The Washington times., 1913-11-19

stick queer figures on the ground, bu
when the sun began to drop to the west
he would stand upright and sing a beau
tiful chant, the words of which no ons
understood.
In a few weeks there came a great
drought. The sun poured down day
after day. the leaves turned brown, tn.
grass withered and the animals fled tc
other countries for water. Every fiowe,
withered on its stalk. Not a breez.
stirred the air.
The strange man went to the chief OF
the tribe and told him that 1t might be
that this sorrow had been sent on the
Indians because of their kindness to a
wanderer
Il have been trying for a year to es-
cape the sight of my brother, the North
Wind" said the man, but perhaps he
has been lingering around and heard
my chant. He is anxious to get the
pipe l smoke, for II will preserve for
ever the life of the one who uses il
continuously for twenty years. NJ
father never cared to use II, but left IL
to me, and my brother has followed me
about the world to rob me of my treas
ure. l feel sure he is in some way con-
nected with your weather and 1 will at
once set out for the home OF the Rain
King to see II l cannot aid you before
too late"
When the moon arose the stranger put
on his blue moccasins and set out over
the prairie. The Indians watched him
till his form faded into the sky. Then
they went back into their tents, but the
man kept on his way. All night he
walked. through the hot desert the next
day, with no food and no water At
last, almost dying with thirst, he stood
on top of a tall cliff that lifted its head
above a lake in the northern woods.
There. standing on the rock, he lifted
up his hands to the Rain King and
chanted his weird hymn.
His petition was answered, for clouds
began to gather in the sky. the lightning
to dart its flashes across the earth, and
the thunder to peal like the roar of a
mighty ocean. Then from out the
cloud there came a voice asking what
this daring one could wish.
The people who have sheltered me
are dying for lack of water" sang the
man unmoved by the raging of the
tempest around his head. II wish to
bring them the rains again
Il will never send them rain as long
as you are with them and keep the
magic pipe" roared the Rain King.
Your brother, the North Wind. is a
friend of mine. and have promised him
to punish all who shelter you"
The man shook with grief. He did not
fear the storm that burst about him, the
playing Of the lightning around his head,
or the trembling of the cliff which
seemed about to fall into the foaminc
waters of the lake-his only thought was
Of the kind friends suffering for his
sake.
The stranger held his pipe up above
his head for a moment. then clasped II
lovingly to his breast. Il have cherish
ed you tenderly," he moaned, ..as part
of my life-I hoped to live for centuries
and .levote my days to bcttering the
condition of my people, to teaching them
tho ways of industry and happiness.
But it is not for me. The noblest of
mans deeds is sacrifice for others-Ist
me set the example. Here on this rock
/ give up my magic pip. md With il
my life. for | feel my strength is gone
Thrusting the pipe into a cracl, in
the cliff. the man lay down with his
face to the sky and in a few moments
his spirit had fled to the Happy Hunt
ing Grounds. The Rain King saw tbe
deed. and. filled with pity. gathered his
clouds and rolled away to the Indian
land in the south with his pouring tor
rents. Down came the rain on the
lands. the grasses grew green in a
night. the trees tossed their branches
about in glee. the rivers flowed, singing
between their banks. and the herds re-
turned to the forests-the land was
saved.
But the stranger was never more seen
among the tents of the redmen. MANY,
many years after, when party of
children scrambled to the ton of the
cliff they found a new, strange flower
growing in a crack in the rock. a flower
which so much resembled the nine of
the stranger that ever after it went by
the name of the Indian Pipe"
Tomorrow's story: "Squank and the
Bullfrogs."