The Frontier, May 1926 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

talking. And yet, maybe in his heart there was after all a little pity for me, for am I not Bright Horns, a man of the Buffalo clan, who has done much to build up the honor of our people? Something like this it was in my heart to remind him of, when he spoke to me. “Tt is good, Bright Horns, my son. You say that your twin brother still lives in the Comanche country? Very well, just now a white buffalo hunter has come into our camp. I will send for him and see if he can give us word of your brother! If your brother ex- ists, then no doubt he is really the man. If not, tonight we will celebrate the marriage ceremony between you and this Pawnee woman.’ “So the old chief sent out for a mes- senger, and while we were waiting I tried to look at my wife out of the cor- ner of one eye, but she was gone from the wigwam. Then I got the attention of Straight Horns, a man of my clan, who was a Brave and served Keokuk. “‘Five horses, if you will stand away from the door and let me run for it,’ I offered. ‘Six if you manage to block the way and give me a good start !’ “But Straight Horns was of the opinion that once I had cheated him in the matter of a swapping of horses, and he pretended he could not see me. Besides, Winking Bear, that ill-smell- ing sore-eyed coyote, held up seven fingers, meaning that was the number of ponies that he was willing to give to have me held there, Eh, wah, that was the worst fix that I have ever been caught in, and once the Osage found me taking a swim naked in an old spring-hole, without any weapons! “Every time I studied that old Paw- nee woman the bottom seemed to fall out of my stomach, and every time I thought of what my wife would say I really desired to be back in the spring- hole surrounded by the Osage and lis- tening to their laughter. RETTY soon I heard the sound of 4 many footsteps, and a lot of our na- 4 tion came into the wigwam, and with them the white buffalo hunter. When I saw who it was, my heart started beating once more a little. Be- hold, it was Pope Filbert, for that is the way that they name him, and once, in a very tight place I had managed to get him out of it. Yes, he and his wo- A BRIDE TOO MANY man were hard up because Cherokee Bill and his outlaws had run off all their stock, but I got them all back for them and kept them from starving, “Five horses, if you will let me run for it,” I offered. they and their little children. Am I not called Bright Horns? That was the obligation I had him under. A few words of the Long Knife tongue [ am able to master. “My flend, tellum yes you don’ know me!’ I whispered. ‘Help me, my flend !’ “That white man, he never made out to hear me! He just walks in, and stands there. “Do you know him, this man?’ Keokuk asks him in the sign lan- guage. “Pope Filbert he shut one eye, and studied me long time very hard. “*No, can’t say I do, Keokuk,’ he signs back. ‘But I’ve seen a man just like him! “Where?” signed Keokuk. “Why, over in the Comanche coun- try.’ “Can you fetch him here ?” éé ‘No.’ “Why not? “‘He is dead. Only fast week I helped bury him. He and some friends stole a bunch of Cheyenne horses, The Cheyenne chased them and caught them and put out their fires,’ “Well, right now Keokuk and the Braves, and even the old Pawnee wo- man, began to believe that I had been talking straight. Almost did Winking Bear commence to believe it, and, part- ner, I was so surprised to hear the white man back up my whole story that I began to think that I must have 71 had a twin brother myself! That old Pawnee horned toad began to weep and wail and tear her hair. The guards let me go, and I heard her calling to the men of her party to pack up, be- cause she was going right over where her lover was buried and make a sacri- fice at his grave. Yes, the white man said that for two horses and four buf- falo robes he would guide her right to it. I went back to my lodge to get my best buffalo horse. ‘Really, to my mysterious brother’s grave I ought to be likewise making a pilgrimage,’ I thought in my heart. “Besides, I also considered that it was better to put off explaining to my woman about it until she had cooled off a little. “But, when I got to the place where my wigwam had stood, there was noth- ing there but the poles. The ponies were all gone, my buffalo horse, and all the others. There was a boy loaf- ing around, a boy of the Thunder clan, and he spoke to me. ‘Oh, yes, Bright Horns, your wo- man has gone up to Yuchi Creek to visit her mother,’ he told me. ‘The ponies and all the household utensils she has taken with her. Only your buffalo horse and about three other ponies, I saw her give them to that white fellow just before Keokuk sent for him. For a long time she was talking with him.’ “Huh! So that is the way of it. In what manner of a way was my wo- man apparently feeling when she de- parted?’ I asked him. “Well, as a matter of fact, very red in the face was your woman. Hardly even pleasantly did she talk, even to me!’ “When I had studied this over, I de- cided that I would go and borrow a pony of Winking Bear. Surely, I thought in my heart, even my vaga- bond cousin will not refuse me, espe- cially when it was through him that I find myself in this extremity. RAS \ UT, when I got to i) iW where Winking m\| Bear’s wigwam was standing in the morning, exactly in the same condition as mine did I find it. Poles only, And there was Winking Bear, all alone, sit- ting with his blanket pulled up over his head as though his heart was bad. I went up to him. “*Hau, Cousin,’ I said to him. But he answered me nothing. ‘I say, Wink- COMICLOOXSa6OM