The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-04-22

lover, robed in the innocence of Eden
Had the fool no sense? 1 caught the
imploring expression of interest on the
girls sweet face behind Madame, ,ard
determined at all hazards they should
not have the laugh at me. I saw it al
then; they were in league with jerome
to play a game OF bait the bear" with
me for bear.
So l pitched in and ang such a song
! warrant as my lords and ladies had
never bent their ears to hear before. a
grooming death incarnation OF the
C%hoctaws. which fell as naturally from
my lips as my own mother tongue.
Their laughter hushed, for e In
the court of France, stated as it was
with novelties. laying a world under
tributes for amusements. that wild,
weird. melody ros before nor
since. One stanZa I sang translated
into French hat they might under
stand:
'Yuh! Listen. Quickly 0 have drawn
near to heGrken;
Listen! Now / Nave come to step over
your soul;
You are of the Wolf Clap;
You name is Ayuni;
Toward the Black Coffin of the upland
In the upland of the D~arkening Land
your oath shall stretch out, &
with the Black Coffin and the Black
Slabs I have come to cover you.
SAAAS y WA ottpi
grow less and dwindle away never to
appear. Listen"
And they did listen; yea, attentively
did they harken, for a great pail of 81
lence lowered upon them. SO new, so
strange to them vas the song.
When I had quite finished, the soft
indian words dropping as the splash Of
unseen waters. Madame be-
sought me with earnestness to tell her
more. and the others crowded round to
hear. l do not know what evil genius
OF folly prompted the childish deed, but
feeling safe in having found what we
wanted. n moved more thar I would
admit by the nov admiring eyes of
the girl. I gathered up half a dozen
daggers from the gentlemen who
stood about. Selecting those whose
weight and balance commended them
selves most to my purpose. l cleared a
space, and having SEN a serving
man for a pack of cards, chose a five
and pinned 1t to a tree. Standing
back some ten to fifteen PAGES, I cast
the four knives at the corner pips in
quick succession, piercing them truly,
then paused a minute and cast the
fifth knife at the center, striking &C
%curately between the other four. 1t
an act of Tide vanity, yet 1 hated
for Jerome to taunt me on the way
home.
BY these petty means I gained a
cheap applause from the bellies and
gallants at Sceaux. and Jerome opened
his lips to jibe me. Is I feared. but
like the rest, applauded.
I had now quite regained my cour-
age, but for the girl. I loved to think
of her as but a girl; that she was, also
. wife I barred out Of u castle in
Why should I be afraid of such
timid child3 Verify. I knew not.
Ny folly had result I could not
then foresee; 1t told some Of those
present. whose hand 1t was that had
cast the hunting knife which struck
Ward. I did not learn this for days
after.
The approving and pleased look on
little lady's face fred me with an
Insane desire to further win her notice.
I chided myself for a vain
coxcomb, and drew im~perceptibly away
from the company. until I gained a
shady and secluded walk which led to
retired nook overlooking the valley.
The Quietude Of the evenings close
on my turbulence OF spirit. For
the first time a woman's voice lin
gered in my ears after her speech was
done, q woman's smile played as tina
1tful's summer lightning before my
eyes. Oh, fool, fool! What place had
women n a soldiers life. What a dis
cordant harmony would one angel Gre
ate amid h rough denizens of Biloxi.
So / reasoned. forgetful that reasons
never yet convinced the heart.