Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-01-13

want to jump and leap with you.
long to be happy as you are" said he.
The young fawns stopped with stiff
legs and stared at the speaking arrow
with large brown wondering eyes.
See! / can jump as well as you'll"
went on Iktomi. He gave one tiny
leap like fawn. All of sudden the
fawns snorted with extended nostrils
at what they beheld. There among
them stood Iktomi in brown buck
skins, and the strange talking arrow
was gone.
"Oh l am myself. My old self"
cried Iktomi. pinching himself and
plucking imaginary pieces out OF his
jacket.
"Hin-hin-hinl I wanted to fiy!"
The real arrow now returned to the
earth. He alighted very near Iktomi.
From the high sky he had seen the
fawns playing on the green. He had
seen Iktomi make his one leap, and
the charm was broken. Iktomi be-
came his former self.
Arrow, my friend, change me once
more." begged Iktomi.
mo, no more" replied the arrow
Then away he shot through the air
in the direction his comrades had
flown
BY this time the fawns gathered
close around Iktomi. They poked their
noses at him trying to know who he
was.
Iktomi's tears were like a spring
shower A new desire dried them
quickly away. Stepping boldly to the
largest fawn, he looked closely at the
little brown spots all over the furry
face.
''Oh, fawni What beautiful brown
spots on your face! Fawn, dear little
fawn, can you tell me how those brown
spots were made on your face?"
''Yes," said the fawn. when | was
very, very small, my mother marked
them on my face with red hot fire.
She dug a large hole in the ground
and made soft bed of grass and
twigs in it. Then she placed me gent
ly there. She covered me over with
dry sweet grass and piled dry cedars
on top. From a neighbours fire she
brought hither a red hot ember. This
she tucked carefully in at my head.
This is how the brown spots were
made on my face"
Nov, fawn, my dear friend, will
you do the same for me? Won't you
mark my face with brown. brown
spots just like yours? ?" asked Iktomi,
always eager to be like other people.
Yes: l can dig the ground and fill
it with dry grass and sticks. If you
will jump into the pit, I"ll cover, you
with sweet smelling grass and cedar
wood" answered the fawn.
"Say," interrupted Iktomi, twill you
be sure to cover me with a great deal
of dry grass and twigs? You will
make sure that the spots will be as
brown as those you wear"
''Oh, yes. I'll pile up grass and
willows once oftener than my mother
did"
Now let us dig the hole, pull the
grass anu gather StlChS, CIleu lkIOHll
in glee.
Thus with his own hands he aids in
making his grave. After the hole was
dug and cushioned with grass, Iktomi,
muttering something about brown
spots, leaped down into it. Length
wise, fiat on his back, he lay. While
the fawn covered him over with &C.
dars, faraway voice came up through
them. Brown, brown spots to wear
forever" A red ember was tucked
under the dry grass. Off scampered the
fawns after their mothers; and when a
great distance away they looked back
ward. They saw blue smoke rising,
writhing upward till it vanished in
the blue ether.
rs that Iktomi's spirit?" asked one
fawn of another.
mo, | think he would jump out be-
fore he could burn into smoke and
cinders,' answered his comrade.-
Bitkala Sa in New York Globe.