Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-02-02


did you ever turn squaw-man? why did
you make me a breed?
Look here! What ails your" said the
trader.
what ails me?" she Knocked. ''Why.
I'm neither white nor red; I'm not even
white nor red; I'm not a decent Indian.
I'm "a" She shuddered. You made
me what I am. You didn't do me the
justice to even marry my mother"
Somebody's been saying things about
you," said Gale, quietly, taking her by
the shoulders. Who is it? Tell me who
it is"
NO no! It's not that! Nobody has
said anything to my face; they're afraid
of you, 1 suppose. but God knows what
| they think and say to my back"
| "Ill-" began the trader, but she in
| terrupted him.
i've just begun to realize what I am.
I'm not respectable. I'm not like other
women, and never can be. I'm squaw-
squaw"
You're notr he cried.
Its nice word, isn't it?"
Whats wrong with it?''
mo honest man can marry me. I'm
vagabond! The best 1 can get is my
bed and board, like my mother"
by God! Who offered you that?'
Gales face was whittier than hers now,
but she disregarded him and abandoned
| herself to the tempest of emotion that
swept her along. n
He can play with me, but nothing
more, and when he is gone another one
can have me, and then another and an
other and another-as long as 1 can cook
and wash and work. In time my man
will beat me, just like any other squaw,
1 suppose, but 1 can't marry; can't be
wife to a decent man."
She was in the clutch of an hysteria
that made her writhe beneath Gales
hand, choking and sobbing, until he
loosed her; then she leaned exhausted
against a post and wiped her eyes, for
the tears were coming now. s4
That's all damned rot" he said.
There's fifty good men in this camp
would marry you tomorrow" -
bah! 1 mean real men. not miners.
I want to be a lady. l don't want to
pull a hand-sled and wear moccasins all
my life, and raise children for men. with
whiskers. / want to be loved-I want to
be loved! I want to marry gentleman
"Burrell!' said Gale
MOI she fiared up. mot him nor
anybody in particular, but somebody like
him. some man with clean flnger-nails."
He found nothing humorous or gro
tesuue in her measure of a gentleman;
for he realized that she was strung to a
pitch of unreason and unnatural excite
ment, and that she was in terrible earn
est.
Daughter" he said, I'm mighty sorry
this knowledge has come to you, and 1
see it's my fault, but things are different
now to what they were when met
Alluna. 1t wasn't the style to. marry
souaws where we came FROM and neither
of us ever thought about 1T much. We
were happy with each other, and we've
been man and wife to each other just as
truly as If a priest had mumbled over
u.s." 20
But why didn't you marry her when
came? Surely you must have known
what II would mean to me. 1t was bad
enough without that
| The old man hesitated. ''Ill own 1 was
wrong" he said, finally, staring out into
the sunshine with an odd expression. IT
was thoughtless and wrong, dead wrong
but I've loved you better than any
| daughter was ever loved in this wide
world, and I've worked and starved and
| froze and saved, and so has Alluna, so
| that you might have something to live
| on when I'm gone, and be different to
us. 1t won't be long now, 1 guess, i've
given you the best schooling of, any
! girl on the river, and I'd have sent you
/ out to a convent. in the states, but l
J couldn't let you go so far away-God!
, loved you too much for that--I couldn't
/ do it, girl. I've tried. but you're all I've
! got, and I'm selfish man, reckon"
| mo, no! You're not" his daughter
| cried, impulsively. You're everything
that's good and dear, but you've lived
different life from other men and you
| see things differently. 1t was mean of me
| to talk as 1 did, She put her arms
around his neck and Rugged him. But
! I'm very unhappy, dad"
| Don't you aim to tell what started
| this?" he said, gently, caressing her with
/ his great hard hand as softly as a moth
err. But she shook her head, and he con-
| tinued, IN take the first boat down to
the mission and marry your ma, you
want me to-"
THAT wouldn't do any good" said she.
| WED better leave things as they are.
Then she drew away and smiled at him
bravely from the door. I'm very bad
to act this way S'cuses?"
He nodded and she went out, but he
! gazed after her for long minute, then
sighed.
Poor little girl!'
..ecia YVES in a restless mood, and, re-
/ membering that Alluna and the children
| had gone berrying on the slopes behind
| the Indian village, she turned her way
| thither. All at once a fear of seeing
Meade Burrell came upon her. She want
ed to think this out, to find where she
stood, before he had word with her. She
had been led to observe herself from a
strange angle, and must verify her Wis
ion, as it were. AS yet she could not fully
understand. What If he had changed, now
that he was alone, and had had time to
think? 1t would kill her If she saw any
difference in him, and she knew she
would be able to read it in his eyes.
| AS she went through the main street of
the camp she saw Stark occupied near
! the water front, where he had bought a
building lot. He spoke to her as she
was about to pass. rt-
Good morning, Miss. Are you rested
from your trip"
She answered that she was, and would
have continued on her way, but he
stopped her.
| II don't want you to think that mining
matter was my doing" he said I've got
! nothing against you. Your old man hasn't
wasted any affection on me, and 1 can get
! along without him. all right, but l don't
make trouble for girls If 1 can help it. +"
The girl believed that he meant what
! he said; his words rang true, and he
spoke seriously. Moreover, Stark was
Known already in the camp as a man
who did not go out of his way to make
friends or to render an accounting of his
49,