The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-07-01
THE WHITE CANOE
" DORA NOLAN.

on the banks OF the beautiful Be-
tstchie river. has heard the tradition
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 adrift 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
Neutrality-suspicious. Of another soul.
Cecil Horton was Eve when she
spent her first summer on the Se-
gatchie she had passed her twentieth
birthday when the events here RE
corded took place.
II was the tenth of September. The
Horizons were to return to the city
on the fifteenth. Cecil was planning
dance For the evening Of the twelfth,
the last OF a series 10 the Horton beat.
mouse Dick Harvey sat beside heron
the boathouse steps. - 81
Evidently the girls thoughts were
not bearing fruit for she turned to
her companion. e"Oh. Dick" she
(, pleaded. ssSl0Stry and think nm s6me-
thing ssnnique f0r.athe, feature az INV
last ueneee something exciting some
thing ethaifiinE Eff'tssta'l sstn1 - Mns,
~ Dick >sefsed hopefully upon his
oppdrtunfty.so "Tcu riiteht announre
eur ehsasementsn Boz the kopeful.
mess ssed auborhinG AZ he elii6a6ed
the Guask ffown above his ceinban-
ions reyes and he continued in tragic
moroseness, YOr we might stagera
murder; rd be glad to help you, out
ID that"
II have it, Dickr' she CALCULATED
the white canoe" ~
Followed nearly an hour of expla.
nations, pleadings and overriding of
Dicks objections BY Cecil, and finally
reluctantsc6nseht from Dick.G But
he made It. leonditfonal. ..Now re-
member" he stipulated, mot single
dance with that 'Perrone' crook while
I'm away pulling the fadeaway Indian
maiden stuff"S '-ss s-sSHr rls ias't
"of course. Dick; 1 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
your"
"Shifty eyes," was Dicks laconic re-
ioinder.
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
up the spectacular role Of "Snowbird." !"
The full moon carried out its part
OF the program. At half after eleven
Cecil. pleading fatigue, seated herself
by the broad river-front doorway, pre-
pared to jump up at any instant and
announce to1the guests. with becoming
dramatic effect, that the Indian maiden
+ wa abroad In her canoe. - r.
But she waited fruitlessiy. The
minutes passed; no white canoe
APPEARED. Aidnishk and yet nothing
sstisredp- gn ahFost 'bos6m ~ the
\ sesRtchisa 'Diaap ppoAn4ed. y Satfle angry,
+ Cecil yielded iats3ast ito tlte pleading
| Of 'flie fAseinaftnkR Refrose hndsaah<ed
three times oanccession with HIM
Dick Harvey dld not appear again
that night Hnd next morning, when he
'casne over TO the Horton place, he gave
nnSst unsatisfacfofy answers to CecIrs
perempt0fy Questions. Also he wore
an inscrntable. self-satisfied expression
that enraged the young lady. She
let him know It.. Yet Dick went on
whistIIng. Which affected Miss Hor-
ton SO extremely little that at mid
night xhe whs still awake.
~ Suddenly as her abstracted gaze
turned 70 the farther shore. a shiver
ran through Cecii's frame. From out
the shadows Of the forested bank
gilded a tennous. filmy something that
while Ashe strnined her eyes in awe,
/ took clearly. 'tudnhitnbiy, "a It crossed
the pathway Of the moon. the form Of
a white canoe. silently padded by q
giriishs figure In white, crowned by
snowy feathers.
Cecil started from her seat. She
would cali sorne member Of the sleep.
ing household to witness this awesome
sight. sfsriar5
Then from the balcony roof out
side, close by her. came whisper. II
was Dick Harvey's voice.
There's burglar inside. Cecil The
officers have gone in. Keep still. don't
move. n he opens your door 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 semi-darkness It looked strangely
familiar to Cecil. From the window
Dick Harvey's stacatto baritone
snapped: '"Thafs far enough, you
stand still -
There was CLINT 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