The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1922-10-24
Indian
Lodge Tales
BY
Ford c. Frick
Observation-Disclosures
THE STORY OF THE
COLUMBINE

/ MA many years ago. when the
A'~ world was young. and the Chosen
People lived in happiness in the
shadow Of the Great Peak which Joint
ed the way to Heaven. there was born
TO the Chief of the Tribe a daughter.
| This daughter grew TO womanhood,
and was much loved by all the mem
bers of the tribe, for she was the most
beautiful girl In all the world Her
hair was as black as the clouds OF
night; her eyes as deep and as blue as
the sky. Her skin was white-and not
red like that Of the Indians who knew
her. Her voice was as soft as the
south wind and as sweet as the voice
of the birds that sang to her from the
trees. And from all around. from near
and far. came the warriors of the
tribes to woo her and claim her for
their wife. 'tlHs
As she grew older her fame spread,
and even distant tribesmen came TO
look upon her and to love her. Her
fathers lodge was filled with precious
gifts which they brought-bows and
arrows. and skins and wampum and
beads and war jackets and all the
other precious things which they pos
sessed.
But the maiden loved all theNwar
riors alike, and none Of them would
she marry though they asked her
many times; until finally there came
TO the tribe Dakotah from the North,
and when he had wooed the maiden
for many moons, and she still refused
him, he became angry. One night he
crept TO the chiefs lodge, where the
maiden was sleeping, and stole the
maiden away and mounted on his
horse and rode into the East.
When the tribesmen discovered
what had happened, they mounted on
their ponies and started In pursuit
and for many DAYS and many nights
they continued the chase, until at last
they came upon the warrior as he was
crossing the Great River to the east
ward. When the warrior saw that he
was captured, he drew his knife from
its sheath and plunged It into the
maiden's heart, and so she died. And
then the warrior himself fell upon the
knife.
So the tribesmen, with sorrow and
tears. carried the maiden home and
laid her down at the door to her fa-
TIERS lodge, and the whole tribe wept
and would not be comforted. Finally
the Manitou, seeing their grief, ap-
peared to the fathers Of the tribe and
to them he said:
"Grieve not my children, that your
daughter is lost TO you. For am
your father and will look over you.
and your daughter will take with me
TO live in the Happy Hunting Ground
where she can look down upon you
and see you and love you. And as
token of my promise, | will leave with
you a slgn-by which you will know
that the beautiful maiden is with me
forever"
AS he spoke he stopped to a stream
and drew a gourd Of water and this
he sprinkled upon the dead body of
the maiden; and when the water fell.
there was a great cloud came down
upon the earth, and from the cloud
came two birds and these picked up
the body of the maiden and few away
with II to the westward where was the
summit Of the great peak where lived
the Manitou. And where the body had
lain, there sprang up three flowers,
and In their center they were blue as
the eyes Of the maiden who had gone,
and at their outer edges they were as
white and beautiful as her skin.
And all about other flowers sprang
up, until the hills and the plains were
dotted with them, and so was the col
umbine born. Now each Indian knows
that the columbine is the flower OF
ManitOu. telling his promise to the In
dians, and they know. too. that II
sprang from the spirit Of the beautiful
maiden who was killed by the fierce
DakOtah.