The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-04-05

ting ready for the great sun dance"
White Feather was among the squaw
candidates who wanted the honor of pre-
pairing the sacred tongue the sacra-
ment partaken CT by the braves during
the dance. Only squaws of stainless
character and tribal descent are selected
for this honor When White Feather
passed before the assemblage as a can.
didate an old crone jumped to her, feet
and in u cracked voice shrieked: THE
Great Father forbid this. She is nc
Blackfoot, but white squaw. She is not
pare the tongue"
II am but half white" returned White
Feather stoutly t
White squaw, say: all white" snarled
back the crone. I appeal TO the biG
chief
Big Chief nodded his head gravely ovel
the stem of his long pipe and swallowed
cultural ''ughi" After the powwow broke
up White Feather cleaned from him at
last that some passing emigrant had sold
her to Bear Legg.ns and his squaw for
ten s,onies.
Gossip of the Village.
OF course the revelation of the old crone
was gossiped about the village Among
others Husson heard 1t and hurriedly
hunted up the girl. He was able to add
another chapter to the story.
II admit 1t was my father who did 1t,
he confessed bluntly. "But he had to. I've
been hunting you up for nearly year
trying to straighten the thing out. I've
seen you before in my trading trips here,
but never guessed who you were.
didn't know till my father died last year,
and he told me the story
And Is that the only reason you've
hunted me up?" demanded White
Feather, shrewdly.
"Well,' admitted Husson, with bit of
hang-dog hesitancy :" might as we'll tell
you there's little land your father left
when he died six years ago. 1t lies next
ours; it don't amount to much, and I'll
give you 500 for it,
Tell me about how came to be sold
first said the girl
Then Husson went on to recount that
some seventeen years before his own
father and her father, James Burke, had
determined to give up farming In western
Kansas and try stock raising in eastern
Oregon. When the time came to leave
Kansas Burke had not quite sold all his
possessions and he thought 1t best not to
leave until he had closed out. The Hus-
sons were ready and offered to take hif
little girl in the wagons with them. Burke
considered 1t an especially good chance
for little Alice to make the trip in COM
pany with woman. 80 he sent her along.
And why did he trade me to the
Blackfeet?' demanded the girl.
Husson hesitated.
"Well,'' he finally answered, my father
had nine children of his own to look after.
He had bad luck on the trip and it cost
him great deal more than he'd figured
on, and he needed ponies. Besides, he
thought you'd be In good hands till he
could get you b4ck before your father
came out here. But luck went hard
against him for ? long time, and when
your father came here from Kansas my
father had to tell him you d died on the
way. It's come out all right, anyway,
hasn't it? You're alive and well. and
here I'm hunting you up to tell you all
about it and offer you 500 for quit
claim deed to your holding next to our
ranch. Will you take it?''
The Fortune Assured.
"I'll think about 1t and let you know In
1 week." was the answer White Feather
knew that John Fleetwing would be back
from Carlisle before the week was out
and he would advise her in this extraordi-
nary situation in the new turn in her af-
rairs.
She met Fleetwing almost as soon as he
rode into the village. His advice was to
refuse Husson's proposition Fleetwing
said he'd look into the matter himself.
aG did, and he discovered that the land
alone was worth some $4,000, besides the
value of the horses and cattle which were
OH 1t when her father died. and which the
Illusions had taken summary possession
| of. AS soon as White Feathers or rather
Alice Burke's claims to the estate were
hled suits were at once begun against the
Illusions which brought to light this
strange story Of her life among the Black.
feet Indians. Now that her claims are in
/ fair way Of being satisfactorily settled
it is said that she is going to take the
advice OF the chief and marry one Of his
Graves She is going to become Mrs. John
| Flcetwin-.