The Topeka state journal., 1905-12-24
THE STOLEN sun.
An INDIAN New Year story.

Once upon a time there was an IN
dian who was called Sap1ing. He was
not exactly an Indian not yet was he
a young tree, but something between
the TWO, and he was a great traveller,
which most saplingS are not
One day late in December when Sap
ling came home from a journey he
found that an old woman, assisted by
creature named Flint, had stolen the
sun and carried it across the water to
the eastward, to an island, leaving it
all dark where the Indians lived.
Sapling bore the dark for three days
and then he said: i will go and bring
back the sun Who will 90 with me %
Otter, Kingtisher, Fox, Raccoons
Beaver, and YelloWhammer all spoke
up promptly and said in chorus: I'VE
dering about in the dark" The truth
is they were all a little afraid in the
dark, but they were ashamed to admit
that they were so foolish.
We must have canoe" SAID sap
/ ling: s.Who viii make the canoe 2?
II will,'f said the Beaver.
''And viii help" said YellowhaEn-
So they went to work at the canoe,
Sapling ali the time saying; DO hurry
4 up.'' until they told him they would
stop work If he did not let them alone
When the canoe was finished, they
all got in, with Beaver and Otter steer
/ ing, and the rest padding, and went
/
/ ters, until they approached the island
4 where the sun was, and saw the light
tappearing over the waves.
It was a good and pleasant sight.
/ When they approached the island
| they saw that it was covered with re-
markably tall trees, many Of which
stood close down BY the edge OF the Wa
1 ter with their branches dropping over
1 until they touched the waves.
When the canoe came to the tree
tops tht dipped into the water they
| stopped and there, away up in & tall
tree near the center of the island, they
saw the sun tangled in the highest
! branches.
"Who will go up and unfasten the
| sun from its bonds, yondsr Ia the tree
| top?" said Sapling.
Kingfsher and Fox both volunteered
to try it, and Kingfisher went along
through the branches from tree to tree.
high above the ground, with ease
straight to where the sun was. But
Fox could not do anything except run
along the ground. So he ran, following
| the course of Kinghsher.
When Kinghsher came to the sun he
found that it was tied to the branches
| with a, stout string, but he severed this
| with his teeth and threw the sun down
to Fox, who was waiting right below
Fox grabbed the sun and started
to run with it. but the old woman ane
Finn came out of the bush and ran sc
Il
keep ahead Of them.
/ He threw the sun back to Kingfsher
who was rapidly passing through tbs
branches overhead, keeping pace with
Fox's running.
with It. Then the old woman and
Flint climbed up the trees and begaT
to pass rapidly through the branches
until they came up with KinghsheF. A
that he threw the sun down to Fox.
The pursuing pair descended and rax
after Fox, whereupon Fox threw tbs
sun back to Kngfisher.
And so they had it all across -thg
island, until finally Kingfsher, with tbs
sun in his arms climbed down ths
dropping branches of the trees into tbs
canoe, and Fox tumbled in at the sans
time. The others at once pulled away
from the shore.
Then the Flint, coming to the edge oi
| the water cried to each of the occu
pants of the canoe in turn, calling then
by name, and begging them to bring
? back the sun.
: None of them made any reply. except
/ Otter, who said; ooh, we'll, we Nigh
( as well carry it back"
' At this Beaver took his paddle out ei
the water and struck Otter over tht
face, making it very fiat. If you lool
r at an otter today you will see that hi
face is still very fiat.
They got the sun home safely ant
fixed it up in the sky, and said, Nov
! we will begin everything all over again
I We will call this the new year"
But Flint and the old woman KEEP
coming over and complaining tha
8 there was no light in their island. 81
t they made an agreement by which thi
sun should be half of the time in Sap
t ling's country and half of the time OF
t the island.
This, the Indians used to say. beforI
= the days when they went to school anG
3 learned better, was the reason Of da.
] and night.