Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-04-26
THE WIFE OF
RED SCAR
BY JOSEPH X. GRIFFIS



; is green and tender Her face wa
: a morning when the prairie flower
, bloom and breathe their sweetest per
fume
I Red Scar was gaunt, wrinkled an,
, ugly, and had two wives. His visit
, TO the lodge of Tsiitas father wer'
frequent and prolonged, and he al
ways lost in the gambling, for he saw
nothing but Tsilta.
One day the maiden saw him of the
red scar point her father TO a herd OF
so ponies. Her father wagged his
foreflngers across each other, and her
heart sank. for she knew that she
was given to ugly Red Scar in ex-
change for the ponies.
Zip-koh-eta (Big Bow was young
and handsome and brave. Tsilta had
danced many times with him. The
hug of his arms was strength and his
touch made glad her heart; for in
him was enough
With hair yelling her face. Tsilta
passed his lodge, and this told him
the story. The young warrior in
strong words said what he would do
there would be two swift horses at
the crossing OF the river, under the
big tree that very night. And then
away-and away!
With lightness OF step and bright
ness Of eye TsIlta returned to her ia
theirs lodge But when she looked
into tha fana ~ Dad Gear che ehronly
back as from an old lean coyote and
would have fed, but he caught her by
the wrist, and in a voice like a bears
growl said: my WIFE,, She turned
an appealing face to her father, but
he nodded and said simply: "His
wife"
She obediently followed Red Scar
to his new tepee. Inside the new
lodge he had erected for her she
crouched down at the farthest side,
like a wounded deer from the hate
full fanged wolf
When Red Scar sat down to gam
BILE, one of the men looked at him sly
ly, and said: RED Scar has a Wife"
The bullets trail on his face became
a flame, but he replied nothing. A
company of young roysterers passed
by, and one of them in a voice filled
with ridicule said: RED Scar has a
wife" There was a glistening of
eyes and fare of the scar, and that
was ALL
After dark, when all was still in the
mn ha ,f .x,ht,
poor-will in the brush. and Red Scar
saw his new wife raise her head
with a quick start. Again and again
there was the call The tall, gaunt
man arose and seized a rawhide
lariat, clutched her arms and bound
them behind her back. Red Scar has
a wife he snarlel in her ear, his
face like the western storm-cloud
when the sun is setting Binding her
feet together he made the lariat fast
to a lodge pole overhead, buckled his
knife to his side, and laid down to
sleep.
Time passed. There was silence ,
save for a sound like the breeze in
he bushes where Tsilta lay against
he wall. Outside from time to time
here was the whip-poor- willis call, !
'laintively insistent. until far into the /
light Then there was slight noise :
It the doorway of the lodge. Red :
scar crept like a shadow across the y
oor, listened a moment, hurled back Z
he flap, and leaped outside There =
vas the sound of feet. blow, a low h
then quiet The jealous n
husband returned to the Preside, !
brew on a handful of bark, and sat y
own. His wife lay with her face to h
he wall. AS the light grew strong 4
r she saw tiny stream of red creep Il
lg under the edge of the lodge, slow
: making its way toward her face. /,
foot from her eyes it formed into a +,
tile pool =
The sun had walked up above the h
'eetops when the husband and wife Ii
epped outside the tepee, she follow s
lg, as do all obedicnt wives. The is
hole camp was astir, for a big thing v
as to be done that day Fl
Rel Scar strobe on up the sloping d
Ill with long, purposeful steps. Be
ind in a struggling procession came a,
EN-, women and children. On the Of
lmmit of the hill the tall man halt h,
and faced the slight girlish figure Il
bout them gathered the expeetant te
eople in circle fl,
Red Scar let fall his blanket A ss
life glittered in his hand. al
'Tsiltal" The voice of Red Scar is
as harsh and vulture-like by the l
W Of the Kiowas the wife whose II
ct walk in the crooked trail, pC
ust suffer one of two things She cf
ust die by the hand of her husband, je
he may cut her nose from her tn
&C." W
The girl stood like an image of b,
one. The man seized her dishev- hi
ed hair and raised it from her face. K
er soft eyes looked unfiinchingly into
S own and from the proud lips there tn