The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-10-21

stood IT all until one f0y last week,
when ! gave up trying to- down.smy
curiosity, or. as you may call 1t, If you
like, my affection. She was just get
ting ready to depart, as usual, when 1,
said to her:
tPinta. | am going to follow you
today,
Follow me, Masuka, into the
woods?'
Yes, Pinta, I have said it,
.t'Will Masukte tell Pinta what he
will do in the woods?'
"'He will see where Pinta goes,
what she does, how she lives, and per-
haps the old Hoop will tell him his
fortune.
'Masuka, there is death in the air.
Do not follow me-
"'Pinta, there is life in Your eyes,
"'Masuka, there are Indians In the
bushes. They watch for Pinta, they
take care of her.
'Pinta, what is the name you have
given meY
'Masuka, which is the good one.'
Then let Masuka follow, for Pinta
has a secret and / am going to find
out what 1t is
|t7l. ohS NA0oihu, tlG1C j lO HWY
roses for Pinta's hair.
why not. my child?
"hOh, Masuka, there are no more
kisses for the hand that is soft and
kind
Little Pinta, I must know Why
"'Then Masuka must follow me-
Did you ever hear anything like
that in Your life, Hans?
ITO hear the people talk and to read
about these Indians you might sup
pose them to be but one or two de-
grees removed from grubs. Here is
Pinta, however, an Indian child. She
pays a few visits to a convent, she is
shown n picture of the Madonna, she
mixes with a few people in the market.
place, and 10! she is now charming,
intelligent, and something more won
derful still, which I am going to tell
you about.
When She saw there was no help
for it, she picked up her bundle, poised
it gracefully on her head and walked
away down the back streets, past the
wharves and the railroad station, and
then struck into the sandy highway
just beyond the old wooden bridge to
the north of the city. l followed her.
After a while we took to an Indian
path and then headed straight for the
mountains.
Honestly, Hans, as the plot thick
ened, I began to ask myself certain
practical questions, and the answers
were not very fattering either to my
manhood or to my common sense. In
the end l came to the conclusion that
| was n fool, but at the same time |
determined to continue in my curse
of folly.
".At noon Pinta produced some
fruit and some dried meat, on which
we dined. That night I Slept in the hut
of al Indian, perhaps fifteen miles
from the city.
"In the morning Pinta came to the
door and said 'Follow!'
".Pinta, where have you passed the
night?' T asked.
:" In the bushes, Masuka. Pinta
never enters a house, only the hole in
the ground where the grandmother
lives. She is the grandmother because
she found me and saved my life. That
is all
II was getting bewildered. l found
new mystery at every step. The peo-
pie we Glanced to meet acted very
strangely. They all seemed to know
Pinta, but l couldn't understand why
they should take to the bushes at our
approach and give us a wide berth.
j AT the same time they shouted Joy
fully at the girl as if wishing her well,
aud once when / happened to look
back saw some of the wretched half
breeds down on their knees in the
footpath. They appeared to be hunt
ing for Pinta's footmarks, and when
I, they found them they fell to kissing
them, which added to my surprise,
while Pinta seemed unwilling to give
any explanation. So we travelled for
two days, and on the evening of the
lsecond we came to the bank of a river
and found an Indian in a canoe wait
ing for us.
Just how many hours during the
night we padded through the forests
III cannot say. Pinta sat at n end of
the canoe, / at the other, and the H.
like a log for hours. In the morning
when ] looked round I found the ca
noe had been made fast to the bank Of
the river. The Indian was chewing
away at n piece of dried meat, and
Pinta sat at the waters edge, waiting
for me.
1--WE entered the forest, and in a few
minutes came to a kind of clearing,
and then l noticed anumberof misera-
BILE huts or novels scattered here and
there along the bank Of the stream.
1t was n settlement of some kind, but
whether the inhabitants were animals
or human beings l couldn't at first
make out.
was just beginning to wonder
what it all meant when l heard a pro-
longed howl or wall, which seemed to
come from all parts of the settlement.
Then the dreadful truth began to
dawn upon ME. ] stood still and
watched them, but Pinta hurried for
ward, and soon became the center of u
group Of creatures such as I have no
language to describe.
For the most part they were
covered with horrible scabs and sores,
some were tipgerless, some t~oeless,
Others sightless, all of them dread
fully sallow and hairless.
Hans, my boy, IA you imagine Joy
and gladness among such people? 1t
seems incredible, and yet that is just
what I witnessed, but it was the most
painful spectacle I have ever seen.
Little Pinta was the cause of it all.
with her bundle she had brought Joy
and gladness into the ranks of the liv-
ing dead. ] shall never forget the
sights and the sounds, while the
thought of Pinta in the midst Of it all
filed me With amazement and sorrow.
After a while she came out of the
crowd and stood before me at a short
distance. She was trembling, but for
all that she looked strong and brave
and Held her little head up in the air,
as well she might.
"tPinta,' said / what does it all
mean?'
".Masuka,' she replied, 1T is my Sc
lcret. You can now curse me, spit at
me and go home. The Indian waits
for you down at the river. You hear
them bowling "unclean, unclean, keep
away, do o mock u.s." There is
death in the air.
..'Lepers, Pinto? {.
"tMesuka, you have said
and yoii, Pinta, who told you to