The Red Cloud chief., 1900-03-09
CHAPTER IT.

II happened n fair morning. when
earth and sky seemed all to meet in q
blessed promise OF tranquility and
peace, that Namarah stood in the midst
Of her garden, with n small basket on
her arm. from which she was scat
tering grain to a flock of white doves,
which. fluttering from far and near,
came to her feet and sank down there,
a moving mass OF snowy plumage, from
which her slender figure, clad in spot
less white. rose up like a human ema-
nation from their pure loneliness of
hue and outline. Her face and throat
and hands were pure white, too, and
a look Of deep serenity was upon her.
The sky above seemed not more still
and placid.
She raised her hand and put a few
grains OF the food into her mouth, and
at h motion some of the doves were
frightened and few up, with a whir-
ring noise, only to circle round and
come back again and fall to nodding
and dipping about for the grain at
her feet. Presently one of the flock
few up and alighted on her shoulder,
then another and another. Namarah
opened her red lips and showed the
dark grains held tight between her
little white teeth: at which a pecking
and fluttering began among the three
tame doves, as she would offer her
mouth first to one and then another.
II was evidently a familiar game
which all the participants enjoyed.
Suddenly there was a great whirring
and luttering. and the whole flock flew
wildly off, and were out of sight be-
hind the trees, before Namarah, left
quite alone, perceived the cause OF
their fright. A young man. taller ever
than J%ephthah, her father, but with
the ruddiness Of youth and dawnlng
manhood upon his beardless face, stood
before her, all in shining armor, on
which the moving light danced and
glinted. lie had taken off his helmet,
and sunlight kissed sunlight in the
gold of his thick curls. And, behold.
when Namarah turned and looked at
him, a strange thing came to pass.
Her white cheeks, which no one had
ever seen other than calm and color
less, were all at once suifused with
pink, as IL a rose had been suddenly
placed beneath a piece of fair white
cambria; and In that moment she be-
came n hundred times more beauti-
full than she had ever been before. The
young man colored. too, and bent his
golden head, as she said:
IF this be the maiden, Namarah, thy
Il VNI,LaI hath -~ 4 -.
of thee some pieces of his armor that
he hath need Of"
us he going into a fght?" the maid
en- asked. the rose disappearing from
her cheeks. "Will he not see NE, to
say FAREWELL"
There is, in truth. some danger OF
a fight the young man answered,
for the times are troublous. and a
mighty man like Jephthah must be
ever ready; but his name is great and
terrible, and in going forth to put
down the enemy that hath so suddenly
arisen. ! think the report that thy IA
Their Jephthah leadeth the host will
be enough, and that there will be no
bloodshed. But, maiden" he added,
more gently, seeing that her face
looked still a~ffrighted, Il pray thee
have no fear for the safety OF thy IA
ther. | will even guard his body with
my own" And. as he spoke. he looked
on her and loved her.
Namarah met the look. and the
trouble of her face grew deeper. She
felt the disturbing power Of that quiet
gaze, but all her thought was for hei
father.
Maiden" the young man muir,
INJURED. In a voice that had a softeneC
cadence, already, even today. there
hath been n surprise attack, and you
father hath been in danger; but Il
, please God that l should be near him
to protect him. as I could. and for thii
cause Jephthah, thy father, hath
chosen me to be his armor bearer, 81
: that In future my place will be beside
= him. and | say but the truth when