The suburban citizen., 1900-12-29

full sheet of water on the
summit of the once pine-clad hills Of
Schuyler County. New York, turned
up with his plow a human skeleton, a
flint tomahawk and a sealed earthen
Jar The bones crumbled away to
dust upon exposure to the air. The
jar was opened 1t contained simply
a roll Of tanned deerskin, upon which
were traced many Indian hleroglyph-
les. At that time an aged Indian,
relic Of the tribe of the great Red
jacket, whose birthplace was but a
few miles from the lake, still dwelt
in that vicinity. The scroll of deer
skin was placed before this old abort
gine, and from its mysterious tracing
he translated 4 most dramatic story
Of Indian love and tragedy. In plain
words, as it is preserved in the folk
lore Of that romantic vicinage, the le-
gend Is thus:
It was n time when bitter dissension
had come among the tribes Of the Six
Nations, long before the white men
had yentured that far into the New
York wilderness. a council of the
tribes had been called and Mahtoree,
a great Seneca chief, was present with
his immediate followers and his house
hold. among them his daughter Wa
meta, the Startled Fawn. Kayuta, the
Strong Arm, a brave young chief of a
rival clan, hated Mahtoree, saw Wa
meta and loved her. She met him in
secret, and when the council was
ended, with it's only result IN armed
truce that might at any moment break
into bloody strife, she returned with
her father TO his lakeside camp sad
at heart at parting with Kayuta, her
lover and her fathers foe. She pined
and faded, and her tribe was bewil-
dcred, for Waneta had ever been as
light Of Leart as the fawn for which
they had pamed her.
At the time Of the green corn dance,
when Mahtoree and his braves were
merry ty the camp fires, Waneta drew
apart one night and sat sadly musing
by the waters edge. Suddenly a ca
noe gllded out from the misty shadows
Of the lake, and Kayuta leaped lightly
on the shore. The lovers enjoyed n
moments sweet communion; a tryst-
ing place was agreed upon, and the
dusky wooer returned to his canoe and
disappeared. Waneta rejoined her
companions, and the wonder was great
among them at the sudden return to
joyousness Of the sorrowing Indian
maiden.
The next night Waneta stole silently
away, and sped in her light canoe
across the lake to join the eager and
waiting Kayuta. Night after night
she kept the stolen tryst. Her happi-
aess delighted her warrior father all
unNsoicious Of its cause and the tribe
wondered Only Weutha suspected
Weutha, the Weasel, who also loved
Waneta. One night he trailed like n
shadow the maiden as she gilded in
her. canoe to meet her hiding lover.
Hc discovered all. Returning quickly
to tue camp he revealed to two trusted
b"ares the presence of the hated Ka-
yuta. At dawn the three stole to the
trystlng place. Kayuta was still lin.
gerlng where Waneta had left him.
His quick car detected the approach
OF foes, and he disappeared in the for
est as Weutha and his followers crept
to the spot. They found the trail Of
Tie flying Kayuta and followed it. All
day it led them in labyrnthine
course, and at last, within sight Of
their very camp fires, it was lost.
Wancta, ignorant of the fact that
her secret was known to any Of the
tribe, and that her lovers life was
hunted. stole toward the trysting place
that night, as was her won't As she
neared the snore where she had be-
fore been greeted by Kayutas signal,
the low cry OF the quail, she listened in
vain for it, and alarm seized her But
she yentured TO give her answer to
the signal. As the soft cry went out
over the water a twlS splashcd in the
lake at the side OF Ter canoe. She
knew that tnls was n warning, and
she drifted nolsclcssly toward the
shore, only to meet her lover standing
waist deep in the lake. In quick and
passionate whispcrinss he told Wa
meta that they were watched, and that
she inuat not seek the old trysting
place. lie bado her steer her canoe to.
wardtho foot Of the lake, and to await
him on the shore in the shadow Of a
tall pine, blasted by lightning, that
lowered far above the other forest
trees. AS he was parting with her an
arrow whizzcd through the darkness
gra2ed Kayuta's side ana buried its
head IN Waneta's canoe, a savage
whoop came from the shadows on the
shore. Kayuta quickly pushed thu