The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-03-24
A Romance of -.
=. the Reservation.


THE tepees had been pitched along
Willow creek since the winter
camp had been broken up. Now it was
well past spring, and under the genial
influences of the season Little Porcu-
pine and Sideways were going
wickiya. Other of the young men were
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 squat of stature, but her eyes were
large, liquid and black as young does
and her clear, saffron skin as smooth
and glossy as cottonwood leaf. The
thick braid of hair fell from either side
of the bright streak of vermilion that
divided her scalp, and her mouth was
an aboriginal poets dream. Individual
ly, therefore, these young men we're 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.
Takowakan was the fond, male and
only parent of Lark-that-Sings. He
had a marked preference for Runs
Sideways as sutton 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
it 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 a model character.
None could say with certainty that he
was thief, but no one of the tribe
doubted it. A remarkable talent for
making the thing that was not as the
thing that was made him valuable
witness, and he was better known in
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-
vided with unlimited cigarettes, with
,;n%,, ~,
AS for Runs-Sideways, he, while not
prepossessing, was phenomenally truth
full for an Indian, and quite unsuspect-
ing of mendacity in others. He was in
dustrious and never returned from the
chase empty-handed. The taste of
agency whisky was unknown to him,
and in other respects his morals were
above reproach.
In spite of all this, when the maid
ems took their vessels, and, chattering
and giggling, wended their way to the
creek for water, Lark -that-Sings paid
no attention when s-Sideways
plucked her by the blanket; but when,
a little further on, Little Porcupine
stepped from the willows by the trail
and did the same thing, she unhesitat-
ingly broke ranks. And when Runs
Sideways brought four of his eight
ponies and tied them by the Takowa-
kan domicile, the maiden would not un-
tile them, although her father entreated
her earnestly-at the last, with the
hickory rod aforesaid-to do so. For
the tying of the ponies was a definite
proposal of marriage, and the untying
would have been an acceptance.
: Three days after this occurrence an
emigrant wagon, drawn by a mich cow
and two-year-old steer, rolled toll
somely into Fort Randall, and the
dusty pioneers who were with the out
fit explained with much fervent pro-
family that their team of horses and
two good saddle ponies had been stolen
from them two nights before. A
posse was at once organized to ride
back and see what could be done to
trace the robbers. A good-looking and
intelligent young Indian, whom the
post trader addressed as Little Porcu
pine offered his services as trailer for
the modest compensation of two dol
lars per diem and rations, and his offer
was accepted.
Back over the prairie they sped, and
soon arrived at the camping place
where the horses were stolen. Here
Little Porcupine quickly found the
trail, although it had rained since and
was quite imperceptible to the rest of
the party. With more than the sagac-
;ity of a bloodhound he followed the
trail for two whole days., through
bunch grass and'pricllly pear beds and
along dim buffalo paths until, near the
mouth of a deep canyon running west
ward, he confessed that he had lost it.
He said that the tracks were those of
two mounted men, leading four horses,
one of them lame in the left hind foot
and the other little sore-footed. This
convinced the emigrants that they had
q good trailer, for two of their horses
were in the condition described. But,
after oil, that was not much satisfac-
ton. &;.5
There was a buzz Of excitement in
the village on the banks Of Willow creek
when Little Porcupine rode up to Tako-
- ~ & 4s.. Ii