Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-08-03

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there came over him again that
strange feeling of restlessness; he
longed for the sound of voices that
long since had been stilled in the quiet
farming sections of southern Wiscon-
sin. The call of the wild came; the
majestic pine trees beckoned to him
and he longed to answer. The print
tive man leapod TO the surface; he felt
that he must 90 where he might sleep
beneath the vigils of the stars, and
wake in the morn with the scent of
the ferns and the fresh budding trees
and the fragrant pines strong in his
nostrils. He longed for the soft
pr ssure of the velvet moss beneath
his moeeasined foot; for the myster-
ious Whisper of the boughs overhead;
for the murmur and ripple of the
forest stream; for the spicy odor of
the pines and hemlock; for the frag-
rant perfume of the trailing arbutus.
He longed for these things with an in
definable longing that he could not
fathom, and who shall say that he
was not right in answering that call.
The days passed. The late northern
spring drifted into the first bloom of
glorious summer. The red squirrels
chartered from their branches and the
red deer browsed along the edges of
the wild meadows. The hardy north
ern song birds sang their sweet solemn
strains in the golden twilight of the
midday forest. The world was at
peace with itself in the country about
the big lake where the noble Wiscon-
sin river has its birth; and the sun
was just bathing the landscape in a
food of glorious splendor as it sank
to rest behind the mighty forest, when
a traveller emerged from the thicket
that skirted the little clearing about
the head Of the lake. A group of
Indian children playing at la crosse
ceased their sports for a moment, and
then, recognizing the stalwart form
of Dan Gagen, they called his Indian
Name and hurried forward to greet
him.
Dan was welcomed to the Indian
camp, and as the evening meal was
served the old chief gave him the seat
of honor. From a corner of the cabin
the Indian maiden who had Travelled
the lonely mail route gazed with rap
tuous eyes upon the strong man who
had come again to the land Of the
Chippewa.
After the simple meal had been
served and the rude dishes removed,
one by one the members of the family
left the lodge. Only the old chief
remained, sitting long in silence; and
the girl crouching in her corner. Once
the chief gazed with piercing eye in
To the frank face of Gagen. Again
his glance stole toward the corner
where he knew his daughter waited
He produced a carved wooden pipe,
filled it and drew few puffs of the
fragrant tobacco Gagen heard him
softly pronounce the name the Indians
had given him, and taking the pipe
from the chiefs hands slowly drew the
smoke through the long stem. Then
the men talked, and the girl, crouch
ing in the shadow Of her corner waited
From the thicket near by q whip
porwill sent forth his shrill attempt at
melody. From the lake came the cry
of the loon, and from the marshiand
AZ the shore came the answering cry
of his mate. When the conference
between Gagen and the chief ended
the young man arose and started Tor
the spring at the edge of the lake TO
get a drink of water. The Indian
maiden went with him, and about
them, in the circling shadows and
along the shores of the lake could be
heard the night life of the forest. Be
hind them in the Indian camp appear
ed the ruddy glow Of the camp nre;
the air was sweet with the blossoms