte ut the
time, that being the end of the track,
and there l knew Pawnee maiden
who was really good to look upon. l
never knew her name; we called her
'Walk-alone' at first, because she seemed
never to mix up with the other squaws,
but when Slide McAlastcr, the head
brakeman on the construction train, be-
gan to mako love to her he named her
Wakalona, which he thought more
fitting title, inasmuch as she had al
ready been called by Colonel Cody the
Princess of the Platte.
"Wakalona's father, Red Fox, was
one of the bravest of the Pawncc scouts,
and his daughter was naturally some
thing of belle among her people. She
was tall, tawny graceful, willowy and
wild. 1t was long while before Slide,
big, blond and handsome as he was,
could gain the confidence Of the stately
princess. 1t was months before she
would allow him to walk with her, and
even then the feathercd head of jcal-
Gus buck could always be seen pccping
from the high grass and keeping con-
slant watch over tho girl. Wakalona,
like the other women, worked i'll tho
fields when there were any fields to be
worked and at other times made her.
self useful about her fathers tent. Her
mother was dead. She was the only
child her father had, and he was very
proud of her. In battle between tho
Sioux and the Pawnces, near Ogallala,
the Sioux had captured Wakalona and
her father, and Buffalo Bill had rescued
her almost miraculously from four of
their foemen, three of whom they had
slain. After that the Sioux had marked
Red Fox and his daughter as their own,
and many lures had been set to ensnaro
them. At North Platte Red Fox had
planted little field of corn, and it was
here when the sun was low that Slide
used to WOO tho dark eyed Princess of
the Platte. ] used to watch her working
in the field, and when we whistlcd she
would always pause in her labors and
look up to make sure that it was the
whistle of the 49, although she never
looked up for the whistle of any other
engine. / think as she began to lose her
heart to McAlaster that she came to
know the sound even of the bell and the
rattle of the spring hangers ON the old
work engine. Jim was McAlaster' S real
name We called him Slide because he
could never set brake if he used both
hands without twisting it up so tight
that the wheels would slide, so marvel
ously strong were his long, sinewy arms.
When we were coming into the Platte
on summers evening" Slide used to
jump off the engine, where he always
rode, open the switch, close it behind
the caboose and then stroll over into
the little corntield where Wakalona
worked.
Now, she always knew he was COM
ing; but, like her white sisters, she Tx
ed to play that she didn't, and when he
would steal up behind her and catch her
in his arms (if no one was looking) she
would start and shudder as naturally as
country schoolma am.
1--WE went in the ditch one day. Slide
had his ankle sprainod and was Obliged
TO ride in that evening i'll the caboose |
whistlcd, as usual, for the station and
i'll the twilight saw the Indian girl still
working in the field and waiting for the
sweet surprise for which she had learn
ed to wait. AS we pulled in over the
switches l glanced out into the field
again, feeling sorry for Slide and for his
sweetheart us well, put now she was
nowhere to be seen. When we had made
the big brakeman comfortable in the
hospital tent, he signaled me ahead,
and when | bent over him he pulled me
down and whispered 'Wakalona, and
knew what he meant found her IA
ther and told him that the brakeman
had been hurt and asked him to ALLOW
his daughter to see the sufferer in tho
surgeon s tent. Red Fox was much sur
priscd. We had been an hour late com
ing in that evening 1t was now dark
and Wakalona had not been seen by any
of her people since the setting of the
sun. / told the warrior that l had seer
her working in the field as we were
nearing the station, and how when
looked again moment later she wa,
gone.
with a start the brave cheftair
threw up his hands, and then, control
ling himself with a great effort, hC
signed to me and | followed him ou
into the field. The Indian put his fac,
close to the ground and when hC
Strengthened up he looked all about hin
and said, Sioux | brought a white
light from the locomotive and by tn,
light of it the willy Indian made out
THAT two Of the hated tribe had slipped
up behind the helpless girl and seizeC
her and carried her away, Presently h,
brought blade of corn to me and upor
it there was a tiny drop of blood, anC
yet he insisted that his daughter hat
not been killed Later he assured IN,