Red Plume — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

"6 RED PLUME. experience -of the day had left him with aching bones and - smarting flesh, but he bore these afilictions bravely, and they only served to increase the rigid solemnity of his countenance. More trouble awaited him. After he had safely deposited Nip-muck-we on his couch in his lodge, and had attended to his wounds, he left him in the care of the old medicine _ woman, and went to seek his fair cousin. ‘He soon discoy- ered that she had been placed in a.lodge by herself, and was closely guarded. He learned that this had been done by the order of old As-moo-tah, who was reserving the white maiden until she could be infeon as a bride by her brother, the Fat Bear. He felt that his request would not be granted, if he should ask permission to see her, and was sure that it would be very impolitic to make such an application. Consequent- ly, he contented himself with inward anathenias. — . “Confound the pesky critturs !” he thought. ‘“ Darned if I don’t believe they will beat me yet. I’m gittin’ doubtful whether all Massachusetts could swindle ’em much. If I thought there was any fear that cousin Nelty would ever be the squaw of that, ugly old chief, he wouldn’t live an hour, if they burnt me for it afore morning!” Trouble on trouble’s head accumulates. It never rains but it pours. Kben Gookin soon had cause enough to believe that serious poet, who said: ‘* Oh, what a tangled web we weayve,, When first we practice to deceive !” Htc we old warrior who had so kindly favored him with his blistering barb, and whose mellifluous name was Asli-ne-cow- me-no-qua, again approached him, and desired his medical services. The fact is, that the crusty and spiteful old fellow with the hard name thought he knew a thing or two, and he shrewdly suspected that the Yankee was a humbug. He was, also, determined to test the truth of his suspicions. He stated, through the interpreter, that he had heard the medicine-man say that the Big Arrow could make the women of the Blackfeet beautiful, and desired to be informed whether he had heard aright, or whether a little bird had whispered it to him. “T calkilate there won’t never be no hummin’ birds peckin’ about your ears, you cantankerous old scamp !” commenced comicbooks.cohn +