Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1900-08-23
NOwITA, SWEET SINGER.
A Romantic Tradition OF The
Spavinaw Hills.

AfNNhAohON " wv oBot mug Whtoio
Of the many springs in that local
ity, It winds like a shining thread
Of crystal through tn narrow
valleys between the hills which
bear its name; curving its way by
circuitous route as if reluctant TO
leave it's native hills, the murmar
Of whose pines chant a tuneful ac-
compartment 10 the music Of it's
waters. Nestled among these hills,
aud within these valleys are the
homes Of many OF the fullblood
Cherokees, who seek the seolusion
and quiet Of the forests in prefer
ence to the open prairies, dotted
with farms and towns and ira
versed by railroads. These little
Indian cabins are scarcely less
difficult to locate than are the
haunts Of the deer. Secluded in
the summer by the luxuriant foli-
age Of the forest trees, the unfa.
miliar traveller might well imagine
by the whispering Of the pines,
that this is the forest primeval. I"
In one Of the most picturesque
spots Of this section Of the country
stands a lonely Indian cabin which
possesses more than ordinary in.
terest to the stranger, for all the
world loves a romance as well as a
lover Tall pines and moss grown
rocks shelter the building from the
gaze of the intruder. Fate seems
to have chosen this site as a fit
Getting for the gem Of romance
that has made this cabin an OBJ.
ject Of interest and curiosity. 1t
was once the horne of a young In.
dian girl, the heroine Of a ro-
nance that had it's origin in the
national high schools Of the Cher
okee nation, which are located at
Tahlequah, the national capitol.
'Tis the pathetic story Of Nowita,
a sweet singing Cherokee maiden,
pupil in the female seminary
and a young professor from the
east, who taught in the male sem.
mary. The male and female sem.
inaries we're originally situated
three miles from the town of Tah.
lequah, and separated from each
other by the same distance Of lone
ly prairie, lonely in the winter
when the unbroken landscape lay
bleak and colorless, but beautiful
in the summer when you might
gaze as far as eye could reach over
the green pillows Of waving grass,
frightened with the variegated
hues Of many wild flowers, away
in the distance to the purple line
Of the Boston aud Ozark noun
tains: II was an old custom years
ago, at the female seminary, to
give a reception to the teachers
and pupils Of the male seminary
once every quarter, and every
year, on the seventh day Of May,
the anniversary of the founding Of
the two schools, was celebrated by
a picnic upon the beautiful banks
Of the winding Illinois, three
miles away. Thus il came about
that Nowita, the sweet singer sang
ballads in her own native tongue
to the pale faced stranger on "re-
ception days" and on May day
picnics they wandered side by side
down the lovely stream, allured
from the society of the others by
the music Of its waters, gathering
the spring violets as they went,
which they afterward made into a
wreath for Nowita's dusky braids,
all unconsciously weaving a bleed.
ing heart among the purple blos-
SONS, for the little Indian maid
had learned the language of'love"
more rapidly than she had ac-
quired English, though unusually
bright and advanced for her age
and environments, her broken SEN
tences and quaint expressions
amused and charmed her admirer
as much as the musical cadences
OF her voice. So time went by and
the young man realized that he
welcomed with an undefnabls
eagerness every opportunity that
threw him in the society Of the
young Indian girl, and noted, too,
that her dark eyes usually so Sc
rene and melancholy shOne with a
happy lustre in his presence, and
he found a vague and pathetic
pleasure in the thought that the
school days were almost over and
that their fnal parting Was near.
But fate, that with cruel and re.
lentless hand had brought to-
gether these two young people SO
1issimilar by environments and
decreed that one Of
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