The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-07

over the dam. /. ri Charlie Johnson,
A Fifth Grade ~ ~ 241o Thirty Avenue S.
Seward School,
THE LEGEND OF LUILLOLU.U.4ND
qn Indian Maiden lUiM Magic pouer Droue
.qway the Geebees and Saved Her People.
NILLoW-WAND beautiful maiden, betrothed to a
w young named Kee-Wee Nav. By accident while
at the fishing grounds Willow
with her blind and feeble old grandfather
left Behind by her tribe when departed yearly
migration to the distant hunting grounds great
their plightfor they had getting
mainland betook themselves solitary cave
looking the waters Of lake, they
selves safe from intruders tribes they
supported they could set up signal
that Kee Nav his return could find
them. But day after day went BY and WeeNaw
And the old could neither hunt
by means easy to live ......
One day, when their food very low Wiow-wand
found old bear in the which she wished kill
But the old who knew that bears sometimes human
souls bewitched said mo- there is enough for alp
might a
the girl hungry that night the
her with tales of how he himself had bewtched
and changed into reindeer and how he had
reganed his only with the loss of his until
fell asleep. 49,
Now happened Willow mother Whispering
Birch when she died. had confded the old secret Of
magic wonderful gift possessed by her. and which
would descend her daughter when
womanhood This less than that of bringing
FORTH at her command springs and fountains of water
from the solid rocka miracle that make her
powerful and greatly beloved her people, and to do
her great service. This secret the telling of it,
old Akeewaisee, the girl the second
night Willow still cried with the pain OF
the thirst grandfather carefully
and slowly he let himself the feeling his
to the lake. gathered of its cool water and
turned painfully to mosten her lips. But at the waters
only the louder until suddenly frenzy
stood The had She struck the at
her feet and water and sparkling gushed FORTH and
tckled down. and then tumbed in steady stream to
the lake Then kneeng, she drank Of it, and with
strength And the old man drank of it, and was also
heshed.
That night after they partaken a hearty
longer the few grains of maize and powdered
which they had subsistingand Wiowwand had had
explained her the meaning Of her wonderful the old
Sleep and the girl watching Twice that
day the old shebear had shambed whispered
the word watch" Somehow without establishment Willow
wand listened reality
her mother although she did not know it. So, that
night under the stars sat watching Suddenly light
appeared in the rocks then another,
Whether it that the young girls gift had
given her new sight or that the little she saw moving
really suddenly of the darkness she could
tell But there they werethe Geebees people, with their
dreadful red faces and awful shrek and laughter Then
fore she great
jump ledge another lighting the whole
nrecnice &C would the great sun The Geebees everywhere
dragging their victims the fires and their
habit, hacking and torturing them as they burned
willowwand in her fright and sympathy, would have
but at that moment the old bear
shuf1ed saying only watch So she watched
silently again. her blood freezing
a sudden, in by, there face-she
it, the face of her love- her betrohed! He
with the others the feast! Oh would the
she cried It the heart crying for
its 'Keewee naw"-shew at the edge of
the cliff now-"Kee-wee-nawi -naw!"
Geebees heard her stopped Two wicked little
mps carrying brands of fire. running towards her.
jumping crags wide places like But
had heard and her also, and glad
from him.
Just then the Spirit reminded Willow Of her
gift-the that is given only to wise She
still bound and held the fires Pickering
the two devils clamberng towards
fire in their hands and fire in their Then
monng strength she cried above the din:
Water" she cried, water! water!" And medately the
umbng from all sides down. down into the pits
fell shriekng into the lake. The
FIRES mps that had been dancing round them, dis
appeared Only the splashng of the waters and tho glad
shouts the rescued could be heard.