The Frontier, May 1926 — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

70 “*Hagwai!” yelled my miserable cousin. ‘Hold on! Never before have I seen this woman!’ ““Be not so bashful, boy,’ she an- swered, in pretty good Sauk, too. ‘I am your own Little Fawn whom you eloped with from the Skidi camp, and who would have been your bride two moons past if it had not been that I fell from our horse when the warriors were pursuing us. And now I have come to claim you!’ “At once it became clear to Winking Bear that it must have been me, Bright Horns, who had stolen the woman. No, I had never thought that it was necessary to tell him what had hap- pened to me after he had betrayed and abandoned me that night, but just then not at all was it difficult for him to fin- ish the picture. And also, alas, he be- gan to worry about what his first wife, that Menomini woman whom he cheated me out of, would have to say about it. Of course, with the Indian people, not at all are we limited to one wife by custom. Oh, no! But then, again, it is not wise to cross the will of a determined woman, and Winking Bear was rather of the belief, in his heart, that his wife would not like it, even though this old widow Roaming Chief was so homely that a buzzard would never have lit on her carcass! ““Now of a truth, and the Sun hears me say it, you have made a mis- take!’ Winking Bear protested. ‘Never indeed was I the man who eloped with you. The Earth, our mother, is wit- ness that I never set eyes on you be- fore this moment, Pawnee woman. May the Thunderbirds destroy me with lightning if I speak not straight! But then, oh Keokuk, my chief, and you, too, Pawnee woman, my cousin, Bright Horns, that snake, that dog, that crooked speaker! Of a sooth I know that he was on a raid to the Skidi settlement. Heis the man! No doubt at all but he made love to this beauti- ful maiden and deceived her and gave her my name! Let him be brought here and give an account of himself!’ “The old Pawnee hag was about to protest, but Keokuk signed to his Braves. “Fetch him here, Bright Horns,’ he ordered. “But they could not find me in the camp, partner. By that time I was about three miles south of Kelleyville, and traveling fast. Winking Bear man- aged to get to his wife, and he told her, explaining that it was a trick played on him by me, his cousin. I don’t know what that Menomini woman really THE FRONTIER thought, but, when she saw the Paw- nee widow, by words, at least, she agreed with him. She it was that hunted around camp and found that worthless young man that brought me the news of the Pawnee coming. I had paid him most handsomely to go back home and say nothing, but, as soon as I was out of sight, he had sneaked in again. ““Why, to the Spavinaw Hills I heard him say he was going, over be- yond the Creek country,’ this worth- less one told her. ‘And not at all will he return, did he say, until a vision which he had is fulfilled. A one-eyed Creek half-breed was to give him a spotted pony before he would pack up and come homeward, were the words that he said to his wife.’ “When they found that out, very sure was Winking Bear in his heart that I was the one who had made him the trouble. He hustled around, and at last he got hold of a poor miserable old spotted pony, blind in one eye, and almost too toothless to eat. The next thing to do was to locate a Creek half- breed with one eye, but my cousin, Winking Bear, having some Creek blood, that, too, with the help of his relatives, was he able to accomplish. They found a Creek mulatto who had had one eye put out with a razor by a Black-meat (Negro) and they hired him to chase up to the Spavinaw Hills and give me the horse, telling me that he was instructed to do so in a dream. ELL, partner, not any such vision that I would have to stay up there until I was given a calico pony by a Creek half-breed with one eye did I have, as a matter of course. That was just an excuse to satisfy my woman, the sis- ter of Winking Bear, so that she would pack up and go away from there with me. But, wah! When that half- breed appeared with the horse, she wanted right away to go back, and me, well, [ began to think there was some- thing medicine about it in my own heart. Never at all did I suspect it was a trap until I got right back to Deep Fork and Keokuk sent his Braves to pounce on me and fetch me into his wigwam to face the Pawnee woman. “Of course, there was my cousin Winking Bear, with his face as blank as a smooth stone but laughing in his heart at me and the easy way that he was getting out of his trouble. The Pawnee old witch seemed to recognize me also. She hugged me and kissed me and began to get out a lot of pres- ents for me and for Keokuk. Hey! Alas! Pretty bad is the way that it began to look for me. And my woman, she was right there, too, in the lodge and looking on. Not at all did I like the way that her eyes blazed at me. ““Oh, Keokuk, great Chief of the Yellow Earths!’ I shouted, for the old man was a bit deaf. ‘Why am I, who am but a young man and as yet have never done anything worthy of men- tion, selected to receive this honor ?’ “The old man grinned. “Why, to be sure as a matter of course, this is your Beautiful Little Fawn Woman, with whom you eloped from the Pawnee village of Skidi,’ he answered. “She fell from your horse in the pursuit set up by her husband, and he recaptured her, but now he is dead, and she is seeking her bride- groom, Be happy; tonight we will have a big feast, and [ will give you each five horses, for I am glad to see our people allied with the powerful Pawnee!’ “Partner, about this time I felt like a man who has had a skinful of fire- water the night before and is only just beginning to come back to his senses. Huh! Very sick was the way that I felt inside from the appearance of that old Pawnee horned toad. And, again, even if she had been as beauti- ful as an antelope, my wife is a very jealous woman! I began to call on my medicine and play for a little time. ““Alas, O Chief, I regret that I cannot accept your horses!’ I spoke up. ‘Not very well known is it about our nation, but, when I was born, at the very same time, I say, did my mother give birth to a twin brother with me. Exactly like me is the way that they say he looks, though I have never seen him. Alas, at no more than the age of three was he stolen away by the Comanche! But I have reason to believe that he is still alive, since many times since have I been blamed for the scrapes that he gets into!’ “Old Keokuk looked long and hard at me and sat there smoking. As for the Pawnee woman, she paid no at- tention but kept on unpacking her presents. Apparently she was well content with the man that was brought her. Winking Bear had escaped, but not at all did she mean to let me get out of her clutches. As for our chief, hm, well, very likely he did not believe that straight was the way that I was ComiclboooxkS. com