The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1916-03-22

FOR LITTLE
FOLKS
THE GOLDEN LILY.

|
indian maidens. Her long, black hair
hung to her waist, and was decorated
with red feathers, and her soft dress
of doeskin was bright with figures
painted by the aged grandmother of
the girl
Eagle Wing was lover of the In
dian girl but as he was a cripple the
chief forbade his daughter to speak to
him. Yet sometimes the two would
meet-perhaps by the spring, as they
brought water to the tents, or in the
fields of corn when gathering for tic
husking.
The lad was suffering really with
rheumatism, but the Indians thought
that their gods were angry and had
cursed the boy. So many frowned as
he passed, and some even threw
stones. Only Wanita was kind.
| One day the chief caught Wanita
| talking to the youth.
"BegOne and never come into my
| presence again" he shouted in pas
| sion. Never, unless you can bring
! me the snow lily that grows over the
| lake of the Mist
Now the chief SAID this because he
knew it was probably impossible for
| cripple to climb to the dizzy height
at which the lily grew, and he also
knew that if the lad fell it would be
| INTO a shallow lake over which hung
a constant mist. The water was very
warm, and this made vapOr continu-
ally rise from its surface. The Indians
| believed that the lake was poisonous,
and this was the reason also for which
| the chief sought to send the lad on
| the errand.
But Eagle Wing was brave. Without
even bidding Wanita farewell he set
out at once and soon reached the cliff.
| With a knife he cut tiny steps in the
stone, which was soft, and up them he
| climbed by his hands and crippled feet.
1t was slow work. but he kept on. By
the time he had reached the top it was
! dark There in the cleaning stood the
great white lily, nodding over the
brink of the precipice. Eagle Wing
| grasped it in his hand and turned to
| climb down again. But in the dim
| light he missed his footing and fell
down, down. down, right into the mid
die of the lake.
| But he did not drown. - knowing
| how to swim he struck out bravely,
| but could not see the bank in the thick
mist The water was very warm
| so warm that he felt as if he were
melting and a strange tingling thrilled
| through his veins. Round and round
| he swan and every moment he felt
| stronger. The swimming in the hot
| water seemed to make the blood run
| faster in his veins, the muscles felt
| as if they were unbending and even
| the legs as if they were Strengthening
| out. Eagle Wing did not know what
| 20 think. Was he dead or in dream?
Presently the moon came out and
| through the vapor the boy caught a
! gleam of the shore, but he did not
| land Instead he kept on swimming
ar into the night and it was dawn be-
| lore he crawled on shore There,
| standing in the light of the rising sun
| lie saw that his limbs were straight
I and that the stiffness had gone from
= his joints.
The lily was still in his hand; but
| it was white no longer. Instead it |
| was a bright yellow. Rubbing himself |
| dry with hot sand the boy sped home |
| to the chiefs tent and told him about |
the flower and the wonderful power of |
the bath in the lake of mist.
THAT is true" said the old grand |
mothers, who hObbled in. Il have |
heard that some lake in the mountain; |
was wonderful in its power TO cure |
those who battle in its water, but |
never thought this was the one"
Wanita married Eagle Wing, who |
was now tall and strong and became |
the swiftest runner in the tribe. At |
the side of their tent they plated the |
golden lily, and ever since it has |
bloomed. The fame of the lake to cure |
cripples spread so that soon from far
and wide the sick came to the healing
baths, and even today in the West we
will find the white man has to seek
health in the water OF the Hot Springs.