| Show E THE NIGHT OF THE DARK MOON t an indian legend by S away to the far northwest sitting alone in her tepee old maw a nee shivered the wind came hurrying along clattering the reach poles overhead on which were stretched half tanned coats from wild animals playfully the flap at the opening was raised and lowered as if by unseen hands I 1 am old and my blood runs slow ly said malanee I 1 wonder how many winters more again the wind shrieked and the flap was raised this time not by the breeze for in crept a score of little indian bos and girls who had come to hear old ma wa nee tell stories tell us the story of the bears and the dark moon said one and all the rest clapped their wee red bands in approval to them the story was ever both were Mis chevious new although told by old ma wa nee many times before and thie Is the story she related many many moons ago when I 1 was a little girl there lived on the banks of the platte a mother and her two children spike and spangle both little bears were mischievous but spike more so than his sister the mother bear when the cubs were two years old sent them to school where they were taught many things just like you children are over at the agency one day spike persuaded spangle to play truant and hide in the green woods until time to go home all through the hours of school they ram bled up and down the platte climbed trees that grew on either side of the canon and enjoyed themselves having escaped school so easily one day spike proposed to spangle next morning that they try it again and they did on this day they ar banged to go farther up the canon and visit another little bear who go to school so following along like indians do the two cubs trotted over a well beaten path and were laughing and talking about how they had fooled their mother when all at once without a moment s warn ing spike disappeared and spangle hurrying up to see where he had gone soon followed they had fallen into a bear pit no sooner did they land at the bottom than they began to growl and make all he noise possible hoping to at attention from some neighbor bear who might be passing and who would help them out before the red man came that it was a bear pit they had fallen into they had no doubt tor they had often heard their mother talk about her experience with one but she fall in for she caught herself just in time but growl andja sake all the noise they could no one caage to take them out and when night came spangle cried herself to sleep at last it began to get gray in the east and spike awoke hie slater and told her they must try again to get out or the red man would be there at sun peep and get them sure for red men even bears know go to their traps and pits very early suddenly a shadow appeared at the mouth of the pit and a red face looked down it was my grandfather into whose pit the little bears had fallen he was much pleased when be saw the cubs and ran off to the village to get help to get them out finally when drawn up both little bears were so frightened they could not say a word not even growl my grand took the cubs to the village and tied them to a tree at first it wa intended to kill the cubs for food but they were saved because my grandfather heard them talking one day and learned from them he could understand bear talk you know that they had started to school and fallen into the bear pit while playing amant my grandfather was a good man a great chief and deold the cubs it they would promise never to run away from school again he would let them go home they both promised and to make it more binding spike crossed his breas with his paw soon thereafter they were both scampering home as fast as their leg would carry them that night before the little bears cuddled down to sleep their mother told them of a great dark moon that was to come soon an eclipse the paleface call it and warned them in case she were away on a certain night not to leave the den or they might get lost and perhaps fall into another bear pit the cubs were al lowed to go about not too far from the den when he moon shone but never on dark early next morning both spike and spangle were awake and when time came trotted off to school on the way home that afternoon spike asked his sister it she wouldn t like to see all kinds of animals who were to gather at a certain point on a certain night and watch for the dark moon their mother had told them about of course I 1 rould replied spangle but mother will not let us go will shea not it she knows it replied spike but maybe we can get away somehow the day of the dark moon the little bears mother told them she was going up the canon a long ways and would not be bad until midnight but for them not to worry about her she also again told them of the dark moon and warned them to remain in side the den when night came the long day passed and just al nightfall a little playmate bear scratched at the door he was on his way up the canon he said and asked spike and spangle to go with him did spike and spangle go asked all the little red children in chorus X A lust as they had asked the same ques tion many times before yes they went replied old ma wa nee if they haan hadn t my story would end here then she resumed the moon came out bright before they had gone very far and BS the little bears pas ed along they took careful notice of the surroundings so they could find their way home just as red men do and at last they came to the forks of the stream they had been following they were not the first there however by any means tor many many animals were there before them and owls crows and eagles hawks and all kinds of birds that live along the platte and its tributaries just how many wild ani all night in the woods mals were tl ere I 1 do not know but I 1 have heard it sam among them were bears wolves foxes mountain lions badgers elofs coons and deer all drawn together lie one great family with no idea of harming each other the coming dark moon had brought them the first to appear during their existence this dark moon is to last all night I 1 hear said a coon yes replied a mountain lion spike and spangle and the little neighbor bear were among the last to leave and so it happened no one went their way off to the right they knew lay their home and with spike in the lead they were soon trotting along up one hill and down another now scaling a canon by the aid of scrub pines to which they clung and occasionally tumbling headlong they made their way until splash they fell into the pla te they had lost their bearings lit tie spangle growled and whined as girl bears do but spike and the neigh bor bear cheered her up and assured her they would soon find the way out but they dian didn t find their way and all night wandered in the woods and climbed more hills then came the sun peep but they were many miles from home it was almost noon when they reached the end of their journey the mother bear had been out hunting them and when she was told of the visit to the view cliff up the canon she was angry and growled a great deal and she did more too she took all three little cubs into the den and closed the door one at a time she placed them across her knee and oh how she spanked nor did she forget to spank the little neigh bor bear this ended the story of old ma wa nee and the little red children crept out of the tepee and were gone outside the north wind scurried along clattering the reach poles over head the great snow clouds had piled higher and old ma wa nee shivered |
