Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10
WHITE SPIRIT.

Violet was child of the mountains. Her
mother had been brought an invalid from
luxurious home in the east with hope
that the mountain air would restore the
fading life. Baby Violet was too small to
understand 1t all, and when she was left an
orphan 1T was her sunny nature gave the
srlef-stricken father his only comfort He
mad not the heart to go back to his home
mere they lived with one servant. at the
root OF a canyon in the Rocky mountains
Ana that was the only home Violet had
ever known. In summer she lived almost
entirely out of doors. When she was two
years old she began to make little run
away trips among the trees and along the
small brook that babbIed down the canyon.
On one of these little escapades she tod
dled so far that she grew weary and lay
down In grassy spot to Sleep Here an
ola indian found her. He was an Apache
and warrior, and none too friendly to the
pale faces Why should he not jump at
chance like this to do them an injury? He
could carry off the little one: who would
De any wiser? He sat down to think of it
ana TO watch. One baby hand clasped
some flowers 1t had gathered; the other
lay with fingers partly spread over the
eyes. as If she might be playing peep with
the birds among the treetops. Such a pic
ture old Wa-bo had never seen before 1t
Is not likely that his stern face showed any
of his emotions. but even an Apache war
rior could hardly think evil in such pres
ence.
one thing is certain--when Violet opened
her eyes and showed no more surprise than
If she had seen her father sitting there
the War-Scarred Apache was amazed. He
held his hands toward her and she ran
to him, giving him her own chubby hands
WIN laugh, and showing him the flowers
Wa-bo took her up in his arms and
DarI,o
her father was ten miles away, in the set
tiement, and would not be home until
night. Perhaps he tried not to think at
all. Anyway, Violet seemed pleased. and
chattered away in her own fashion to her
dusky, new-found friend
In spite of himself Wa-bo did think He
pictured to himself the sadness of the little
ones father when he should return and
find she was gone 1t was already late
afternoon and the warrior had placed at
least three miles between himself and the
white mans cabin. arguing to himself all
the while that it was good fortune and NOT
any wrong intention that had thrown the
child in his way.
Violet kept laughing and cooling and at
last began to say papa" Then Wa-bo's
heart was touched He turned suuarely
about and started down the canyon yes,
little blue-eyeS," he said, I'VE find papa"
They did find him, almost frantic, search
ing up and down the little mountain stream
With gratitude his lips and still more
in his heart. he took his baby from the
old warrior. Wa-bo did not stop to ex-
plain, but stalked away up the canyon All
he said was, me come again. No hurt
Blue Eyes"
Wa-bo kept his word He came again.
All the years that Violet was growing up,
the happy. beautiful child of the noun
tains, Wa-bo was an occasional visitor at
the cabin. always bringing some trinket
to please his little Blue Eyes, as he had
named her. He brought her bows and
arrows and taught her how to shoot with
the skill of an Indian, He showed her how
to weave, and how to arrange the beads
and how to make baskets More than all,
though many an uprising brought danger
and even injury to the white mountaineers.
the cabin where Violet and her father lived
was always passed by
But Wa-bo grew old. Finally his visits
ceased, and Violet rightly guessed that her
old friend was gone. How she missed
him. There came a feeling, too, that they
were less secure than they had been Her
father had presented her with f1eet-footed
bronco, black as the thunder clouds that
sometimes rolled over the mountains and
shook the canyon from end to end. Violet
often rode to the village now with her
father, and there she heard that there was
great discomfort and uneasiness among the
Apaches far up the canyon.
One afternoon she returned alone, and it
was dusk before she reached the cabin.
Her father would not be home until mid
night She had noticed an unusual smoke
up the mountain side and had wondered at
its meaning But the clouds were gather
ing as If for one of those hard. though
brief showers. so Violet stabbed her
bronco and entered the cabin. Her long
ride and the evening meal did not bring her
the usual restful calm. She felt oppressed
Going out into the night she saw that the
spiral of smoke on the mountain was now
tongue of flame. 1t blazed like a beacon
light. Once before Violet had seen 1t. when
Wa-bo was yet alive, and he had told her
it was the signal for battle.
So the villages had good reasons for their
fear. She must warn them without delay.
Even then, she thought. the valley might
be swarming with them. Her warning
might come too late. If this was the night