Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-04

Dc HlIuSSl again, anu we SudIl ~ Out
and STAY our enemies
At last the chief came forth, but not
OF fight and Stay his enemies. He
called the chief man to him in coun.
Gil.
"My braves he said, 81 can no lou-
ger be your chief. am going to the
otner side of the forest to live in the
lonely lodge. Choose another. chief.
But forget the warpath, and be kind
and gentle"
So saying, the great chief departed
to live in the lodge in which his son
had been changed into a robin. He
no longer got his food by killink birds
and animals. He planted corn and
other things, and the birds came and
helped take care of them. They ate
the bugs and harmful insects. The
things that the man planted always
grew and were plentiful.
The former chief was kind to the
birds, and learned their language.
When food was scarce. he fed them,
and they became his best friends.
Both man and birds were brave and
gentle and loving.
Every day at sunrise the birds sang
to him good morning" and at sun
set, they sang good night
But the man loved best the little
brown birds, and they seemed to love
him best The other birds followed
the example of the little brown birds.
The warriors on the other side of
the forest murmured greatly when
4 ~. la vvo,y
more when some of their number for
sock the warpath, and became kind
and gentle.
AS the years went by. they began to
hate their old chief. The warriors were
becoming fewer and fewer.
At last they decided to capture their
former chief and put him to death.
His example was bad, they thought.
So hundred braves marched off
through the forest to the lonely lodge.
They took the friend of birds and ami
mails, and bound him.
When the birds saw what had hap
pened, there was great noise in the
treetops. They scolded, and flew about
from branch to branch wildly Some
of the little brown birds flew down
into the faces of tho Indians who were
binding their gentle friend.
The next day the old chief was led
out and bound to a tree, and five
Indians were chosen to pierce his
heart with arrows
The birds were in despair. What
could they do to save their friend?
Surely they must do something. The
warriors were drawing their bows
And now they were ready to let 60
the arrows.
But just as the arrows left the bow
strings, five brave little brown birds
fell down against their very points.
The arrows were all turned aside, and
the friend of the birds was unframed.
But all five little birds were wounded.
The blood ran out and stained their
feathers.
The five warriors fitted arrows to
their bows again. But again five little
brown birds flew against their arrows
and turned them aside. And all five
these little brown birds were slightly
wounded, and the blood stained their
breasts.
Once more the warriors drew their
bows But once more the little brown
birds turned the arrows aside. Their
breasts, too we're stained with blood
like the others. Then the chief of the
warriors spoke.
"The great Manitou." he said, is
over this man. It Is his will that we
do him no harm. Unbind him and let
him co.
So the friend of the birds went back
to his lodge All the little wounded
birds came to him. and he cared for
them. Soon all were we'll and happy
again; but their breasts remained red.
All the descendants of those brave
little birds have had red feathers on
their breasts, and people call them
Robin Redbreasts.