The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-03-15

fortnight, $and Sherman Thrupes paid into
the Golfers of the Red Ant tavern another
two weeks board and lodging bill. He
then invited Miss Polly to accompany
aim to the river on "a fishing trip Polly
toyly refused, stating that she was ex.
pecting party Of friends up from Rene
Ind consequently must remain at home to
receive them. She gaze Sherman ex-
lltcit directions to the best fishing holes
However. and this piquant girl was &C.
aually glad that her cavalier would not be
1t the tavern when all those seminary
girls arrived. for Miss Applide had hat re-
Gently discovered twinge of jealousy IN
her makeup.
| The day was excessively warm: Sher-s
man Thrupes, after walking mile or SO.
along the banks of the murmuring True
| kee, became fatigued and hot A limpid
pool, willow fringed and secluded, tempt.
ed him, and having been an expert swim
mer in his boyisl days he disrobed and.
plunged into the cooling water where he
found it SO comfortable that he disported
| himself for upward of an hour.
Sherman Thrupes wasn't the only per-
son fishing along the Trlckee liver that
| summers day; nor could he claim, the
distinction of being the only game-lesged
man in the vicinity. No, indeed; for Pin
gle, the Piute,i stumped along the trail
| by the river this sweltering day. Pingle
| was III ugly mood and his troubles
| took on. gigantic proportions as he strobe
! farther and farther away from the SUM
mer village of his tribesmen, situated on
| a sandy plateau a mile back of the Red
| Ant tavern There, in the village all the
braves We're eagerly preparing for the
annual sun dance, which was scheduled
! for that very afternoon. Poor Pingle-
| ne recalled the big dance of last year.
! Was he not the prize performer of the
young bucks? Did he not dance longer.
stronger and more expertly than all OF
| the hundred contestants? To~be sure he
| did. Now behon him! His right leg cut
| off near the thigh. and "a brass-tipped
! peg In place OF the muscular limb of q
| year ago. ~ So .lsF f~r-.l -=..s :
| Pingle felt almost driver tc tear up the
| nearby railroad track and wreck train
! or two as a partial revenge for the acct
| dent which separat ted him from his good
| ly right leg.E Free rides on the Southern
! Pacific companN's blind baggage cars
| proved his undoing. Ana being but a
| measly Piute, who had taken advantage
/ Of innumerable gratis Transportation
| hither and yon, the Southern Pacific COM
,pany. ignored his carelessness In getting
| run over, and instead of synlpathizing
with him In his sore distress, warned
him to beware in the future OF the iron
horse" s--c.&
| Never did Piute Pingle bemoan his fate
so bitterly as upon this day Of the heap
| big poWwow and sun-dance. What fig
! urc he would cut in breechcloth, war
| paint and understanding else-dancing
about on one sturdy leg and a -spindling.
| contemplate, brass Slipped peg! ugh
| There was more surprise In this grunt
| than animosity. Pingle stood still; his
| eye fastened upon a hesh-pink object ~
ing upon q neat pile of garments. Save
color, the thing resembled, for all the
| world, his lost lin b! 3, It twas a marvel of
beauty; an object no sooner seen than
COY e.xu by this Pluto Indian, whose
mood was vicious and whose desire for
| a good right leg was great on this par
lticulars day. Temptation is not easily
|oVercon1e by an Indian4-Ping1e had q
natural propensity for anneXing articles
| that struck his fancy, and he, above all
Indians, could not be. expected to keep
| the eighth commandment in this trying
| instance. 10 s-.- 20. 80
AS Sherman Thrupes drew himself over
| the messy bank of the river he espied
| the back of Indian vanishing among
| the THICK willows. He hoped hastily
| over to his clothes-his garments We're
| intact; but. oh. what an anguished CRY
| rang out! Shernlan's left hg collapsed
and he sank to the ground. The mental
! shock sustained in losing his made to-
order limb was greater than the physical
pain suffered at the time of the yellow
Jacket disaster. Thrlpes was simply
stunned; he tried to yell stop eethief"
but the words stuck in his throat. Not
| until five 3ong minutes did he regain self
control: then he dressed himself. sought
out 4 heavy willow, and laboriously fol-
| lowed the trail Of the dastardly redskir
who had ,ilched his priceless cork leg.
In the meantime. Poi!y.s company had
taken possession Of the Red Ant tavern
| and picnic grounds. The entire feminre
| corps Of professors, Instructors and
| gushing pupils from the seminary
l iy on pleasure bent were they, for a vast
! amount Of interest had recently been
aroused in this Institution anent the IN
dian question. Rumors of the elaborate
sun-dance reached the lady principals
ears, and she Immediately planned to give
! her bevy of girls IN opportunity to behold
the barbaric festivities of genuine IN
! dian powWow and dance.
Polly. though rot deigning to notice the
faculty, rapturously welcomed her semin-
| airy 5cllun1s. They. IN turn. inquired after
i the lovely gentleman friend, and Miss
kApplide bl,1shingly stammered that he
| had gone fishing. Well-laid plans of de-
/ corous fiirtations being shattered the
girls turned their attention to the COM
| ing indian fandangc. & ID
The Episcopal minister and staid friend
] Of his accompanied the tinid but enthu-
siastic womenfolk as a bodyguard. A
half hour jaunt brought the party within
the limits of the Piutes' wfckiup village
The sun glared down fercely on the
| 1imsY campoodies pitched on the arid,
sage-brush plateau A plot Of ground
! had been cleared of brush and stones,
| sprinkled. and hard-packed for the dane
ers. Gaudily-garbed squaws, pudgy,
bronzed papooses, and yelping dogs en-.
| iyened the scene, and gave it a de-
! cfdedlv barharic coloring Concealed
1 tom-tons beat a monotonous measure
! and the braves who We're not to partici-
pate in the function formed dignified
/ circle about the prepared ground.
i Six grntesauely attired medicine men
/ issued from a Wicl1iup. stared wisely at
the snll for a few minutes, then stalked
| TOWARD, the center of the circle and went
/ through the strange and impressive pre-
/ liminary rituals. q signal was given,
the toni toms ratified loudly a patter of
i bare feet, and from the nearest wickiupsA
i dashed half hundred braves; breech-s
cloths and head-featl,ers comprised their
i only garb, save the lavish coat of Oil.
4 that made their bodies as glistening cop-
i per- and the paint which splotched their
Efaces. -
/ Voices, feet and gesturing were in per-
i feet rhyI h..l to the beat Of the tom-toms
i Che medicine men sent UP invocations.
i to the sSsn. passed in. among the dancing
i tbraNes. and chanted a weird song. Sud-
i denly the sauaws began to wall; quicker
i played the musicians. faster moved the
i dancers, and the spectacle became wild.
! barharic, nadly fascinating. Sweat trio
i }lled from every pore of the reddish
i brown bodies. their muscles quiv cred and
/ fiistended, but more eagerly they leaped
and bounded in fantastic evolutions, and
i more furious Waxed the uproarsof chant
i and wall and tonl-tom.
i The pale-faced squaws were thrilled.
i Through and through; frightened vet ir-.
Iresistably drawn forward; awed into ST.
Hence by the display Of savage a bandon.