The Elbert County tribune., 1906-04-19

INTO THE STREAM.
gratitude. She possessed pleasing
manners and ready speech, but the oc-
casion was a trying one for her, and
the characteristic self-possession of
her race for the moment quite de-
serted her. The officer, plying her
embarrassment. fastened in turn to
assure her that what he had done was
scarcely worthy of consideration.
Hoping to end the scene by little act
of gallantry, he seized her hand and
raised it to his lips Unfortunately,
the act awakened an emotion in the
breast of the maiden that the young
man had not anticipated, and brought
response he had not expected. The
woman stood for a moment gazing
earnestly at him, and then suddenly
throwing herself into his arms, vio-
lently embraced him. He was a chiv-
alrous youngster, and thoughtless of
possible consequences, returned the en-
brace fervently, and ended it with a
kiss upon the girls upturned lips.
An awkward silence fell upon the
pair as they drew apart, broken at last
by an exclamation from the girl.
When you come again." she asked
Pretty soon," he replied, eff the CON-
manches don't behave themselves"
A week had scarcely elapsed after
these events when the Indian girl and
her father appeared one day at Fort
Sill, ostensibly on trading trip, but
evidently to enable the Rose" to see
the lieutenant again.
1t SO happened that the young
daughter of a prominent New England
official was visiting at the fort at the
time and anxiously awaiting the pos
sible visits of Indians from the ad-
joining reservations. that she might
see and converse with them. She had
acquired some very romantic impress
sions of the "red man. from fanciful
tales of irresponsible writer's, and
"longed to participate for awhile in
the wild, free life of the children of
the forest and the plain"
The coming of Red-Rose. arrayed in
barbaric fashion, wrapped in highly
colored blanket, and displaying broad
necklaces of beads and heavy wrist
lets of silver, quite filled the measure
of expectation INDUCED in by the New
England maiden. Quickly seeking the
acquaintance of the Indian girl, she
arranged to go with her for awhile
to her home on the Kiowa reservation.
On reaching the home of Red-Rose,
much of the romance of the occasion
was lost in the squalid conditions en-
countered by the visitor The lodge
consisted of a single room without a
floor, and the light shone through
many openings in the roof and the
walls of the edifice. A number of vi
cious, wolf-like dogs nosed about
among the cooking utensils, and drank
at pleasure from the family water
bucket.
The girls spent the night in the
lodge lying close together on the
floor wrapped in their blankets, and
for awhile conversed freely of their
purposes in the future. The visitor
hoped, she confided to the Rose" to
be instrumental in effecting many re-
forms among the lords of the plains"
and in turn the Rose confessed that
she expected soon to become the wife
of the lieutenant who had rescued her
from drowning. When this confession
had been made the New England girl
instantly ceased further conversation.
and when the morning came promptly
bade the Rose" good-by. and hurried
back to the fort in the vehicle In
which she had gone. "The presumption
of the creature!" she exclaimed to a
friend at the fort. She expects TO
marry my affianced"
H. r. BRINKERHOFF.
Col. U. S. A.. Retired