The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-30
THE cHiPPEWA's LOVE.

| French as Chippewa, and had inherited a
| peculiar admfxture of RACIAL character
| istics- This fact will explain the incl
| dents that are TO. follow He had at
| tended the Indian school on the Odonah
| Reservation. took to his studies with
| avidity and was credited by his teachers
| with remarkable progress. Bur after re-
| turning TO his father. the wild life of the
| woods re-awakened all the Chippewa in
| stincts bequeathed to him by his moth
! er's people and the white part Of his ma
| ture was soon overcome and withdrew
| from the unequal battle. He recognized
1 the fact of his retrogression but was
| content One day. while we were hunt
| ing on the upper branch OF the Mako
| wish. near Auskrat AXE he opened his
/ heart and told me that he liked the
| woods better than the town and that his
| rifle was dearer 10 him than his books
| His confession was freely made; for,
| though there is no Indian blood cours-
| ing through my veins, 1 have developed
a little of the Chippewa nature through
! sheer love Of the wilderness. and he
| knew that I could fully appreciate his
| feelings. As / have said, Alec had drop
| ped naturally into the life OF a half-breed
| trapper and hunter. quite uncousciously
| and before he was aware Of the change.
| The forest and its wild creatures the
| rivers and lakes with their fishes and
| wild-fowl appealed to his impulsive ma
! ture, and his heart answered TO the call.
4 That is about all one can tell of Alec,
and it should suffice as Introductory TO
| my story.
One day, early in October, I met Alec at
the head Of Lake Koswangan and We
| formulated plans for a couple of weeks
outing on the stream below the lake
With our packs in Alec's canoe the run
was easily made by shutdown, hunk of
salt pork and pot of coffee furnished US
our supper; and then We pitched our little
| tent, spread our blankets and slept. Early
next morning We We're in the woods, and
an hour later struck the Koswangan
trail-the pathway that leads 20 civiliza-
ton. a year had passed since either
Alec or myself had traversed this trail,
and we were surprised to discover a cabin
built in the open forest some two miles
from the lake. COW was grazing close
TO the cabin and a number Of ducks
splashed idly in the creek near by. In
the doorway sat 4 girl dressed in the
simple garments of the bacl1woods. her
unbound hair floating idly in the breeze.
She was possibly 10 years of age, the
glow Of health was in her checks, and
her plump form, dark eyes and Iuxlri-
ant brown hair formed a picture that
would attract the eye amid any sur
roundings. Here, framed in, as IL were,
by the dark tree trunks and the autumn
foliage of scarlet, russell and old gold.
twas vision of incompatible lowell
ness Alec and / were DESTROYS of
nearer view and found excuse in a Gu
riosity TO learn something Of the hardy
pioneer who had undertaken to lOcte in
our pet wilderness. Besides, we were
thirsty, and the water from the stream
would taste better If drank from a civil
lied vessel. SO we crossed the little
clearing and made our wishes known. and
the Eirl arose from her seat and brought
a tin cup from the house. conversing
pleasantly with us during the few min
utes that We fingered. Alec watched her
narrowly. but said little. nor did he an
swer when, after our departure, 1 told him
that the girls language told that she
was we'll educated and evidently a com
parative stranger to forest life.
Days passed. and we hunted and trap
ped with good success; but often l would
miss the half-breed for hours at time.
He would be absent from our camp, but
his rife would not be heard in the woods
or along the lake. and the canoe would
lie at rest at the landing. He had
grown unusually thoughtful. and silent
and 1 knew that his Chippewa blood
was flowing swiftly But I noticed that
he would frequently bring our CONVERSE
ton around to the subject of our newly
discovered neighbors and l shrewdly
guessed that his thoughts were constantly
towering around the little cabin and it's
inmates. | said nothing but waited for
the confession that must come at some
time when his white nature was tempo
rarily in the ascendency. 1t was possibly
a week before he degned to he confden-
tial. Then he told me that he had
talked 10 the girl at the cabin, and that
she was nicer than any squaw on the
koswangan Reservation. He said that
he had turned white man again; that he
hack TO nd CT
ard until the time came when he could
return and win the girl for his bride
After that there was no keeping him in
the woods. nor did | try. We padded
back to the head Of the lake. and the
same night Alec hit the trail for the
settlement His rife was left behind.
but he carried bundle of books-and the
picture 'of a girl.
Two years later I entered the Nakowish
country again, footing it through the
timber from Beaver Creek, a distance of
about % miles. I struck Muskrat Lake
and finished my journey in a canoe, pitch
ing my tent at the head of the lake.
Next morning I started over the ridge
to the northward and had not gone far
before l came 10 a shanty. Alec stood in
the doorway cleaning his rife and
Chippewa squaw squatted on the steps
mending torn moccasin. I offered mmy
congratulations and was rendered and
accepted an invitation TO eat supper with
them. The next week I saw the girl at
the cabin at the foot of the lake. She
inquired about the companion Of my
former hunt, and l could detect con-
Stunning interest beneath her assumption
Of unconcern. l told her that Alec was
trapping farther up the lake. but could
not bring myself to enter into particulars.
preferring that she should learn the
truth from other lips. She said sch had
not seen him since he left for the reser-
walton school to become n white man.
Evidently she had had faith in his reso-
lution-a far greater faith than ny own.
for I long ago learned that a drop Of red
blood in ones veins munst, sooner or
later, find its way to the heart and that
when the Chippewa nature asserts itself
It wiz not be dcnied.-Nelson Roberts. in
Sports Afeld.
Ernr,n alr-,iI,l AtI,nti,