The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-01-04
AFlower of the Indian
Forests.

"Once upon a time there lived a
knight and his lady true" Thus runs
the ordinary legend; but we, although
our tale may boast of its knight and
it's lady true, need not restrict our
selves to the indefinite ''once upon
time" but shall place the period of
this incident in the year. 1877, when
Catholic missionaries were striving to
plant the faith in the hearts of the
Indians of upper New York and Can
ada. The princess of our story is not
fair, like those of the legends, if we
consider the color Of her skin, for she
is a dusky maiden of the Mohawk
tribe; but fairer than the fairest of
them ALL if we consider the beauty of
her virgin soul. Born of heather
Mohawk father and a Christian Algon-
quin mother, she bore in her name the
evidence of her double extraction, for
she is called katherine Tegakwita.
Our knight is an Oneida chief, and bet
ter warrior never winged bird or
pierced the heart of doe. He was
brave, he was manly; but he had
fiery temper, and for this reason was
he called Hot Cinders.
Tegakwita, Katherine's uncle and
guardian, had gone up the Mohawk
River with fishing party, and was to
be absent several days. Katherine,
therefore, after her duties in the field,
which were light enough since the
corn had been planted, enjoyed COM
parative leisure, and until called upon
to assist in the curing of the fish and
the deer meat which her uncle would
bring back with him, could be present
at all the instructions which the
BLACK Gown" was then delivering in
her canton. She had been one of the
first neophytes of Father de LANDER
vile, who had been much impressed
with the noble qualities of mind and
soul observable in the Indian maiden.
Returning from her fathers hut one
day, she was joined by Hot Cinders,
who, having but recently Joined the
Mohawk tribe, could not accompany
the chiefs on their hunting expe-
ditions until he had been formally adj
mitted to their councils, according to
the Iroquois custom. But he had
been with them long enough to know
that Katherine was far different from
the other women of her tribe, and he
desired her for his squaw.
He stalked along in silence by her
side, for he was by nature taciturn.
She, too, was silent, not that she was
timid or afraid, but because she knew
full we'll the unwritten law of her
| tribe. A sQuaw, as inferior being,
will not speak in the presence of a
brave until he first addresses her.
She was moreover, communing with
herself, happy in the all-suficient
happiness which Christianity brings
to the generous soul. A bird, startled
at their approach, stole from out its
covert and few upward toward the
sky. Instinctively Hot Cinders fitted
an arrow to the thong of his bow,
glad of an opportunity to show his
prowess before the maid he loved.
But her hand detained him.
why didst thou spoil my aim?" he
asked gruffly.
LET it i've" she answered gently;
''the Great Spirit gave it life; let it
return again to its little ones in the
nests"
] A feather that the bird had dropped
in it's flight f1uttered to their feet.
He stopped to pick it up.
Take this" he said more softly,
''for had laid the bird in thy hands
had my arrow brought it down"
But she motioned it aside She
OWNED that the acceptance of any
thing from him, however trifing,
would be tacit acceptance of his suit.
He was not to be put of, however.
i Katherine" he cried abruptly,
thou knowest that love thee more
than all the other maidens of thy
tribe. Even as this feather, white
as the snow on yonder hills and still
warm from the breast of that flying
bird, so is my love pure and burning
for thee"