The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-06

Il flight Tor behind HIM he knew lul wen were
swampy lowlands and over the steep DIVIDES, !
of all his people. He was travelling light rabbits
rifle and few pounds of sun-dred salmon constitute
marvcled that whole people women and children
swiftly had he known the terror that drove them
1t i'll the old days of the Russian occupancy OF a
century had but half its that Nrgore iie'
upon this night by the d-waterS oil
the midnight hour, it bright day rs he passed
camp Many him, all knew him, but few and cold
the greetings he received.
''Ncgore, the Coward he heard llllha,
a young woman, laugh, and Sun-ne his =
sisters daughter, laughed with her
Black anger ate at his heart; but he gave
no sign. threading his way among the camp 4
fires until he came to where sat an old
man. y Young woman kneadng with
skul fingers the tired muscles OF his legs. d
He raised a sightlcss face aud listened in 4
tentlv as cores foot cracked dead twls
Who comes?' he queried III a thin,
Negore . said the Young woman scarcely
looking up from her task
Ncgores face was expressionlesS; For a.
many minutes he stood and waited. The i
old mans head had sunk back upon his <
chest The young woman pressed and prod
dcd the wasted muscles resting her body
on her knees. her bowed head hidden as in
cloud by her black wealth of hair. Ntgore
watched the supple body bending at the
hips as "A vnXs body might bend, plant
as young willow stalk and withal, strong
as only youth is strong. He looked, and aware
of great yearning. akin in sensation to physical hun
ger. Al las. he spoke. saying:
Is there greeting for Negore, who has been
long gone and has but now come back?
She looked up at him with cold eyes. The old man
chucklcd to himself after the manner of the old
Thou my woman, Coma. Negore said, his
tones dominant and conveying hint of menace
She arose with cat-like and sIddenness to her
full height. her eyes flashing her nostris qIivenng
like :: CcerS.
II was thy woman to be- Negore. but thou art
coward; the daughter of Old kinoos mates not with
She senced him with an imperious gesture as he
strove to speak.
cold Kinoos and came among YOU from strange
land Thy people took us in by their fires and made
us warm, asked whence why wandered.
1t their thought that Old kinoos had lost the
sight of his eyes from age; nor did Old kinoos say
otherwise nor did |. his daughter. Old Knoos is a
now, when tell thee of how his blindness to be-
thou wilt know, beyond question. that the daughter
OF Knoos cannot mother the children of coward
such thou art Negore'
Again she sienced the speech that rushed up to his
tongue.
know Negore. if journey be added unto journey
of all thy ourneyings through this land thou wouldst
to the unknown Sitka the Great Salt Sea.
In that place there be many Russian folk, and their
rule is harsh And from Stk e od hnoos , who was
babe in his arms, along the islands in the midst of
the sea. My mother dead tells the tale of his wrong;
a Russian dead with a spear through breast and back,
tells the tale of the vengeance of kinoos.
:" But wherever fled. and however far fled,
always did we find the hated Russian folk. kinoos
eyes: fled on and through the and years,
till to the Great Fog Sea, Negore, of which
thou hast heard, but which thou hast never seen.
We lived among many peoples. and l grew to be a
woman; but Knoos growing old; took to him no other
woman, did | take
"At last to Pastolik, which is where the
Yukon browns itself in the Great Fog Sea. Here we
lived long. the rim of the sea. among people by
whom the Russians well hated But sometimes
they came, these Russians. in great ships and made
the people of Pastolik show them the way through
the islands uncountablc of the many-mouthed Yukon
And sometimes the men they took to show them the
way never came back. till the people became angry
and planned great plan.
$50 when there came ship. Old Knoos stepped
forward and said he would show the way. He was
an old man then and his hair was white but he was