The suburban citizen., 1901-01-12
! THE TRAGIC LEGEND
of a Fair
! NEW YORK LAKE.
? ANY years ago a farmer

Jul Sneet 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. II contained simply
a roll of tanned deerskin, upon which
were traced many Indian hieroglyph-
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 a 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;
1t was time when bitter dissension
had come among the tribes Of the Six
Nations, long before the white men
had ventured 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 its only result m 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 heart as the fawn for which
they had named 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 glided out from the misty shadows
Of the lake, and Kayuta leaped lightly
on the shore. The lovers enjoyed Il
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
Sho kept the stolen tryst Her happl-
Aess delighted her warrior father, all
unsusQicious 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.
He discovered all. Returning quickly
20 tue camp he revealed to two trusted
b"ares the presence Of the hated Ka-
yutn. At dawn tho three stole to the
hystlng place. Kuyuta was still lin
gerlng where WGneta 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
-ddy it led them in labyrinthine
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 wont. As she
neared the snore where she had be.
fore been greeted by Kayuta's signal,
the low cry OF the quail, she listened in
vain for 1t, and alarm seized her. But
the signal. AS the soft cry went out
over the water twlS splashcd in the
lake at the side OF Ter canoe, She
knew that this was n warning, and
she drifted nolsclcssly toward the
shore, only TO meet her lover standing
waist deep in the lake. In quick anC
passionate whispcrinSs he told WA
meta that they were watched, and tina
Ne must not seek the old trystinl
sc. He bado her steer her canoe to
the foot Of the lake, and to awai
the shore in the shadow of Z
Psted by lightning, tha'
Rbove the other fores
N. parting with her az
hugh the darkness
and buried it,
Noe a savage
AQdows on the
pushed tht