The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-09-29

forest when the u was hot.
"Killamah was happy until the
mother went out after the trail.
She went 10 a city, Astoria, you
call it. When she came back, my
father drove her away. She went
back to the mamie was white.
Then the big fire burned the
forest, and my father worked in
the mill for the company. A white
woman who cooked food for the
men was there. She had little
light blue eyes, and her yoiee-it
was harsh like the cranes. She
liked my father because he was
dccp.chested and strong; she told
him that she loved him and would
cook for him, SO he married her.
"The woman hated me because
my mother had borne me. She
beat me and made me work and
take care of her baby. killamah
ran away. Then my father was
sick; he bad no money and he still
must work, and he wasted away.
killamah went back to him, but
he was dead.
There was no food for me and
the woman, so she beat me and
put this here with a hotiron when
she was angry"
Against the dark skin a Jagged,
pnrpIish white scar seemed to
culver in the uncertain light. This
was the work of a woman a
white woman.
"klllamah ran away again; it
was winter, and the Great White
ness-deep-stiIl lay in the forest
and the hills. killamah was bit.
ter cold, and she went TO the mill
people because they had known
her father. They laughed at me
and cursed; they told me to 90
back to my own people for help.
One of the men called me a thiev-
ing devil and-and worse.
"killamah, cold, starving,
crawIed like the great bear on her
hands and knees; crawled, crept
TO the Nehalem who hated my ia
thcm-hecause he had married
the white woman. Where Killa.
nah crept the Great Wilderness
was covered with crimson drops,
crimson as the berries of the
mountain ash. After two DAYS.
hliiamah saw deep down in the
canyon the wigwams of the Ne.
halem. They were poor; their
women were sick, and their food
was almost gone, but killamah
asked for just one piece of buck
skin to wrap around her when she
died.
When the Big Chief saw me
before him, he shouted: MOngrel
she is a haIf-breed-sbe should
die
"killamah crawled away and
threw herself on the Great
Whiteness. The cold, still night
came and the hungry wolves crept
nearer and nearer"
The girl trembled when / tight
ened my arm around her. After ;
time she went on.
When KilIamah was almos.
dead she opened her eyes ant
someone knelt beside her. Mar
garet Hill, he was so strong aut
beautiful.
"He was a NebaIem, dark an,
deep.chested like my father. H,
lifted me in his young, stron,
arms, and we glided, swift as tn,
canoe in the rapids, over the grea
white plain.
He took me to a cabin far uni
the hills, killamah wasn't beau
tiful, for she was pale and thin
but he loved her. And his people
my fathers people, said the
would kill us if he came bach
They burned his blankets, and hi
father, the Great Chief, curse
him.
But Sea Cliff laughed at them
he took me in his arms and said
'killamah, little one, my peopl
; are the Sea. They beat their ten
pests against the Sea Cliff, but h
stands silent and unmoved. Xxi
lamah is the waterfall dancin
over the Sea Cliff and making eve
the cold rock beautiful
THE Great Wilderness melte
| and the golden sunshine fioode
the earth, When the golden-ro
. grew in front of the cabin the Sc