632 LIFE OUT T&E MISSISSIPPI.
to the scene of fear and fright, rushes out along the leaning tree to tfe
spot where Ms treasure fell, and springing with the fury of a mad panther
pounced upon his prey. The animal turned, and with one stroke of his We
paw brought the lovers heart to heart, but the next moment the warrior
with one plunge of the blade of his toaife, opened the crimson sluices of death!
and the dying bear relaxed his hold.
That night there was no more sleep for the band or the lovers, and as lie
young and the old danced about the carcass of the dead monster, the gallant
warrior was presented with another plume, and ere another moon liad set
he had a living treasure added to his heart. Their children for many years
played upon the skin of the white-bear—from which the lake derives its
name—and the maiden and the brave remembered long the fearful scene and
rescue that made them one, for Kis-se-me-pa and Ka-go-ka could never for-
get their fearful encounter with the huge monster that came so near sending
them to the happy hunting-ground.
It is a perplexing business. First, she fell down out of the tree—
she and the blanket; and the bear caught her and fondled her—her
and the blanket; then she fell up into the tree again—leaving &e
blanket; meantime the lover goes war-whooping home and comss
back * heeled,' climbs the tree, jumps down on the bear, the girl jumps
down after him—apparently, for she was up the tree—resumes ier
place in the bear's arms along with the blanket, the lover rams his
knife into the bear, and saves—whom, the blanket 1 Ko—nothing
of the sort. You get yourself all worked up and excited about that
blanket, and then all of a sudden, just when a happy climax seems
imminent you are let down flat—nothing saved but the girl
Whereas, one is not interested in the girl; she is not the promi-
nent feature of the legend. Nevertheless, there you are left, and
there you must remain; for if you live a thousand years you wiS
.never know who got i»he blanket. A dead man could get up a better
legend than this one. I don't mean a fresh dead man either; I mean a
man. that's been dead weeks and weeks.
We struck the home-trail now, and in a few hours were in that
astonishing Chicago—a city where they are always rubbing the lamp,
and fetching up the genii, and contriving and achieving new impos-
sibilities. It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up
with Chicago—she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make
them. She ia always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago yos