Wild Roses: A Tale of the RockiesDriggs, Howard R. (Howard Roscoe)
General
Wild Roses: A Tale of the Rockies
Driggs, Howard R. (Howard Roscoe)
Mountain life -- Fiction; Rocky Mountains -- Fiction
A cloud glided over the face of the moon, making the gloom of the pines
deeper. Some time later the moon shone out again, lighting the way of
the lovers, stealing back to their tepees. They had almost reached their
respective lodges and Bud was chuckling to himself over the success of
his scheme, when he caught sight of a tall brave standing by a wigwam
watching them. Flying Arrow had risen to make sure that all was well in
camp. Bud gave him a sneaking look as he passed, and caught the angry
flash in the young chief’s eyes. Not a word was said, but Ankanamp felt
that the Indian instinctively knew what had happened, and a withering
fear struck his heart. He threw it aside, however, and rolled himself up
in his blanket to drop into a heavy sleep.
With the trustful Indian maiden, however, there was neither sleep nor
peace. The maddening joy of requited love was battling in her soul with
anxiety and fear all through the long still night. When morning broke it
brought with it a strange new world for her.
CHAPTER XIII
AT SHADOW POOL
A day or two after this Fred was up early and heading his cattle toward
the good grass along Sage Creek. For several hours he watched them
grazing among the willows; then as they began to quiet and lie down, he
felt safe to leave them, while he kept tryst with Alta.
She had not come when he reached Shadow Pool, so flinging himself on the
grassy bank under the trees, he pulled out of his pocket a small volume
and was soon lost in its pages.
“Good morning,” came a cheery voice to break into his reverie, as Alta,
bursting through the brush, reined Eagle suddenly on the gravel. Fred
jumped up to greet her.
“What’s the tale that charms you so?” she said, slipping from her horse.
“Just an Injun story,” he returned, reaching out the book.
“Hiawatha,” she read; “What’s it about?”
“I hardly know; it seems to be a number of old Indian tales the poet has
woven together about some big chief. The story is strange, but I rather
like it.”
“Read some to me,” she requested.
“I’d rather hear you read,” he half objected.
“That’s not fair; you know the story. Won’t you, please? I’m hungry to
hear something good.”
“Yes,” he responded, “if you really wish it.”
They sat down on the grassy bank together and he began by telling her
briefly the beginnings of the poem, the stories of the peace pipe and
the four winds.
“This myth of the morning star and the east wind is rather charming, I
think,” and he read with appreciative feeling these lines:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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