River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-07-25
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

iUluSuinHeG lONe FEAST. III was q
country fair, camp meeting, an ath-
lctic meet, a knights Templar con-
clave and Monte Carlo fused in one
and poured into a picnic mold For
assembly room and banqueting hall
they had a sandy plain on the first
standard parallel of latitude, not far
from the confluence of the Snake
and Columbia. 1t was walled by the
horizon, rooted by a sapphire vault
and festooned at night with innumer-
able scintillant sparks, to account for
whose origin and destiny the Indian
does not lie awake at nights, though
he has his explanations of such mat
ters, too.
The sportivcly-inclined braves of
the three tribcs-and what Indian is
not sportive?-had come to the meet,
bringing their ponies and blankets,
their fine baskets, their trinkets and
pelf and, incidentally, their squaws
and papooses. Your Indian is a reso-
Lutte player and a good loser; games
of hazard are his inborn racial pas
sion, to which he dcvotes himself
with all the ardor he erstwhiIe dis
played in war and the chase. He has
n fayorite game which the pale faces
call Indian poker, and such of them
rs have mastered its intricacies say
ii is quite as efficient as the white
variety.
And now, after three days of play,
the loot was stacked up in heaps on
the Nez Perez side The Umatillas
and the Yakimls had not pony. a
blanket, a valuable of any kind left
them-scarcely battered tin to boil
water in. The fun was over, there
was nothing left to do but to break
up the conclave and return whence
they came. But among the Yallimas
was one young man, Homework by
name, who was not as good a loser as
the others; when he looked over at
his two fleet ponies, with headstalls
and bride reins of braided horse
hair, his finely woven baskets,
worth much money in the marts OF
the curio hunters, his thick blankets,
mis- beaded belts and moccasns, his
trusty knife, his heart rebeled within
him. He strobe up TO Blue Heron
the Nez Perez, who had been his prin
'cipal opponent, and said to him.
'One game between ns two only
will stake my squaw against all you
have won from me"
Blue Heron laughed. He was a tall,
.straight-limbed. devil-may-care fell
low, fresh from a morning plunge in
the creek, and groomcd to the very
perfection of an Indian toilet. "'The
Nez Perces have plenty of girls" he
replied 81 had rather have the
ponies
Coward" sneered Homework.
''You refuse a challenged"
"Neyer!" said Blue Heron But
what kind of a squaw is it that you
think to put up against two ponies
and two blankets and baskets and
bead work? l never saw one worth
so much"
There she is, standing among
those women. The one with her hair
unbound She is angry because /
made her give me the strings of beads
and silver pieces she had braided in
with it,"
''IIuh!" said Blue Heron, surveying
the young woman, critically. "She
has a temper"
Sometimes" admitted Homework.
"But she is strong and a good cook;
and very pretty"
well | agree" said Blue Heron.
The Nez Perez brought one of his
Stately won blankets and spread it in
a convenient spot, homework pro-
duced deck of cards, and the two
sat down. News Of the wager rapidly
spread throughout the camp, and the
players were quickly surrounded by
"A triple ring of deeply interested spec
Eators,
Either from n malicious desire TO
torment his opponent, or from wish
TO prolong the excitement of the
game. Blue Heron chose an original
method of wage ring. "The pinto
pony against her head" said he. as he
sat down opposite Homework. lie
won the head.
The buckskin pony against her
heart" said Blue Heron, winking
grovely at bystander opposite him.
lie lost the heart and the buckskin
pony Homework laughed iubilautly,
and 4 wave of excitement ran through
the crowd, which then settled into a
breathlcss silence to watch the result
of the next wager.
This blanket against her hands"
said Blue Heron. lie won the hands.
''lhe other blanket against her feet,
said Blue Heron. He won the feet
BY this time dense throng sur
rounded the contestants. \ spokes-
man in the foremost rank commune
Gated the result of each play in gut
teral undertone to the man behind
him, who passed il back until it
reached the outermost ring of women
and girls, where much suppressed
conversation aud giggling were going
on.
THE buckskin pony against bel
head" said Homework. Al this point
there was some connection among
the spectators. A sturdily built ole
Indian was forcing his way toward