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The chief, with two of the most active men of the tribe, leading, they proceeded rapidly at first, then at a sign from the leader more slowly. Silently and cautiously they scanned the margin of the stream, landing occasionally to search for foot-prints or other signs, such as a broken twig or crushed fern, or any other indication of the presence of the fugitives. Then entering their canoes again, but leaving a man on either side to follow the shore on foot, they thus in silence but alert and watchful advanced until it grew dark under the shade of the trees, when they rejoined one another, and spent the night in company.

The next morning they resumed the search in the same order as before, the chief with his men a short distance in advance of the others. About noon Fragrant Flower, from her hiding place sighted the chief's canoe, and with quickened pulse hastened to Kluwana and the child, cautioning her to keep well under cover, and not to allow the slightest sound to be heard. She then hastened back to her watch-tower, from whence she could recognize her pursuers and observe their

movements.

The canoe of the chief, after being propelled for a short distance by vigorous but noiseless strokes, would at a sign from him be held stationary, by the paddles being held perpendicular in the water and manipulated by an occasional turn of the wrist, the chief meanwhile standing and viewing the banks of the stream with keen, rapid glances. In this order the party passed up the river, little thinking that their movements had been watched by Fragrant Flower, who remained in her hiding place until nightfall. Then rejoining Kluwana and her charge she related the events of the day and also explained her plans for the future, which were to keep a vigilant watch, until such time as the nine men who composed the chief's party had returned down stream, when they would all make for their old camping place, recover their canoe, and busy themselves catching and smoking fish, and gathering wild berries and other food to last through the coming winter.

The two following days passed without any incident calculated to cause alarm. But on the third day about noon she saw

the three canoes pass rapidly down the river; when the last one had passed out of her sight, she sought her companions and with them returned to the place they called home.

The next morning she recovered her canoe and when it was brought to its old landing place, she saw with great satisfaction that the search party had spent one night in its immediate vicinity, the ashes of their camp fire being plainly seen, but as it was getting dark when they landed they had failed to observe any marks which might have betrayed her. Besides the landing of three canoes and the movements of nine men in their preparations for spending the night, obliterated any signs which would have been visible otherwise.

Upon the return to their homes of the chief and his party, sad, disappointed and overwhelmed by superstitious fears of the intervention of spirits or demons on behalf of the fugitives, fearful forebodings of evil became general in the village. For although Indians are heroes against

mortal and visible foes, yet when their superstitious fears are fairly aroused they are much like timid children in the dark.

The stories of the old men of the village, of what had happened in the past through the agency of malignant spirits were now readily believed and a settled conviction became general that Fragrant Flower and her companions had gained the protection of a powerful spirit, who could render them invisible at will, or cause the mountain side to open and admit admit them into immense caverns, whence, as they all knew, mocking voices. would call back to them, or to any one who shouted, or even spoke loud in their vicinity, and the prevalence of this belief effectually prevented any further attempts being made to recover the missing child.

As peace and friendship had existed for some time between the Chehalis and Silver Creek tribes, friendly visits were frequently exchanged between the members of the rival villages, and some weeks after the visits related, the chief of the Chehalis, accompanied by a number of his braves, arrived at Silver Creek, on a friendly visit, and informed their neighbors that two young men of their tribe

had recently left their homes, and as they were kinsmen of Fragrant Flower's late lover, whom the chief and his companions had slain, they feared that they had passed up the river in the night, with the intention of seeking her, they having, it was supposed, some mysterious knowledge of where she was to be found. And as they had always cherished revengeful feelings against the chief for the part he had taken in the death of their relative, they now, it was believed, wished to join her and together plan how best to accomplish their revengeful designs. This intelligence gave them fresh causes for anxiety.

After the departure of his visitors, the chief feeling the necessity of doing something to allay the terrors of his people, called a council to devise some means of protecting themselves from he knew not what danger. After a long conference, during which the old men added not a little to the fears of their hearers, by reciting legends which had come down through many generations, the head medicine man of the tribe, who had listened in silence till now, arose to his feet, and, speaking wildly though as one bearing authority, said:

"My children, you are very foolish, you waste your time listening to silly stories, or sleep it away in your lodges by the river side.

"If you would spend it when not at useful work, on the mountains, listening to the voices which can be heard there whispering words of wisdom, or watching at night the camp fires of the great spirit and his people whose lodges are far above the tops of the highest mountains, you would become wise, and your words would not be as the chattering of squirrels. Listen to me, my children. It is true that those whom you wish to destroy because you fear them, although they are but few, and you are many, may have gained the favor of the spirits of the mountains, who may hide them from the sight of your eyes when you seek them. Still, they must eat, and salmon is the food which is provided for your subsistence every season. So long as salmon and canoes can get up the river, you can not prevent a tribe of people being formed there, who may become powerful and be your enemies. If,

therefore, you have wisdom enough to prevent fish and canoes from getting up you will be safe. If not, you may be destroyed. I have spoken."

The aged man then slowly made his way from the council, where perfect silence prevailed, to a rude shelter in the forest, where he passed most of the time alone.

The silence was at length broken by the chief, who said:

"Our Father is wise, the words spoken by him are good; we rust prevent salmon from getting up the river; where the mountains come close to the river is the place; let every man be ready to go with me tomorrow and we will roll stones from the steep hill-sides, and make a wall so high that neither salmon nor canoes can pass it; be ready when the sun rises over the mountain tops."

The next morning a lively scene was witnessed, when a fleet of canoes, each carrying several men, left the village and were propelled up stream to where the banks on either side rose steep and high, and its channel was contracted by an encroaching bluff. Here the party landed, half on either side, and commenced detaching the loose rocks, and rolling them. into the stream.

Although at first, timid and somewhat fearful, they soon gained confidence from their number and rolling stones down the steep bank supplied excitement, so the work went bravely on. Toward evening they returned to their camp, and resumed their labor early next morning, hoping to complete their task before night. But, to their annoyance, they found that much of the work which they had done on the previous day had been destroyed, owing to the strength of the current caused by the channel having been filled in on either side.

They worked hard all day in the vain endeavor to complete their task before. nightfall, but when they thought their work was nearing a successful completion, the weight of water which had accumulated above their dam, again proved too great for its strength, and it began to give way in the center. Seeing this, the chief, in desperation, threw himself into the river above the dam, allowing his body to be pressed against it by the

current for the purpose of strengthening it, but the suction quickly carried him under, whilst the pressure forced him hard against the stones, where it held him securely. Horrified and with their superstitious fears all revived, the tribesmen in a panic fled to their canoes, and with all possible speed returned to their village, where their wild and incoherent narratives of what had happened, caused indescribable scenes of terror and despair.

It was several weeks before anyone from the village could muster courage to visit the scene of the calamity, nor can these untutored people be justly charged with cowardice on account of their fears, for they attributed all their misfortune,

which culminated in the tragic death of their chief, to the agency of malignant spirits, or at least to some supernatural power. When at length a party consisting of several of the bravest members of the tribe, started up the creek for the purpose of recovering if possible the body of their late chief, their astonishment was great when on reaching the place they found that where their efforts to obstruct the river had been futile, a ledge of solid rock ten feet high now extended from bank to bank, and that the outlines of the form of their lost chief could be clearly traced in its formation.

Because he had sacrificed his life in an endeavor to benefit his people, the Great Spirit had transformed him into the rock.

The Greater Loss

By Andreas Bard

Would Thou hadst died, while on the shrine of passion
The mystic flame still burned within my breast;

Would I had wept, unsolaced, o'er Thy ashes,

And laid, with Thee, Love's troubled dream to rest!

Not thus. Thy presence which to highest heaven

Once raised my thought; the words which used to thrill, The dream, the love, the rapture-now in ruins! Within this death-chilled bosom all is still.

Would Thou hadst died, ere dull despair had written
With a remorseful pen Love's threnody;

Or that together with its lofty visions

This soul of mine had lost its memory!

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HE DEMOCRATIC Party has, in the past, well earned its right to be represented by the braying, long-eared quadruped, and its recent performance in attempting to brand the President as a "faker" and a "four-flusher" is quite in keeping with this classification. This unfortunate state of affairs is due in some measure to those who are responsible for the recent attack upon the President-an attack which emanated from the Democratic headquarters in Washington, and which evidently had the approval of the Party leaders. For colossal weakness this campaign document stands in a class by itself. "Vilification and abuse" may have been good politics once. If so, the time has passed. No one is deceived by it today. This is especially true when such a policy is adopted towards President Roosevelt. Even the ignorant voters of the country know that Roosevelt is an honest man. They know he has "made good." They believe that he always does what he thinks to be right. But, like all men, he has made mistakes, for the man is yet to be found who is perfect. Roosevelt's record, however, is a triumph of statesmanship, of tenacity of purpose, and of Christian character. To call him a "faker" and a "four-flusher," therefore, is an insult to American citizenship and to its loftiest ideals, and it should prove a boomerang to the Party which fathered such an insult. We have had enough of this sort of thing in American politics, and as long as it is tolerated, or allowed to pass without the most vigorous protests, so long will the political standard remain debased.

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The scathing commentary on Democratic wisdom which the Party has brought upon itself by this recent campaign document is only one of its minor troubles, however. Democracy is in a more serious plight. It will take several decades yet to recover fully from the effect of the Civil War. Discredit was brought upon the Party in the North, and the strong men there have naturally affiliated with the Republican Party. In the South, of course, the reverse is the case. But the North rules the Nation, and forty years have not been sufficient to adjust the situation. The Democratic Party, therefore, when compared to the Republican, is laboring under a very heavy handicap. This is painfully evident in the situation today. Bryan seems to be the only Democrat of Presidential calibre who is sufficiently well known to justify a nomination. Parker's candidacy was a farce. Yet it is instructive because it illustrates in the most forcible manner the plight of the Democratic Party-its lack of strong, forceful men, who are known throughout the Nation. Of course we may acccont for this condition through the continued success of the Republican Party, which has never been at a loss for the man for the occasion. Democracy has consequently been unable to try, or even to develop, its men or its possibilities. Yet it has had great leaders, and it will have great leaders in the future. There can be no doubt of that, for its period of leadership and power must come eventually, because the Democratic Party has been generally in advance of the times. Yet there are principles advocated by the Democratic Party which ought to prevail now, and they would prevail if the Party could avoid its blunders if it could be better advised. As it is, its headlong, ill-directed course discourages those who, to keep in line, must perforce look to the dim past and take courage in the ancient traditions and honors of the Party.

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