The daily Alaskan., 1920-08-28
THE WHITE CANOE
By DORA MCLEAN.

Of the white canoe.
 Now the tradition runs that Snow- bird, an Indian maiden, was murdered close by the shores of the river, in the moonlight, then set adriG In her own canoe, long before the eye of white man first fell on the SegatChie. Ever since her ghost has appeared, from time to time, to mortal eyes; so goes the legend. And always has the coming fOretold the sudden and violent departure of another soul.
 Cecil Horton was five when she spent her first summer on the Se- gatchie; she had passed her twentieth birthday when the events here re- corded took place.
 It was the tenth of September. The HortOns were to return to the city on the fifteenth. Cecil was planning a dance for the evening of the twelfth, the last of a series in the Horton boat house. Dick Harvey sat beside her on the bOachouse steps.
 Evidently the girls thoughts were not bearing fruit for she turned to her companion. "Oh, Dick" she pleaded, do try and think up some thing unique for the feature of my last dance-something exciting; some thing thrilIlng"
 Dick seized hopefully upon his opportunity. You might announce our engagement" But the hopeful ness died a-borning as he gllmpSed the quick frown above his compan- ions eyes and he continued, in tragic moroscness, "Or we might stage murder; I'd be glad to help you out in that"
 q have it, Dickw she ejaculated- "the white canoe."
 Followed nearly an hour of expla- nations, plcadlngs and overriding of Dicks objections by Cecil, and finally a reluctant consent from Dick. But he made 1t conditional. "Now, re- member" he stipulated, mot a single dance with that Perrone crook while I'm away pulling the Underway Indian maiden stuff"
 "Ot course, Dick; I promise. But you've no business to speak of him that way just because you don't know every bit of his past history. Why do youE
 "Shifty eyes" was Dicks laconIc re- ioiudcr.
 The night Of the dance came and, all too soon for Dick at least. came eleven o'clock. the time agreed upon for him to absent himself and take uN tlle spectacular role of "Su0wbird." |"
 The ru.l moon carried out its part of the program, At half after eleven Cecil. pleading fatigue, seated herself by Ike broad rivcr-front doorway, pre- pared to jump mp at any instant and announce to the guests, with becoming dramatic effect. that the Indian maiden was abroad in her canoe.
 But she waited fruitIcSsly. The minutes passed: no white canoe appeared. Midnight. and yet nothing stirred on the broad bosom of the Segatcht". Disappointed, a little angry, Cecil yielded at last to the pleading of 'hr fascinating Prrronc and danced three times in succession with him.
 Dick IIarvey did not appear again that night and next morning, "hen. he came over to the Horton place, he gave most unsatisfactory answers to CCcils pcrem1tory questions. Also he wore an inscrutahlo. srlr-Sa;isfed expression that cnragcd the young lady. She let him know it. Yet Dick went of whiStling. Which affected Miss Uor- ton so extremely little that at mid night she was still awake.
 Suddenly aS her ahStractcd gaze turned to the farther shore, a Shiver ran through CeciI'S frame. From out the shadows of the forcstcd bank cildcd n tenuous. GImy something that while she strained her eyes in awe. took clearly, indubitably, as 1t crossed the pathway of the moon, the form of a white canoe, silently paddled hy q girIish figure in white, crowned by snowy feathers.
 Cecil started from her scat. She would cali some member of the sleep ing household to witness this awesome sight.
 Then from the balcony roof out side, close by her, came a whisper. It was Dick Harvcy'S voice.
 "Thcre's burglar inside. Cecil The officers have gone in Keep still. don't move. If he opens your door I can see him from here in this light Sh-sh.sh"
 Slowly, without sound, the door opened. A dark figure was vaguely outlined on the threshold Even in the scmi-darkncss it looked strangely familiar to Cecil. From the window Dick Harvey's stacatto baritone snapped: That's far enough, you stand still"
 There was a glint of steel as the in- truder flung back. Hold up your hands and keep"
 In the open window a shot flashed and roared. By the door there was a Crumpled heap on the floor