The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-04-16
Romance Versus
Matter Of Fact
By OSCAR COX

igery. One ulnln Miss Susan Jones.
a matter of fact young wOman as
ever trOd the soil. took it into her head
to spend her vacation in upper Canada.
These two met in the indian girls
home on the banks of the Little Whale
river. Miss Jones said she had heard
much of Indian legends and asked .
| didn't get the girls name, Miss jones'
said it was Minne-Something-Or- Other
- to tell her one. Thereupon the Indian
told the following story:
"Abusca was the daughter of a great
chief. who lived long. long ago when
lie first white man came to this cOun-
.ry. She had never seen any man ex
rept IA
indian" suggested Miss Jones.
"She had only seen the du>ky men
of the forest like herself. The first
man to come was tall as the young
eye was that of the eagle. AU;Sca
saw him. and her heart flew to him
like the bird"
"A case OF love at first sight. you
mean?"
"Abasca was loved by Stormwind.
the sou of a chief. Stormwind was
brave as the water that leaps from the
rock. and his arrow could pierce the
leaf that trembles at the top of the
| tree
"A regular William Tell" Miss Jones
interrupted.
He had not the heart to give way
to another. He was not born to know
that to love Abasca truly he siluui !
give her to the man she lOved. The
white man might do that. not the In.
dian. StOrmwind learned that she had
given her heart to the white man. ana
he resolved that the white man Shourd
die.
"Stormwind made this vow at til,
season when in this country the lami
never goes II at night.
Did they use Kerosene or oil?
For the winter had passed when
the u at midday is small and cold in
the south. The white mar was III rho
"OOu "LSlS liz uulIttu liz lOA HllI
the mink and the otter. %Stormwind
followed the trail and came to his
enemy when the sun stood high above
their heads.
""Trapper.' said Stormwind."
What IL funny name! 1 like Storm
wind much better"
THE white man may cOme: thu
white man may hunt the fox and the
mink and the otter: he may ride in hi:
boat over the waves of the great bay
but he shall not take the maiden from
the Indian
when he said this Stormwind ttteo
an arrow to his bow. 1t may be ht
had never seen the white mans rifle
it may be he had never seer the white
man raise the rife quickly to his shout
der and the deer far away drop dead
Before he had fitted his arrow to nj.
bow and pointed it at his enemy The
white mans eye ran along the barre
Of his weapon"
'Trapper had the drop on him. hadn'
he? How thrilling: 60 on"
"'Stormwind.' he said. put bach
your arrow into your culver before
send the lead into your heart. Abasc,
is yours. do not wed here in the for
est. The white man loves the white
woman. not the Indian squaw.'
Prom the woods came a piercing
shrek. The white man lowered hi
rife and the red man his bow. 1t wa
a woman's voice they heard. From
cliff a by it came again. fainter
but more despairing than before. l
was the echo"
For heavens sake. what was it?
spook?"
1T was the wall Of Abasca. She hat
seen Stormwind 60 away with tn
look Of an angry Manitou on his brow
and she knew that he was going t
fight the man she loved. Selling a n
lie from the tepee. she followed he
dusky lover and saw him when b
spoke to-
"Trapper."
she held her rife to her shoulde
ready when StOrmwind was about t
send his arrow to his rivals heart o
when the white man raised his riff
to kill the man she did not love"
"She must have been awfulIy raj
tied"
When she heard the white man sa,
: he did no love her she dropped be
rife. giving a cry that caused the whit
f cloud sailing in the heavens above t
! tremble."
II wonder she hadn't shot the brute.
Z Then the white a and the India
:, went in the direction from whence tn
|, sound came and saw on a high roc
E the form of Abasca. She vas ON tn
E edge of a deep gulf beneath her. sway
ing here and there as the branch
: moved by the wind. Then slowly he
] head bowed over the thasm. and a
Z the bird folds its wings and drops he
;, beautiful form descended to DEATH"
I you wouldn't catch me doing ths
for the handsomest man that eve
lived. What did the men do then?'
THE white man went back to tn
-LsA> nn-S~ ~rrnkwn. thu Indian voY