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Show 1 1 Indian Beauty Was ? JWbcfei or Sculptors 8''- ; T ; jj I "Falling Star" Dcclarco to Have Been a Perfect Specimen P I of the Aboriginal American Had Wonderful Ability ; I I in Ministering to the Sick. "" i HI Ajwjii urn of Natural History f ' Iff ttwi)ft ls n ,mat ,,y Cnsnar S H' WhJCj Mnycr, tho gculptor, of I ) & Mrs. Annlu Fuller, bet- i i ., WAjfli?! tcr 'tnow" ns Filling I' 'ftOaall s,nr th0 Abennkl ln' ) ! I " Ljfvif j dlnn woman whoso t 3 . V.' death at Luzerne N. Y 1 , 'w occurred recently. Llko ' many other sculptors and artists, Mr, (f ' Mayer considered Falling Star tho i , finest typ6 of Indian boauty that ho j bad over seen. . , For four years tho demand for nor jilt services as a model was unceasing. j X ! : Bust by Mayer. ! I ' ' ' flf i Sho was Injured ln a railroad accl- jft . ' dent less than a year ago, and hor use- '' 1 1 fulness as an artist's model was nt an ft I t end. Then, a crlpplo, she wont back , to her homo among tho Indians at J i Luzorno, lived a ltfo of suffering, !),' though still able to wcavo baskets, Mi and at length passed away. I Her cntrnnco Into tho world of nrt was dramatic. Ono cold night about flvo years ago an Indian woman wont to Mrs. Harriet Maxwoll Converso In this city, carrying on hor back a pack of beautifully made sweot gsass baskets. bas-kets. Mrs. Convorso wns then, as sho Is now, tho moRt trusted friend tho Indians In-dians hnvo. She Is hcrBolf an ndoptcd chief among tho Indians. To her tho Indian woman, who was "Falling Star," applied for monoy to tako her back to I.uzcrno, offorlng as security for tho payment of tho loan, tho pack of baskets sho carried. Mrs. Converso surprised tho woman by telling her to tako off her hat and coat and sit down. Then sho told her to loosen her hair and It fell In Jet black masses to her feet. It was tho first tlma Mrs. ConvurEo had over scon Falling Star and tho beauty of tho woman Impressed hor and sho quickly realized Falling Star's valuo as an artlstB' model. MrB. Converso told her that sho could probably earn moro monoy by Bitting still beforo an nrtlst for five hours than sho could by selling has-kots has-kots for a week, but Falling Stnr did not tako to tho plan. Sho had tho senso of modesty that Is characteristic character-istic of all Indian women and thought that sho must poso undraped. That sho refused to do, and not until she was told that not oven her arms and houldors need bo bared would sho agreo to poso. Even then sho could not understand why pcoplo wero willing wil-ling to pay her so handsomely for bo llttlo work. Mrs. Convorso becamo tho woman's boat friend, and by Inquiry among the Indians and by questioning Falling Star herself mannged to learn hor his- Sho was born about forty years ago ln tho Indian vlllngo of St. Fronds near Montreal. Her grnndunclo was Sobatts, who later becamo ono of the best known Adirondack guides. From him tho girl learned nil tho trlckB of woodcraft, hunting nnd Ashing and when Bho grow up none of tho braves " wns moro Buro with tho rlflo or moro If WM I Falling Star. skilful ln luring trout, Sho was also V an expert with tho bow and arrow and f vu nover moro happy than when r showing hor skill. ; Wlion about 20 tho gtrl moved to j tho Adirondack country, whero she (B ' mado baskets and peddled thorn WBut nmong tho guests at tho summer ho- SNgJl 1 tols. Not n fow New Yorkers Haw Ml& I ,lcr thero but once and nevertheless SB ' J romember hor well on account of her iml' ft beauty. v ' Laaaaa Sho was bo good a sportswoman nnd know tho woods ro thoroughly that, If sho had so wlshod, sho could have found steady employment ns a guldo. Hut sho would render that scrvlco for only a chosen fow. Llko most Indians, no mattor what tholr religion, sho bellovcd ln spirit nnd wltchcrnft. Ono story which alio told Mrs. Converso will Illustrate this. Sho said that a girl of hor tribe was warned by her grandmother not to lot a certain woman touch hor, because, a spell might bo cast Hut ono day tho supposed witch carried tho girl to tho woods atid, after keeping hor there all day, sont her homo again. Her grandmother grand-mother heard of hor misbehavior and punished her. That evening, sho said, the girl saw a worm, almost as largo as a snnko, crawl between tho logs of her cabin. Tho worm commanded hor to follow and lod her to tho witch. Then, sho said, tho girl told of her punishment and tho witch, ln rovongo, Bent tho worm to stay forever ln tho grandmother's grand-mother's knoo. And nlways after that tho grandmothor was lame. Falling Stnr believed tho story was true. Among hor other qualities Falling Star had tho Indian ability to heal tho sick. Sho know tho antidoto for stings and rattlcsnako bites and gavo tho secret to Mrs. Convorso. Tako the leaves and roots of tho wild violet, sho Bald, and after crushing them ln tho hnnds, npply a ball of tho pulp to tho wound and It will not result Bcrlously. Indians say It Is a suro euro. ' Members of her trlbo said that once sho cured a man of a enncor. Falling Star said that was so, but w.ould not divulge that secret and It died with her. Falling Star novor know what fear was. Hor friendship was right Toyal. She nover forgot a wrong, but sought i A Characteristic Costume, no rovongo. Hor fnvorlto motto was: "Don't diBown a person who has lied to you but onco. It ho lies twlco, disown dis-own him." |