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Nika tikeh nika ole tilikums. 
 
 Nika tikeh nika chee tilikums. 
 
 Pee ole tikeh elip hyas markook kopa konaway. 
 
A Romance of the Sawtooth 
 
A 
 
 Romance of the 
 Sawtooth 
 
 By OGAL ALLA 
 
 Author of Blue Eye, Etc. 
 
 Published and for sale by the author, Nampa, Idaho 
 
 Sent post paid on receipt of $1.00 
 
 if your book store can 
 
 not supply you 
 
Copyrighted 1917 by F. G. Mock 
 
 PI ESS OF 
 
 SYMS-YORK COMPANY 
 
J/2* 7 
 
 Bancroft Library 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 To 
 
 This Book 
 
 Is Affectionately 
 
 Dedicated 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I On the Salmon River 13 
 
 II Redwolf Jess Talks Marriage 19 
 
 III As to Claim Jumping 29 
 
 IV I Will Love You Always And Wait 39 
 
 V The Storm on the Sawtooth 51 
 
 VI Safe With Aunt Nannie 61 
 
 VII Looking for Kidnappers 71 
 
 VIII Chip Chip In Playful Mood 85 
 
 IX The Big Fight 101 
 
 X The Trial Then Good Bye to the 
 
 Sawtooth 115 
 
 XI Mysterious Valley 131 
 
 XII The Lord's Prayer in Chinook.. . 147 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 "To him that hath shall be given, 
 even 'o trouble, for, when opportunity 
 comes our way an' we grab hold o' the 
 tail o' the Golden Calf, there is usually 
 a very pretty race 'til the Calf gits 
 away." 
 
 In this story you will find characters 
 men and women that you will rec 
 ognize as your neighbors and friends, 
 and will of course love them. They are 
 those kindly, generous, western people, 
 who, not only helped blaze the trails, 
 but have "grown up with the country," 
 along with their children. The bad 
 men yes, there were bad men in Idaho 
 in early days, and there are some here 
 yet, but not many. So then, you will 
 not have to go to Mysterious Valley to 
 find people like Uncle Henry and Aunt 
 Mary, Uncle John and Aunt Lucy, 
 
 11 
 
Kuna and Oneida, Chip Chip and Becca, 
 Aunt Nannie and Jim Worth, for as I 
 stated above, they are our neighbors 
 and friends and live all about us. Per 
 haps I should modify that statement a 
 little, and will, so far as it relates to 
 Jim Worth; there is only one of him, 
 but a neighbor and friend to all, just 
 the same. 
 
 My thanks are due and are hereby 
 extended to Gill & Co., Portland, Ore 
 gon, publishers of Gill's Dictionary of 
 the Chinook Jargon, for permission to 
 reproduce the Lord's Prayer, as it ap 
 pears in the last chapter. 
 
 To those dear old Pioneers, whose 
 reminiscences I have worked over into 
 this story, I can only say, I thank you. 
 You have been neglected, but you will 
 yet "come into your own," for the place 
 in history that is yours will be given 
 you. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 12 
 
A Romance of the 
 Sawtooth 
 
 i 
 
 ON THE SALMON RIVER 
 Over on the Salmon River, in Central 
 Idaho, is a little settlement composed of 
 big hearted mountaineers, whose "tales 
 of adventure listen like the impossible." 
 But after being with them a short time, 
 you realize that they are just plain, old- 
 fashioned, honest, truthful, well-to-do 
 people. They are not looking for noto 
 riety, they are shunning it, for the only 
 way I could get their story was to prom 
 ise not to give the exact location of 
 their homes and not to mention their 
 real names. Several of the older mem 
 bers have "crossed over," this being the 
 way they speak of those who have died. 
 But the story of their hardships has 
 been handed down, and so impressed on 
 
 13 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 the minds of the children, that they too 
 seem to suffer, and, really live those 
 exciting days they never saw, nor never 
 will see. They think they know what 
 the old Pioneers had to endure in chang 
 ing that little valley from a dreary 
 waste to one of pretty homes, cut off 
 from civilization as they were, but it 
 all came to them by word of mouth 
 instead of the real, actual experience. 
 And the children have heard the story 
 so often, it is as vivid to them as though 
 they had helped blaze the trails and 
 took part in the fighting. 
 
 John Bruneau and his wife were 
 among the early settlers in this little 
 valley. When their daughter, Oneida, 
 was four years old she was kidnapped 
 by a band of renegade Indians and car 
 ried away. These Indians had given 
 the settlers a great deal of trouble, be 
 ing what we would call Gipsies. They 
 
 14 
 
ON THE SALMON RIVER 
 
 spent their time wandering about. In 
 summer they would be up in the Idaho 
 mountains; in winter they would be 
 somewhere down the Columbia River. 
 For seven years Oneida lived and wan 
 dered about with these Indians, but they 
 treated her well, even sending her to 
 one of the old Missions to school, Her 
 parents sold their stock, and mortgaged 
 the old homestead to get money to hunt 
 for their little girl, so when she re 
 turned, as mysteriously as she had left, 
 her parents were bankrupt, but of 
 course very happy to know their girl 
 was alive and with them again. Just 
 how she made her escape, and who as 
 sisted her, was not known by the people 
 of the Valley 'til some years later. 
 
 Henry Thomas and family were 
 neighbors of the Bruneau's and had 
 helped in the hunt for Oneida. Their 
 own children had all "crossed over," 
 
 15 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 except Kuna, Kuna Tom, as he was 
 called and is to be known. He was 
 about three years older than Oneida, so 
 they were playmates yes, lovers 
 from the time Oneida had, as she put it, 
 "made her escape from the Indians." 
 She had been with a dozen different 
 tribes, and of course had learned much 
 of their jargon. She taught this jargon 
 to Kuna, and he helped her some with 
 the few old school books he had, for 
 school houses were not as numerous in 
 those days as they are now. When she 
 was seventeen arrangements were made 
 to send her to Boise to school, but just 
 how the expense would be met they did 
 not know. 
 
 "HI help ye some girlie," said Kuna, 
 when it was finally decided to let her go. 
 And he did. He soon went to work for 
 the K Company, a big cow outfit, over 
 on the Malad. When he'd get a pay 
 
 16 
 
ON THE SALMON RIVER 
 
 check, part of it went to Oneida and the 
 rest to his parents. He only kept 
 enough to pay the expenses of the trip 
 each year to the Sawtooth, for he had 
 located a mining claim near the head 
 of the Salmon River, and would go up 
 there to do the assessment work. 
 
 But we must leave this Valley now 
 Mysterious Valley, it is called by many, 
 for those who are just a little supersti 
 tious will take you around behind a tree 
 and talk in whispers, if they talk at all, 
 about the name and the Indian legend 
 which has become attached to that part 
 of the country. Just now we are inter 
 ested more in the people than the mys 
 tery, for it has to do with the com 
 munity only, so as I have said, we will 
 leave it for a time. Later you shall 
 know, then you can judge for yourself 
 whether the Valley has been rightly 
 named, for we shall visit it again, some 
 time. 
 
 17 
 
II 
 
 REDWOLF JESS TALKS 
 
 MARRIAGE 
 
 "Now look here, Kuna, this'll make 
 three times I've tole ye to git out o' this- 
 yer mountain, so I give ye fair warnin'. 
 I've jumped yer claim, set up new 
 stakes, done the 'sessment work an' re 
 corded the proof. Ye aint got no rights 
 'at the Grabber Minin' Company is 
 bound to respect, f er yer location papers 
 aint made out right nohow. Besides, 
 our Peacock claim allus did overlap yer 
 Wild Hoss claim, an' ye know it, even if 
 ye did locate fust. So then, ye might 
 as well vamoose an' go back to punchin' 
 cows. Oneida don't like ye anymore, 
 nohow, f er she tells me this at breakfast 
 this mo'nin'. She ruther tie up with a 
 man as has a big salary an' money in 
 the bank than a pauper like ye air. 
 
 19 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Hear me now an' git out an' stay out. 
 We got a cinch on thisyer claim an' we 
 air a goin' to hoi' it." 
 
 The spokesman was a man known as 
 Redwolf Jess, foreman of the Grabber 
 Mining Company, owners of a group of 
 mining claims near the summit of the 
 Sawtooth, and not far from the old town 
 of Vienna. They had a little mill over 
 on the Salmon River side of the moun 
 tain, some distance from the mine. Red 
 had "done time," so it was said, for kill 
 ing old Sam Smiley, the owner of the 
 famous Peacock claim. Red had tried 
 to drive him out of the country, but he 
 refused to be bluffed. But after Old 
 Sam had been missing for some weeks, 
 a deed appeared of record, conveying 
 his Peacock claim to the Grabber Min 
 ing Company. The evidence was cir 
 cumstantial, but Red was "sent over the 
 road" for a short time, and later "broke 
 
 20 
 
REDWOLF TALKS MARRIAGE 
 
 into the Pen" a second time for holding 
 up the Ketchum- Yellow Jacket stage. 
 He was a powerful man, stood six foot 
 two, and weighed about two hundred 
 and forty pounds. His hair was red, 
 and his face matched it for color. He 
 had small, piercing brown eyes that 
 looked out from under heavy, overhang 
 ing eyebrows. A scar, that he jokingly 
 referred to as "a mark o' respect," ex 
 tended from the corner of his left eye 
 down across his cheek. It was surmised 
 that Old Sam Smiley gave him that and 
 would have "got him," but a big heavy 
 coat with collar turned up, saved him. 
 Red had many aliases, but the one he 
 was known by in the Sawtooth, he told 
 some of the boys, suited him best. He 
 explained that he got the idea for the 
 name from a bunch of cowboys that he 
 heard singing, "0, I'm a She Wolf an' 
 It's My Night to Howl." But "no fe- 
 
 21 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 male of the species" for him ; he'd make 
 it "Redwolf", for his hair and general 
 appearance would justify such a name. 
 And, besides, it helped him with his 
 bluffs. He stood well with the company 
 on account of his record. When they 
 decided that a certain claim would in 
 crease the value of their holdings, they 
 set about getting it, and often secured 
 title without the formality of buying it. 
 So, then, Red was given a free hand in 
 such matters. He was now trying to 
 drive Kuna Tom out of the country so 
 he could jump his claim, and he had 
 also decided that was about the only 
 way he could win Oneida. He had not 
 spoken to her about this, however. He 
 would take her when the time came, all 
 in his own good way. Of course he 
 would try coaxing, and make love to her 
 in the proper way if she would allow 
 him to, but after all, it did not matter 
 
 22 
 
REDWOLF TALKS MARRIAGE 
 
 so much. He would simply take her, 
 that was all there was to it. But Kuna 
 did not bluff worth a cent, he told him 
 self, as he walked back down the moun 
 tain. 
 
 "But I'll git him. They aint no use 
 fer him a stickin' out agin me. I kinda 
 want that Wild Hoss claim myself, an' 
 that means I'm a goin' to git it. The 
 dam fool had the nerve to say I'd hafter 
 buy it. Huh ! He must think I'm easy. 
 'An' you'll pay a good stiff price fer it, 
 too,' he says, jist as if I was in the habit 
 o' payin' fer minin' claims. The pore 
 simp is to be pitied. He don't know 
 nuthin' about minin'; all he knows is 
 punchin' cows, an' I'll be doin' him a 
 kin'ness to send him back to his favor 
 ite oc'pashion, er kill 'im off," 
 
 So with his mind filled with such 
 thoughts, and an occasional glimpse at 
 himself, he reached the boarding house 
 
 23 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 and begun to make love to Oneida, Per 
 haps it would be better to say he began 
 telling her what he intended to do. 
 
 "I tell ye, Oneida, that Kuna Tom 
 person has got cold feet, an' he's agoin' 
 away." 
 
 "What makes you think so, Mister 
 Jess?" 
 
 "Jist call me Red; I don't like the 
 mister part. The men up to the mine 
 don't mister me, an' since we air en 
 gaged I reckon ye can drap the mister 
 part, too. Now, little one, jist be 
 chummy, an' we'll git real intimate." 
 
 "You and me engaged? Well, I guess 
 hardly; you're either crazy or at least 
 gone a little 'loco.' No, we are not en 
 gaged, and what's more, we are not go 
 ing to be. So there." 
 
 "Now see here, Oneida, ye air off on 
 the wrong spur ; no pay dirt there. Yer 
 folks is pore, keepin' boardin' house is 
 
 24 
 
REDWOLF TALKS MARRIAGE 
 
 erbout all they know now, 'cept ranch- 
 in' an' they've got nothin' to go on even 
 if they had a place down the Valley, 
 which they aint. An' you aint got no 
 business ranchin' er waitin' table. 
 When you an' me is married we'll move 
 up to the big house by the mill, and 
 have a pair o' Chinks to do the house 
 work. I got money in the bank, an' I 
 git a thousan' fer drivin' Kuna Tom off 
 his claim so's the company can jump it. 
 This, o' course, is private an' confiden 
 tial. I bin a likin' ye fer some time, 
 but knowed ye wus a-stickin' out fer 
 Kuna, but 'lowed ye'd push him over 
 when I tells ye how things is goin' to be, 
 an' axes ye ter marry me. Say the word 
 an' we go to the big house an' when I go 
 arter grub fer winter, ye can go erlon' 
 an' git some nice dresses an' jewelry 
 an' visit ol' friends. Now whatcha 
 say?" 
 
 25 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 "No, Mister Jess, it cannot be." 
 
 "Yes, it can; it haster be. Takin' 
 thin's I want is my special business, so 
 we got to settle matters now. Come out 
 here an' set down an' we'll fix the date." 
 
 At this, he grabbed the girl by the 
 hands and almost dragged her to an old 
 rustic bench under the big pine tree 
 that stood near the spring back of the 
 boarding house. 
 
 "I said no, and that is all there is to 
 it. I haven't spoke to you over half a 
 dozen times, and further, I'll tell you 
 that's more than I expect to do in the 
 future. I have given you no encourage 
 ment, and never will." 
 
 "Yes, I know ye said no, I heard ye 
 the fust time, but ye didn't mean it, I 
 tell ye, 'cause I know. An' speakin' 
 plain like, me an' you is goin' to be 
 married right away, if not sooner." 
 
 She did not answer him, but got up 
 
 26 
 
REDWOLF TALKS MARRIAGE 
 
 and stood there looking down at him, 
 all the pentup hatred in her soul going 
 out to him. He understood too, so merely 
 shrugged his shoulders. Why should 
 he waste further time talking love to 
 this poor, silly girl, or any other girl, 
 for that matter. But as he had not 
 figured just how everything would come 
 about, thought best to play safe, so he 
 talks on, hoping to get a pleasant look 
 from her at least. 
 
 "It's only fair I got to know the 
 reason. Ye like that pauper Kuna Tom, 
 aint that it?" 
 
 "That, sir, is none of your business. 
 I don't love you ; I hate you." 
 
 "No, ye don't hate me; ye like me a 
 little, so I'll jist take a kiss as a sort o' 
 perliminary," but she sprang away 
 from him and ran into the arms of her 
 mother at the kitchen door. 
 
 27 
 
Ill 
 
 AS TO CLAIM JUMPING 
 
 Red was mad and disgusted. As he 
 walked slowly up the hill to the mine, 
 as was his custom when alone, he began 
 talking to himself. "Ye dam little 
 Siwash jade, I'll make ye change yer 
 mind. Think ye can push me over that- 
 away? Huh! Ye'll be comin' ter me 
 on han's an' knees, beggin' fer bread. 
 What? Why the whole bunch aint 
 got a sou to their name. When I tell 
 the oP man what's what, he'll change 
 the fool gal's min' er out they go on the 
 lonesome hike down the river with no 
 grub ner nothin', an' a hard winter a 
 comin'. Yes, an' if I have to do it, I'll 
 send Kuna 'over' to keep 01' Sam Smi 
 ley company." 
 
 By the time he had climbed to the 
 mill he was in such a rage that his great 
 
 29 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 body was all a-quiver, the brute nature 
 raging in him like the fury of some 
 wild animal that had been trapped. But 
 as he again repeated the threat to kill 
 Kuna, he relaxed a little, his great, 
 massive arms dropped to his side, for 
 the thoughts of prison life, with possibly 
 another term, caused him to stop and 
 think. Finally he wrote a note to 
 Oneida's father and sent it into the 
 mine. It was merely a request to call 
 at the office on his way home from work. 
 
 "Ye asked me to stop on my way out 
 tonight. Well, here I am," said the old 
 gentleman, as he pushed open the door 
 and walked into the little office, marked 
 "Private." 
 
 "Yas, I sent fer ye an' I'll make my 
 business known, an' talk plain. There 
 aint goin' to be no guessin' at my mean- 
 in'. I want to marry Oneida, but she's 
 got some fool notion 'bout that skate o' 
 
 30 
 
AS TO CLAIM JUMPING 
 
 a Kuna person, so I got ter have yer 
 help. Tell her she's got ter marry me, 
 er ye all lose yer jobs, boardin' house 
 an' ever'thin'." 
 
 The old man was so surprised he 
 hardly knew what to say. He saw by 
 the look on Red's face that it was a 
 serious matter with him, so he must 
 think fast. He could not well afford to 
 lose his job, no money, no home, no 
 place to go, and winter coming on. And 
 being an old man, he couldn't stand the 
 hardships he once could. When he did 
 not make reply at once, Red continued : 
 
 "Go on down to the boardin' house 
 now, an' tell the gal what has ter be. 
 Stop here on yer way back ter work in 
 the mornin', an' report. It's this way, 
 though, thars two thin's I'm goin' ter 
 have, one's the gal and the other's the 
 Wild Hoss claim. If ye deliver the gal, 
 that's yore part o' the work, an' ye keep 
 
 31 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 yer job. Ye don't hafter help none in 
 the claim jumpin' ; I reckon I savy that 
 kind o' work all right." 
 
 As Uncle John Bruneau left the office 
 all he could say was that he would speak 
 to his wife and daughter and report the 
 next morning. As he made his way 
 slowly down the hill, the cold unreason 
 able facts of the proposition as made by 
 Red, flashed through his mind. Then 
 his thoughts wandered back to the trials 
 and hardships of other days. He had 
 reached the foot of the hill, so stopped 
 and leaning against a big pine, buried 
 his face in his hands. Then in a mo 
 ment he had knelt down, and turning 
 his face so the light of the setting sun 
 shone upon it, he prayed the God of his 
 fathers, to help him. Tears trickled 
 down his face, for his kindly old heart, 
 that had been hurt so often, had been 
 pierced again. But he must be brave, 
 
 32 
 
AS TO CLAIM JUMPING 
 
 he told himself, as he walked on down 
 to the house. He wanted to hide his 
 grief from his wife and daughter. 
 Oneida met him as he neared the door, 
 took him by the arm, assisted him up 
 the steps into the house, to his easy 
 chair, gave him a kiss, and passed on to 
 the kitchen without speaking to him. 
 The evening meal was served to the reg 
 ular boarders, then Oneida set the little 
 table over in the corner, for themselves. 
 The three always ate alone, except when 
 they had company. It was a sad meal. 
 Uncle John "returned thanks/' but his 
 voice was barely audible. They would 
 look at each other occasionally, but no 
 word was spoken. They all understood. 
 It was a sad night for them, each trying 
 to find relief in their tears. The next 
 morning, after breakfast was over, 
 Uncle John placed his hand on Oneida's 
 head, and, striving hard to control his 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 feelings, asked her if she knew what he 
 wanted to ask her. 
 
 "Yes, Daddy, I know. And, I'll die 
 before I will let that villain touch me. 
 Tell him to do his worst. God will help 
 us; we will get along somehow." 
 
 It took the old man longer than usual 
 to climb up to the mill. He was broken 
 hearted and on the verge of giving up. 
 Then he remembered what Oneida had 
 said as he was leaving the house : "Tell 
 him to do his worst. God will help us ; 
 we will get along, somehow." He had 
 thought about going on to the mine and 
 going to work, but finally decided to go 
 into the office as he agreed to. It took 
 all his strength to enter that little office 
 and say "good morning." Red had done 
 some serious thinking during the night, 
 and had decided he had made a bad mess 
 of the whole matter. That if he turned 
 the family out he might lose track of 
 
 34 
 
AS TO CLAIM JUMPING 
 
 them altogether, so had decided to work 
 along different lines. He told Uncle 
 John to go on to work ; that he must get 
 an order out for supplies, and would not 
 have time to talk over their private 
 affairs at that time. He did not tell 
 the old gentleman of the change in his 
 plans; he dismissed him by saying he 
 would send for him when he wished to 
 speak further with him about the mat 
 ter. 
 
 That evening, when he got home, 
 Oneida hurriedly told him that she had 
 gone to Kuna's claim to see him, but he 
 was not there. They knew he had not 
 finished the assessment work on his 
 claim, and they also knew he would not 
 "go down below/' as he would say when 
 he intended to go back to the ranch to 
 work. So while the dreaded break with 
 Red had not come yet, after what had 
 taken place, and the threats that he had 
 
 35 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 made, only increased their fears. The 
 next day passed with no trace of Kuna, 
 although Oneida had gone to his cabin, 
 peeped in, and even went into the tun 
 nel. But he must have left, that was all 
 there was to it. Had she gone over a 
 little ridge and on down to the farther 
 corner of the claim, she would have seen 
 Kuna filling up a hole, which he later 
 covered with pine needles and brush. 
 He had made the big strike, but could 
 only spare the time to take out a few 
 samples of ore, so decided to cover it all 
 up and leave it till he could come up the 
 next summer. He wanted to see Oneida, 
 but he had been away from the ranch 
 longer than he had intended, so wrote 
 her a letter, telling of the rich strike, 
 how sorry he was not to see her again 
 before going, then with a "good bye, 
 Girlie/' mailed the letter in the box out- 
 
AS TO CLAIM JUMPING 
 
 side, for the stage driver to take down 
 to the mill. 
 
 Red got the mail, and being interested 
 in Oneida, decided to open the letter. 
 After reading it, he tilted his head back 
 and shrugged his shoulders, then gave 
 way to his feelings by laughing to him 
 self. He had long suspected there was 
 high grade ore on Kuna's Wild Horse 
 claim, now he knew it. He would keep 
 the letter; she had no business with it, 
 why give it to her. If she knew of the 
 strike, she would hold out the longer for 
 Kuna. He decided to go up and inter 
 view the "cowpunch" again, but Kuna 
 had left for the ranch. Perhaps it was 
 better so. It is hard to think it was, 
 however, after learning what took place 
 the next few days, but who appointed 
 us judge of such matters? Do things 
 just happen, you think? Would you 
 have had Red and Kuna meet on the 
 
 37 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 summit that day without a witness to 
 tell the story after the fight was over? 
 You know what the former had said 
 about jumping the claim, and you also 
 remember what the owner said? Yes. 
 Then do things just happen? Or do they 
 not? Are we to be the judges? If 
 there is one thing more difficult to de 
 cide than another, it is that which we 
 do not understand. I will repeat then, 
 perhaps it was better so. 
 
 38 
 
IV 
 
 I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND 
 WAIT 
 
 When Uncle John came home that 
 evening he found his wife and daughter 
 as sorrowful as ever. With no word 
 from Kuna, and no decision from Red, it 
 was a problem too great for them to 
 solve. The old folks looked to Oneida to 
 help them decide what was best to do, so 
 they listened to her. 
 
 "In the morning/' she told them, "I 
 will go up to Kuna's claim again. My 
 pony horse is strong and can stand a 
 long day's ride. If I do not find him at 
 his mine, I will go down the trail a short 
 distance and try to find out what has 
 become of him. He must have left some 
 sign at the cabin, or tracks along the 
 trail." And so it was decided. That 
 night she lived over again the time spent 
 
 39 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 with him during his last visit. She re 
 called, of course, all he had told her, how 
 happy they would be when he had saved 
 enough to provide a home for her. Then 
 she would try to recall the exact words 
 he did say. Ah, I remember now. We 
 were sitting out yonder on the big rock 
 by the spring, holding hands. "Be 
 patient, girlie, and things will come our 
 way after a while. I haven't much edu 
 cation, but Fll manage somehow. I 
 don't drink ner gamble none; ye know 
 that. I've bin kind to my ol' parents, 
 an' I'll be good to you. When I make 
 my stake out o' the claim or git a little 
 ahead some other way, we'll git mar 
 ried. An' ye wont tire o' waitin' an' 
 chuck me love ; ye wont do that, will ye 
 girlie?" And I laughed and said, "No, 
 Kuna boy, I'll never do that. I will love 
 you always, and wait." 
 
 When she awoke next morning the 
 
 40 
 
I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS 
 
 sun was well up, flooding the valley be 
 low with, what Oneida thought, a pecu 
 liar light; a hazy appearance that she 
 had never noticed before. She did not 
 think much about the weather; yes, it 
 might storm; but what if it did, she 
 knew the way home, so would take a 
 chance. She had put herself up a little 
 lunch, had saddled her pony, and with 
 only thoughts of Kuna, rode away up 
 the river. She knew a short way, a cut 
 off trail, to the summit, and decided to 
 go that way, for it would give her a 
 better view of the surrounding country. 
 When she reached the top, she would 
 turn west and follow the ridge almost 
 to Kuna's claim. "Climb, Moley, climb," 
 she said to her pony as she guided him 
 across the canyon and headed him up 
 the mountain. Slowly the horse made 
 his way up the narrow trail, at every 
 turn the brush scratching her face and 
 
 41 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 hands. She thought little of this, how 
 ever. She even failed to note that a 
 storm cloud coming up out of the west 
 was well over Galena Pass, and would 
 cross the basin reaching the summit be 
 fore she did. Not till the sleet and snow 
 commenced to cut her face did she real 
 ize her situation. Then it was too late 
 to turn back. Finally, the pony with a 
 mighty lunge, climbed to the top of the 
 ridge and stopped. The storm was upon 
 them ; the wind was blowing a gale ; the 
 pony trying to turn around, and she 
 using all her strength to keep him going 
 in the right direction. The dim trail 
 was soon covered with snow, so she had 
 to get off and walk. The horse would 
 not lead very well, so she took down her 
 saddle rope, and was leading him with 
 that. She had almost reached the Pass, 
 was within a short distance of Kuna's 
 cabin, when the horse slipped, lost his 
 
 42 
 
I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS 
 
 footing and went tumbling down the 
 mountain. Oneida could not let go of 
 the wet rope in time to save herself, so 
 was jerked clear of the rim-rock and 
 down she went. She landed in a tree top 
 just as she had freed herself from the 
 tangle of the rope, but took another 
 header, falling against a clump of 
 bushes, which only checked her fall; 
 then as she went jumping, rolling and 
 tumbling, she called out to her Kuna 
 boy, "I will love you always and 
 wait." 
 
 How long she lay in the snow with 
 her body bent around a little tree, she 
 did not know. When she finally re 
 leased herself and got up, it seemed as 
 if every bone in her body was broken, 
 but she managed to work her way down 
 the bluff a short distance, and finally 
 found a place beside some rocks where 
 she could have shelter from the storm. 
 
 43 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Then she began to wonder what she was 
 going to do. She was cold and hungry, 
 her clothing was wet and torn, and her 
 horse was gone. Then she thought of 
 her lunch, but it was gone, too. Then 
 she screamed. Her voice must have 
 carried twenty feet. Next she felt for 
 her revolver. And what a relief it was 
 to know it was safe in the holster at 
 her side. She would shoot a time or 
 two; maybe someone would hear the 
 report and come to her. No, she would 
 not do that, no one could hear if she did, 
 and she might need all her cartridges. 
 Then a noise, as of a fallen tree, made 
 her crawl out of her shelter and look 
 about. "Oh," she exclaimed, "a pack 
 horse." Then the Kootenai boy that 
 she had known when she was with the 
 Indians, came around the rock and 
 spoke to her. 
 "Kahta mika, Oneida. Mesika Elitee." 
 
 44 
 
I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS 
 
 "What." Then she recognized him. 
 "I am not feeling very well, and you are 
 not my slave. Chip Chip, my dear, good 
 boy, how did you find me. Where can 
 we find shelter from this storm; what 
 will we what can we do, anyway. My 
 pony rolled down the mountain. I was 
 leading him along the summit, yonder, 
 when he lost his footing and dragged 
 me down with him. I am all bruised 
 and scratched up, and so sore I can 
 scarcely walk. And I lost my lunch, 
 so am nearly starved too, and almost 
 frozen. There is a cabin just over the 
 summit, and a 'lean-to' for your horses, 
 but I don't know whether we can find it 
 or not. The storm is getting worse." 
 
 The boy made no reply, but as soon 
 as he could get his saddle horse near 
 the rock on which they had been stand 
 ing, helped her to mount, then went and 
 caught his pack horse and started up 
 
 45 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 the mountain, motioning her to follow. 
 The climb was a hard one, and it took 
 them much longer than they thought it 
 would. After they reached the Pass, 
 Oneida took the lead, and although she 
 could see but a few feet as they were 
 facing the storm again, she soon found 
 the cabin. She managed to dismount 
 somehow, not very gracefully, she knew 
 that, but felt relieved as they were safe 
 from the storm. She went into the 
 shack, and after a hurried glance about 
 the room, was still further relieved for 
 she felt sure by the appearance of things 
 that Kuna had finished his work and 
 gone back to the ranch. Chip Chip 
 looked after his horses, getting them 
 into the shed, then went in and started 
 a fire in the old cook stove that set upon 
 a box filled with dirt, over in one corner. 
 Then he brought the pack and saddle in, 
 going back to give his horses a feed of 
 
 46 
 
I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS 
 
 oats that he had brought, and to tie their 
 blankets on to keep them warm. He 
 was not much on the talk, for his boyish 
 mind was busy with thoughts of Oneida, 
 how he would make her comfortable, 
 and wondering how she would like the 
 supper he was preparing for her. He 
 was nearly out of grub, too, so he would 
 only take enough for one ; he would tell 
 Oneida he ate a few bites just before he 
 found her. A cup of black coffee, of 
 course no cream or sugar, some smoked 
 salmon and two crackers. But, oh, how 
 good it all tasted. It was getting dark 
 so they lit a candle, then pulled their 
 chairs up nearer the stove. Had you 
 asked Oneida what they were doing, 
 besides gazing into the fire, for they 
 were not talking, she would have told 
 you that they were having a silent visit. 
 She was very tired and did not care to 
 talk herself, but wanted to know how 
 the boy came to be there, and how he 
 
 47 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 had been since she last saw him. He 
 knew she would want to know every 
 thing, and was afraid to tell her the 
 truth for fear she would be cross with 
 him, but finally made up his mind to 
 tell her the whole story. 
 
 "It was this way. I will be honest; I 
 could not deceive you. I run away to 
 find you. Chip Chip is no longer a boy; 
 he is a man. You know I love Becca 
 True, the prettiest an' sweetest girl on 
 the Clearwater. She will finish school 
 next year. She'll come home, an* if she 
 finds me the same ignorant boy she used 
 to know, she'll turn me down. I have 
 been with the Indians so much, I dress 
 like them, I look like them, and, act like 
 them. Becca grew up with the same 
 people, but she has been away, learned 
 how people talk an' act elsewhere, so I 
 got to git rid o' this Indian jargon that 
 comes into the talk, unless I study my 
 words an' go mighty slow. If I git ex- 
 
 48 
 
I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS 
 
 cited, it's all off, I can't talk at all. You 
 know my people live among the Indians, 
 so I was raised with Indian children, 
 what you say, no talkem good English. 
 But Til send a talk paper home so they 
 will know where I am. I come across 
 mountains to Boise River. Storm struck 
 me down yonder, somewhere. Then I 
 find you. Mighty glad, you bin froze by 
 now. No more see'm Oneida, then I be 
 sad. Now, when I git you home, you 
 teach me from book. Then Becca like'm 
 better. Chip Chip is sorry you in storm 
 an' git hurt, but you will be all right, 
 will school me this winter, so I am very 
 happy. Nika mesika elitee." 
 
 "No, Chip Chip, you will not be my 
 slave. I told you that when you found 
 me down there in the snow. You will 
 be as you have always been, my friend. 
 If we live to get out of here, I shall cer 
 tainly help you with your studies so you 
 can win Becca, for she is my friend; 
 
 49 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 yes, she is more than my friend, she is 
 the same as my sister. I know you and 
 she planned my escape from the Gipsy 
 Indians, and I shall never forget. But 
 I am too tired and sleepy to visit any 
 more with you now, so help me get my 
 chair over here in the corner and I will 
 wrap this blanket around me and go to 
 sleep." 
 
 He moved the chair for her, carefully 
 wrapped the blanket about her, placed 
 his six-shooters (he always carried two) 
 in her lap and started to leave the cabin. 
 "Me go sleep with'm pony." 
 
 "Come back; you will do nothing of 
 the kind. Here, take your revolvers 
 and put them back in the holsters. I 
 know you are my friend, so I trust you. 
 Bring your chair up to that side of the 
 stove where you can keep warm, and 
 keep the fire going. Kalhowa, Chip 
 Chip." 
 
 "Kalhowa, Oneida. Hyas kloshe 
 toketee dreams." 
 
 50 
 
V 
 THE STORM ON THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 "When I told you good-night after 
 wrapping the blanket around you, I 
 wished you very fine, very good dreams. 
 Did you have them, Oneida?" 
 
 It was Chip, talking. He was not ex 
 cited now, so by carefully studying his 
 words could talk very well. She had 
 not awakened during the night, being 
 so completely exhausted, but now gave 
 a jump, but at once settled back in the 
 chair. She was so sore from her bruises 
 she could scarcely move. And, the pain. 
 Then with a little "oh," as she looked 
 up at Chip and realized where she was. 
 
 "It's broad daylight, and me still 
 sleeping away. How's the storm, 
 Chip?" 
 
 "Bad, very bad. Maybe so not bad as 
 it was. Snow so deep," and he made a 
 51 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 mark on the door to show her it was 
 over a foot deep. "And more comin'. 
 We must go down the valley today, or 
 maybe so starve. Hoss starve too. Here, 
 eatum breakfast. Chip eat soon when 
 he wake up. One more, whatcha callem, 
 feed, so we have to go er starve. " 
 
 He had prepared her the same fare 
 for breakfast that she had for her sup 
 per a cup of coffee, a little piece of 
 smoked salmon and two crackers. She 
 knew that he had eaten nothing since 
 the day before, probably a bite for 
 breakfast, so she wrapped the crackers 
 and salmon up in a piece of paper and 
 put them in her pocket. Chip had gone 
 out to the shed, and as he came in the 
 girl was sipping the last of her coffee. 
 
 "See can git up an' walk, Oneida, 
 Chip go down git your saddle. I find'm 
 pony, heap dead. Neck under side, so/' 
 and he went through the motion to show 
 
 52 
 
THE STORM ON THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 the position he had found her horse in. 
 When he came back he asked her if she 
 thought she could ride his horse, but 
 she told him she was afraid she couldn't 
 do it. He left, and was gone so long 
 she began to feel worried about him, so 
 managed to get out of the cabin to look 
 for him. She finally found him down in 
 the snow by the side of his horses, tying 
 his tarpaulin on the two long poles he 
 had carried up. 
 
 "What are you doing, Chip? I thought 
 you had wandered away and got lost, 
 you were gone so long." 
 
 Make'm travoi, to haul you on. You 
 no ride hoss, have to fix'm somehow. 
 See, maybe this is whatcha call'm feed/' 
 and then he gave her the little paper 
 bag that contained her lunch, which he 
 had found securely tied on the back of 
 her saddle. "Go back in cabin, git heap 
 warm, then we start down, yonder." 
 
 53 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 When all was ready, he led the horses 
 up to the cabin and called to her to get 
 ready. She knew what he had fixed up 
 for her she had seen Indian "one- 
 horse cutters" before. The only ques 
 tion was, could she make the ride. Chip 
 had found two nice long poles, had fas 
 tened the tarpaulin securely to them, 
 so as to give them a spread of about 
 three feet at the top, or smaller ends, 
 and probably six feet at the other. The 
 small ends of the poles are tied to the 
 pack saddle, looking much like buggy 
 shafts, tied to the top of the horse's 
 collar, instead of down at the side. A 
 cross-piece, where the single tree would 
 be, and another a little further back, 
 makes the frame for the bed, over 
 which Chip had stretched the canvas. 
 He helped the girl into this big sagging 
 pocket, covered her well with the blank 
 ets, mounted his saddle horse and 
 
 54 
 
THE STORM ON THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 started down the mountain breaking 
 the trail, the old pack horse with his 
 load following along close behind. The 
 wind was blowing hard, the snow 
 poured down and with that the wind 
 ground up and hurled against them, 
 they were soon the color of the land 
 scape about them. They did not know 
 where they were going, it was "down 
 yonder, somewhere." Every jerk in 
 creased the girl's suffering and brought 
 tears to her eyes, but she did not com 
 plain. Down, down they went, flound 
 ering along in the snow, the wind blow 
 ing harder as they got down into the 
 open. They were going with the storm, 
 which helped them a little. They had 
 been making pretty good time, the 
 depth of the snow and the rough coun 
 try considered, and just as Chip was 
 congratulating himself that the worst 
 was over, for he could get a glimpse of 
 
 55 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 level country, the horses plunged into 
 a swamp and down they both went. The 
 travoi was turned over and Oneida was 
 thrown head first over into a big drift. 
 It was then that she gave her first cry 
 of pain. Chip must have heard her, 
 but he could not get to her till he had 
 freed himself and scrambled out of the 
 bog. By this time the girl had man 
 aged to get up, somehow. It took Chip 
 some little time to get the horses out, 
 for they had both mired down, but when 
 they were again on solid ground, he 
 helped the girl back into her "sleigh." 
 All this time he had not spoken a word. 
 When ready to start again, he made a 
 few motions with his hands, which 
 meant that they would get back into the 
 foothills, away from the river. She 
 understood the sign talk so motioned 
 to him to come back. 
 
 "Here, Chip Chip, you eat these/' 
 
 56 
 
THE STORM ON THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 and she handed him the sandwiches 
 that she had prepared the morning be 
 fore. "Oneida is sick; she cannot eat 
 them." He shook his head, but after 
 much coaxing, he ate them, then half 
 turning away and looking up into the 
 hills, said : "Mes-see, muck-a-muck, 
 elip kloshe." (Thank you; food was 
 very fine; the very best.) 
 
 Oneida was much pleased when he 
 took the food she offered him, for she 
 knew he was very hungry and tired. 
 He was a fright to look at, was wet to 
 the skin and smeared from head to foot 
 with black, nasty smelling, alkali mud. 
 "Listen, Chip Chip, keep as close to the 
 timber as you can and keep a close 
 watch for buildings. It will soon be 
 dark, so go as fast as you can. When 
 you see a house or light, call to me." 
 
 He merely nodded his head and 
 started on. The drifts were deep, so 
 
 57 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 he had to walk and help the horses 
 break down the snow. When the horses 
 would stop, the girl would peep out 
 from under the blanket, then cover her 
 head again, for she knew she could not 
 help any, and she knew, also, that life 
 or death depended on the strength and 
 endurance of that boy 
 
 On they went, lunging, floundering, 
 the travoi jerking and throwing her 
 from one side to the other till she 
 thought she must surely die from pain. 
 She was getting cold, too, felt numb, 
 and when the pains were not so severe, 
 felt a little drowsy. Then, when her 
 strength had all left her, she went to 
 sleep. When she awoke, she looked up, 
 a lamp was burning upon a little table 
 near her; she was lying on a bed; yes, 
 she was sure of that then she felt the 
 touch of a hand on her forehead. Next 
 she saw the face of a kindly woman, 
 
 58 
 
THE STORM ON THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 and heard her say, "There now, dearie, 
 be quiet; you will be all right in a little 
 while. Poor girl, you were almost 
 frozen. Here is a nice, warm supper 
 for you. The fellow who brought you 
 here ate his supper, and has gone to 
 bed. He seemed very tired, could 
 scarcely walk, so when I told him that 
 you were all right he went right off to 
 bed." 
 
 Oneida thanked her for her kindness, 
 ate the supper the good woman had 
 brought her, and it tasted so good she 
 wanted to ask for more, but didn't; she 
 lay back on the big pillows to rest and 
 think. She wanted to go over what had 
 happened since she started out to hunt 
 for Kuna, so she could get things right 
 in her mind. She was so warm and 
 comfortable, she must have gone right 
 to sleep. When she awakened, she saw 
 the old lady sitting beside her, with 
 
 59 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 hands folded, her head bent forward, 
 rocking herself in her big, easy chair. 
 The girl must have spoken before she 
 realized where she was, for she said 
 "Mother, why " She was going to 
 ask her mother why she was not in bed, 
 for she could see the big clock it was 
 almost midnight. 
 
 "Call me Aunt Nannie, dear; every 
 one calls me that, and I like it." Then 
 they visited, Oneida going over all that 
 had taken place in her life the past 
 week, but asked her not to tell anyone 
 of her adventures. 
 
VI 
 
 SAFE WITH AUNT NANNIE 
 "Come in, Chip, and shake hands 
 with Aunt Nannie, the dear, good 
 woman who took us in and treated us 
 so nicely/' said Oneida, when he had 
 appeared at the door of her room the 
 next morning to ask how she was feel 
 ing. "We will stay here, for a while. 
 Take good care of your horses, giving 
 them plenty of feed, so they will be 
 strong when you want to use them 
 again. Help Aunt Nannie, she will tell 
 you what she wants done. Then when 
 there is nothing to busy yourself at, 
 come in and sit here and I will read to 
 you and give you a book lesson every 
 day. See the school books there ?" He 
 did, and was so pleased he was about to 
 say he didn't care if the storm lasted 
 all winter, for, he ran away from home 
 
 61 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 to find Oneida, and hadn't he found her 
 so she could teach him? Surely every 
 thing had worked out just as he had 
 wished it except, of course, the acci 
 dent to her and the storm nothing 
 like that in his plans when he started 
 out, but they were to be together and 
 she would give him a book lesson every 
 day. He was happy. 
 
 Things went along nicely for them. 
 Oneida had recovered from her bruises 
 so by the end of the first week she and 
 Aunt Nannie had everything planned 
 for the winter. She and Chip were to 
 stay with this good woman, she was 
 a widow and living alone ; her two chil 
 dren were away at school; and she 
 would have to hire someone to feed and 
 care for her cattle. This was as agree 
 able to Oneida as it was to Chip, she did 
 not want to go home, for she feared 
 Redwolf. If she could stay there he 
 
 62 
 
SAFE WITH AUNT NANNIE 
 
 would not find her. Chip could carry 
 word to her parents so they would know 
 that she was safe and well. This she 
 explained to him, and told him to get 
 the "big moccasins" ready, and she 
 would tell him how to go, what he was 
 to say when he got there, and under no 
 circumstances was he to let anyone but 
 her father and mother know where she 
 was. She had described them to him, 
 so he felt sure he would know them 
 when he saw them. He was as positive 
 he would know Red, and he felt he could 
 give him a good licking. That might 
 please Oneida. He had not told her 
 this, but maybe it would please her. He 
 would probably ask her about it later. 
 That evening Chip got his snowshoes 
 ready and told the girl he would go the 
 next day, so she gave him his final in 
 structions. To make sure he under 
 stood everything, she repeated it all to 
 
 63 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 him in Kootenai. Yes, he understood. 
 It was not far, as the crow would fly, 
 but the round-about way and the soft 
 snow made it a very hard trip. Steep, 
 too, only by zig-zagging could the climb 
 be made at all. It was the middle of 
 the afternoon when Chip slipped up to 
 the door and looked in. He saw an old 
 man with long, gray beard and white 
 hair, sitting in front of the fireplace. 
 Chip stood there watching him. Yes, 
 that was him, he would rap on the door, 
 and wait till some one came to let him 
 in, just as Oneida had told him to do. 
 He did not quite understand when 
 Uncle John turned facing the door, and 
 told him to come in. After a moment's 
 hesitation, however, he entered, and 
 stood with his back to the door, till 
 Uncle John got up, extended his hand, 
 and asked him to have a chair by the 
 fire. He was just a little suspicious, 
 
 64 
 
SAFE WITH AUNT NANNIE 
 
 so became rather nervous when Uncle 
 John asked: 
 
 "What can I do for you?" 
 
 "Huh! Nothin' fer me. You like'm 
 good news?" Then with a quick turn 
 of the head he had looked out of every 
 window and into every nook and corner 
 of the room, fearing someone might be 
 listening. 
 
 The old gentleman had noticed Chip's 
 nervousness, and was just a little sus 
 picious, but replied, "Certainly I like 
 good news. But I have had so much 
 bad, that it seems as if good news would 
 be a great shock to me. Out with it, sir ; 
 what do you know that would be good 
 news to me?" 
 
 "I find Oneida in storm. Pony rolPm 
 down mountain, break'm neck. Big 
 drifts of snow; heap cold, Oneida all 
 bruised from fall. I take her to cabin, 
 she git all right. Next day, all day in 
 
 65 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 bad storm we nearly froze. By'm by 
 find'm big house, stay there. Oneida 
 no want to come home. Traid. Kum- 
 tux?" 
 
 Now, Uncle John was suspicious of 
 anyone who looked like an Indian, for 
 they had kidnapped his girl once, and 
 while ready to admit there were possi 
 bly some good ones living, he considered 
 a "good Indian as a dead one." No 
 wonder then, that he was shocked at 
 what Chip had tried to tell him, for he 
 had not made himself quite plain, and 
 he felt sure from his looks and talk 
 there was Indian blood in this fellow. 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me that you 
 found my girl and carried her away, 
 and that she will not come home? And 
 do you think that is good news to me? 
 You scoundrel, I ought to kill you, but 
 it is wrong to kill, so I will not do it. 
 Go; there is the door. Bring us our 
 
 66 
 
SAFE WITH AUNT NANNIE 
 
 daughter; that is the only good news 
 we want from you. She were better 
 off dead, than with you and your kind," 
 and Mrs. Bruneau wondered what it 
 was all about, for she had come into the 
 room just as Uncle John had ordered 
 Chip to go. 
 
 This talk was all unexpected to Chip, 
 so he could make no reply. He was 
 simply crushed. He had never wronged 
 anyone in his life, and to be abused and 
 insulted in this manner when he had 
 risked his own life to save the girl, and 
 without giving him a chance to explain 
 more fully, that they would know their 
 girl was as safe from harm as though 
 she were home, it hurt him. He jumped 
 out into the snow, hurriedly tied on his 
 snowshoes, and was soon back at the 
 ranch. He was so mad he came down 
 the mountain as fast as a bird would 
 fly, almost, for what did it matter if he 
 
 67 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 went over a bluff or ran into a tree, 
 and killed himself; no one would care. 
 "Maybeso look like Indian, maybeso 
 talk like Indian, maybeso little Indian 
 blood in veins ; if is, me no put it there. 
 Huh! All same Indian an'a scoundrel." 
 
 He did not know what a scoundrel 
 was or just what the word meant, but 
 it was something mean; he knew that 
 by the way the old man looked when 
 he said it. Chip did not go to the house 
 till he had fed the cattle and horses, so 
 when he went in supper was ready, but 
 he would not eat. You can never tell 
 whether some people are pleased or 
 otherwise by the look on the face; no 
 matter how they feel, there is that same 
 blank expression, if they choose to have 
 it that way. Oneida rushed up to him 
 as soon as he came in and began to ask 
 questions. 
 
 "Did you find them all right, Chip, 
 
 68 
 
SAFE WITH AUNT NANNIE 
 
 and were they glad to see you ; did they 
 think I had been lost in the storm? 
 What did they say, anyway, tell me 
 quick all about them, and your trip up 
 there." 
 
 "Huh! Saw oP man. He no say 
 hellofalot." 
 
 "Oh, Chip, you shock me. Weren't 
 they glad to see you, and didn't they 
 say they were pleased when you told 
 them you had carried me out of the 
 storm and saved my life, and that I 
 was all right?" 
 
 "No. Called me bad name, very bad 
 name. Say kill me. Yell at me, go! 
 Then I hike'm home here, fast like bird 
 fly. Me heap sad. No talk'm any 
 
 more." 
 
 Realizing something had gone seri 
 ously wrong, Oneida took her troubles 
 to Aunt Nannie, but they could find 
 little comfort in what Chip had told 
 
 69 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 her. She must wait, he would tell her 
 next day when he got ready she knew 
 it was no use to coax she must wait. 
 
 70 
 
VII 
 LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 Uncle John had not been able to get 
 up to the mine for several days, on ac 
 count of the storm, so the next morning 
 after Chip's visit, when he was almost 
 overcome with grief, and longing for 
 someone to come in so he could tell 
 his troubles, and get advice, Red came 
 down to see how they were getting 
 along. Ready to confide in any 
 one and do anything to rescue 
 Oneida, for he felt sure she had 
 been kidnapped and carried away, he 
 told of Chip's visit, what he thought 
 had happened to her, and asked his 
 advice and help. Then he was sorry he 
 had told this to Redwolf, for he did not 
 want to place himself under obligations 
 to this man that he so utterly despised. 
 But he was overcome ; he had forgotten 
 
 71 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 all else but the recovery of his girl, so 
 he must accept whatever help and ad 
 vice the foreman had to offer. They 
 went out and looked at the snowshoe 
 tracks. Yes, they could follow them, 
 and could find that Indian; they were 
 sure of that. But what would they do 
 if they found him? Maybe it was a 
 lure to get them to come down in the 
 valley. There might be a whole tribe 
 of renegade Indians down there. "Yes, 
 the one that was up here was a vicious 
 looking fellow, looked as if he would 
 commit any crime, and gloat over it." 
 Uncle John felt justified in making 
 this statement, for had not the fellow 
 confessed to carrying his daughter 
 away, and didn't he say, "She no come 
 home?" 
 
 Red was pretty cunning in some 
 things, so he told Uncle John to wait 
 till the next morning, and he would call 
 
 72 
 
LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 in and talk matters over, and they 
 would decide what was best to do. He 
 had never tried bluffing Indians, and 
 as that was his long suit, the red man 
 might not bluff. He must get a little 
 advice on this point and see whether it 
 was best to try a bluff, and if not too 
 many of them, to try bribing. So that 
 night he goes up town and finds a couple 
 of his old cronies, confides everything 
 to them, but assures them all he wants 
 is advice, for he expects to do the 
 "rough house work" himself. The 
 habits, customs, moods, etc., of the 
 Noble Red Man and his probable value 
 of a nice pale-face squaw, was all he 
 wanted; he would make his plans and 
 do the rest. 
 
 Bright and early the next morning 
 he was at the boarding house with two 
 of the best snowshoe men from the 
 mine. They were to take up the trail 
 
 73 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 of the Indian, follow and locate him if 
 possible, and get what information they 
 could as to numbers, location of their 
 village, and return without letting 
 them know they had any interest what 
 ever in the girl that was supposed to 
 be with them. It was not as easy to 
 follow the tracks as they thought when 
 they first started out, for Chip had 
 jumped from rocks, over small clumps 
 of trees, and made leaps they could not 
 make, even though they had wished to. 
 So by the time they had come in sight 
 of Aunt Nannie's place, it was almost 
 dark. They would have to spend the 
 night there. Oneida saw them coming, 
 so had time to run out and tell Chip to 
 hide, and not come to the house till she 
 called him. She got back into the house 
 and Aunt Nannie locked her in her bed 
 room. After she had visited with the 
 men a little while she went in and told 
 
 74 
 
LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 Oneida they were from Vienna, just a 
 couple of miners looking for a band of 
 hostile Indians, so she could come out 
 and help her with the supper, and to 
 pass as her daughter. "Everybody that 
 knows us, knows that I have a daughter 
 Mildred, so I'll call you that and they 
 will never suspect anything, even 
 though they are hunting you, which I 
 am sure they are not." 
 
 Everything went well till morning. 
 Chip had grown tired of his bunk in 
 the hay, so decided to get up and go 
 down in the meadow and feed the cattle. 
 He remembered what Oneida had told 
 him about keeping hid, but he'd take a 
 chance. The boys had not introduced 
 themselves, so when ready to start out 
 the next morning, they left a coin on 
 the table, said "good morning," and 
 started out. They thought they would 
 make a turn down through the meadow, 
 
 75 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 and see if they could find which way the 
 Indian had gone; they had traced him 
 to the ranch, and Aunt Nannie had 
 told them she had seen no hostile In 
 dians. But they must find which way 
 he had gone, or if he was hanging about 
 the place they must know it. They saw 
 Chip down there carrying hay out to 
 the stock, so decided to talk to him, 
 thinking he was the hired man, which 
 he was. Then Chip began to figure 
 what he was to do. He'd wait till they 
 had made their talk. Yes, he would 
 be as ignorant as one of the cows that 
 stood there munching hay. He kept 
 his back to them till they had come up 
 to the stack yard. His buckskin coat 
 and big hat was the same as many 
 Indians wore. 
 
 " 'Lo, there, stranger; haint seen no 
 hostile Injuns 'bout here, have ye?" 
 
 Chip turned about, looking them over 
 
 76 
 
LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 carefully, but did not answer, or make 
 any sign that he understood. 
 
 "Hey, ye Commanche person, we 
 axes ye, haint ye seen no hostiles 'bout 
 here. Ye no savy good Inglish as she is 
 spoke; air ye def er whatsa matter? 
 Talk it out, er we'll tickle ye in the ribs 
 with the ends o' our snowshoes. We 
 tracks a varmint o' some kin' here, an' 
 axes did ye see it er not an' which way 
 did it go?" 
 
 Chip knew by this time that they 
 were not friends of Aunt Nannie's, and 
 were not wanted there. Maybe they 
 had followed him and were really hunt 
 ing for Oneida. Yes, he'd take a 
 chance; he'd do it; just as he had 
 planned it during the night if he met 
 up with them and had to put them off. 
 He would not talk to them, that was 
 sure. Then, quicker than a flash, out 
 came two 45s, and twelve shots flashed 
 
 77 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 so quick they both fell back in the snow, 
 but at a bound they were up and head 
 ing for the house. Chip reloaded his 
 revolvers, and practised shooting, using 
 their heels as targets, when they would 
 go down in the snow and leave a foot 
 sticking up. He followed along, keep 
 ing as close to them as he could, ming 
 ling Nez Perce war whoops in with the 
 noise of the six shooters. The women 
 heard the noise, looked out, saw what 
 was going on, and then laughed till 
 their sides ached. They managed to 
 stop by the time the bold hunters, who 
 were out looking for "hostiles," had 
 reached the house. 
 
 "Hey, lock the door, lock the door, 
 Injuns," both yelled at once as they 
 rushed into the house. 
 
 "Why, what's the matter, boys, you 
 seem frightened," said Aunt Nannie, 
 trying her best to look serious and un- 
 
 78 
 
LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 concerned. "That's only Chip, my 
 hired man, in one of his little playful 
 moods. He wont harm you if you go 
 'way and let him alone." 
 
 "Well, if you'll keep that savage per 
 son away till we get our snowshoes on 
 we'll shore go," and, while they felt 
 that maybe he was harmless, they were 
 so scared they had to be almost pushed 
 out of the house. Then when they each 
 got one snowshoe on, Chip started his 
 war whoops again and commenced to 
 dance around waving his six shooters. 
 They were certainly getting very ner 
 vous by this time, and anxious to get 
 away. When out of hearing, Aunt 
 Nannie and Oneida went in the house 
 and laughed till they were exhausted. 
 Chip finally came in and joined in the 
 laughing. "Heap big fun. Wow," and 
 he laughed till his sides hurt. 
 
 The bold hunters did not look back 
 
 79 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 till they were several miles away, and 
 had stopped to rest. 
 
 "Say, Pie Face, whatcha think it'll 
 sample? Tlayful mood/ says the ol' 
 dame. Now I'm not the man 'at wants 
 to re-locate that claim. Look at this; 
 One boot heel gone an' me snowshoes 
 all shot to splinters. Tlayful mood.' 
 What?" 
 
 "Wall, pardner, I reckon we got to 
 do a little samplin' when we gits in," 
 said Sour Dough, "then we'll tell Red- 
 wolf if he wants to locate some 'playful 
 mood' claims to count us out. That 
 savage jist eats men, yes sir, jist eats 
 'em blood raw. That ol' Airizoney 
 Geromeo, whatcha call 'im, aint got 
 nothin' on this 'playful mood' person, 
 as the real man-eatin' savage, no sir." 
 
 When they got into town that night 
 they were almost exhausted, so they 
 made for the first saloon on the row, 
 
 80 
 
LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 and proceeded to "bowl up." It was 
 only a few moments till they were so 
 drunk they could not stand without 
 supporting themselves by holding onto 
 something, so their ravings about 
 'playful mood' savages did not attract 
 much attention. They were pushed 
 aside, told to stop pipe dreaming, and 
 finally shoved into the back room and 
 told to get onto the old couch and sleep 
 it off. 
 
 Down at the boarding house, Uncle 
 John and his good wife were sitting in 
 front of the fireplace, rocking them 
 selves, and going all over what had 
 taken place since Oneida left, what 
 might have happened to her, wondering 
 where she could be and what that In 
 dian really knew of her whereabouts. 
 
 "I tell ye, ma, if she's bin kidnapped 
 agin, it's wus fer her now 'an it wus 
 the firs' time, fer she wus only a little 
 
 81 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 girl then, but now she's a young 
 
 woman." 
 
 "Yes, pa/' said Aunt Lucy, "it may 
 be wus. We'll have to wait till the 
 boys Redwolf sent to follow that fellow, 
 to find out, though. We'll live in hopes. 
 Don't ye remember what she said when 
 Redwolf threatened to put us out : 'God 
 will help us; we will get along, some 
 how.' I am trusting God, pa, that 
 everything will be all right." 
 
 Down at the ranch, all were so 
 pleased with the way matters had 
 turned out, they forgot about the dan 
 ger they thought they were in. Chip 
 told of the meeting with Oneida's 
 father, and while expecting a scolding 
 for making such a mess of things, he 
 told it all just as it had happened, not 
 once trying to shield himself. He was 
 much pleased, then, when Oneida told 
 him she herself was to blame in not 
 
 82 
 
LOOKING FOR KIDNAPPERS 
 
 giving him better instructions, so he 
 could have made them realize she was 
 with Aunt Nannie, and of course, safe 
 and well. In answer to her question, 
 he assured her he would go back any 
 time she wanted him to, and make 
 them understand. 
 
 83 
 
VIII 
 CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 "Thar aint nothin' to it, Uncle John," 
 said Redwolf the next time he went 
 down to the boarding house. "That 
 Indian person what come up here is a 
 workin' fer a oP dame down the valley 
 here. He's jist a savage gone loco, an' 
 has spells what the oP woman calls 
 'playful moods/ but the boys call it 
 war dances an' spittin' fire. He'll 
 come up town, some day an' we'll hob 
 ble 'im an' throw 'im down the moun 
 tain. Watch me when I claps an eye 
 on 'im. Oneida is dead, er livin', we 
 don't know which, but anyway, she's 
 up yonder somewhere, she couldn't a 
 got that fer down the valley." 
 
 Then he looked over the old man's 
 shoulder and saw the tears rolling down 
 Mrs. Bruneau's face. Realizing that 
 
 85 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 he had not comforted them much, he 
 turned to go, but stopped and told them 
 he would continue the search and re 
 port as soon as he found any trace of 
 the girl. 
 
 It was about a week after this that 
 Oneida asked Chip to go back to the 
 boarding house and see her parents 
 again. She would write a letter this 
 time to help him out. The snow had 
 packed down so the going would be 
 easier. Then on his way back he could 
 come through town and bring out a few 
 things for she and Aunt Nannie. 
 
 "Come here, ma, come here. Praise 
 God, praise God, Oneida lives." 
 
 Chip had handed Uncle John the let 
 ter, and told him that it was he that 
 had helped her make her escape from 
 the Indians. That he was Chip Chip, 
 and had always treated their daughter 
 as though she were his sister. That 
 
 86 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 they were at Aunt Nannie's and were 
 all very happy. Oneida had told him 
 all about their troubles with Redwolf, 
 and that he would soon go on a trip to 
 carry her talk paper to Kuna. Then 
 when he assured them he forgave Uncle 
 John for the treatment he received the 
 first time he came, their happiness was 
 complete. He told them also about the 
 visit of the two fellows that followed 
 him, and sizing them up as tools of 
 Redwolf, went through all the high 
 jinks he cut that morning, omitting 
 only the shooting and yelling. Then 
 Uncle John and Aunt Lucy both cried 
 some more, but this time it was from 
 laughing. 
 
 Chip soon took his leave, having ex 
 plained that he must go by town and 
 get some things for Oneida and Aunt 
 Nannie. Then he reached up under 
 
 87 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 his coat, unbuckled a belt, and handed 
 it to Uncle John. 
 
 "This full money. You keep'm. 
 When Chip Chip wants 'm, he come 
 back. No come back, all yours an' 
 Oneida's. My folks, well do, heap big 
 ranch, lots cattle. Live'm by Indians, 
 maybeso why you think me Indian. 
 Huh. Git book lessons every day, by'm 
 by talk better. Oneida help me. So 
 you keep'm belt, more chickamin here," 
 and he drew a wallet from his pocket 
 to show them that he still had all the 
 money he needed to carry him through 
 the winter. Then with a final hand 
 shake, and a "Kalhowa Tilikums," he 
 hurried off down the path to where he 
 had left his snowshoes. When he 
 reached town he had to go in past the 
 Dance Hall, so stopped to look in. He 
 saw 
 
 88 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 "A glittering mirror and a polished 
 
 bar, 
 Long rows of glasses, more Lum by 
 
 far 
 Than he could drink, if he had a 
 
 chance, 
 In a hundred years; no he'd not 
 
 dance." 
 
 Would he take a drink? Here was 
 the opportunity, and he certainly had 
 the thirst. Then came the fight with 
 the devil that is said to inhabit, or lurk 
 about everyone, and the size of that 
 devil depends on how much influence 
 he has been able to wield over that per 
 son in the past. If he has had his way 
 very long, he has grown strong, is 
 very subtle, and puts up a mighty talk 
 about "his evil ways being paths of 
 joy." He was now urging Chip to go 
 in and get a drink of fire water. Chip 
 listened to that coaxing, and something 
 
 89 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 told him to go get a drink, then go buy 
 the things they sent him after, then 
 another drink and go home. The bar 
 boy, seeing him hesitate, set out a bottle 
 and motioned him to come take some 
 thing. He stepped over to the bar, 
 poured out a big drink of whiskey, 
 raised the glass to his mouth, then set 
 it down. "No," was all he said, then 
 hurried out of the building and went 
 to the store and made his purchases. He 
 would not go back that way; he would 
 get out of town another way. As he 
 turned the corner, he ran into Sour 
 Dough and Pie Face. They at once 
 turned in the alarm by rushing into the 
 first saloon and passing the word to 
 the gamblers, then onto the next place, 
 till Chip began to think he was "some 
 boy" to attract so much attention. Pie 
 Face soon found Redwolf, and told him 
 the "loco man-eatin' savage is out there 
 
 90 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 in the street, and to come an' git it." 
 Red had told what he would do if it 
 ever come to town. Yes, he would go 
 and interview this savage. Everybody 
 came out, all wanted to see what was 
 going on. Sour Dough and Pie Face 
 did not join the little group that had 
 gathered to talk with the Indian boy, 
 they had business up the street. When 
 Red arrived where the boys had, in a 
 way, surrounded Chip, he pushed his 
 way in and stood facing the boy. He 
 had thought he would make one big 
 bluff and scare the fellow half to death. 
 Chip was standing with his back to the 
 building, and had stood his snowshoes 
 up by his side. 
 
 "Whatcha doin' here, ye loco savage, 
 ye," Red yelled at the top of his voice, 
 at the same time making a move as if 
 he were going to lunge in and take the 
 boy by the throat. Chip never moved 
 
 91 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 a hand, merely stood there, his face as 
 expressionless as a cigar sign Indian. 
 
 "Say, ye pink eyed loco savage, aint 
 ye goin' to talk? Well, we'll jist see. 
 Stickin' 'round here tryin' to kidnap 
 'nother girl, air ye? Gun man savage, 
 too? Well, why don't ye cut er loose 
 er say somethin'. Want me ter pinch 
 yer nose f er ye, which I guesses I'll have 
 to do since ye can't be insulted by 
 words. Maybe then I'll shoot ye up 
 
 some." 
 
 Chip made no reply, but those eyes of 
 his were now looking clear through 
 Redwolf . He knew the big fellow was 
 bluffing, so he waited. Red was getting 
 cold feet, the crowd was quietly slip 
 ping away, and his bluff had not 
 worked. He must do something, so he 
 made a pass as if he intended to pull 
 his gun. He was way and by far too 
 slow. Chip had his guns out and work- 
 
 92 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 ing overtime before Red got his hand 
 half-way to his hip. But it was just 
 one of his "playful moods/' he was 
 shooting at the snow where Red was 
 standing. Then a couple of those war 
 whoops, and the meeting was ad 
 journed. He tied on his snowshoes, 
 gave a few more whoops and a "wow, 
 you big coward, come and git me. Said 
 ye'd shoot me up some; why didn't ye 
 do it," and started home. 
 
 Then came another fight with that 
 something that kept telling him he 
 ought to go and get a drink before he 
 went home. Several times he hesitated 
 after starting, but realizing if he took 
 one drink he would never leave the bar 
 as long as he could stand up, he turned 
 back to the store, bought him a pipe 
 and a generous supply of tobacco, then 
 in a few moments he was going "fast 
 
 93 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 like the birds fly/' and was soon at the 
 ranch. 
 
 After supper that evening, Chip re 
 lated the day's experience. Everything 
 had worked out so nicely, that Oneida 
 congratulated Chip, and while she and 
 Aunt Nannie had enjoyed another good 
 laugh, she was not quite sure the fun 
 he had with Red was all right. So she 
 cautioned him to watch, for he would 
 seek revenge. She felt sure of this. 
 
 Chip at once set out digging paths 
 through the snow, so Oneida and Aunt 
 Nannie could get out to the corrals and 
 stable to look after the stock. Then he 
 carried poles and made a long feed rack 
 and filled it with hay. This would last 
 the stock a month, and the spring near 
 the corral which never froze over, sup 
 plied the water for the stock. When he 
 had finished this work, so the stock 
 could care for themselves, and cut wood 
 
 94 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 and stacked it up in the shed, he told 
 Oneida he was going out to find Kuna. 
 She had drawn a sketch of the country 
 as best she could, and told him how to 
 get to the pass through the mountains 
 to the south. He could easily find the 
 way from there. 
 
 "Carry the letter to Kuna Tom, and 
 stay with him a month if you want to/' 
 said Oneida, as she helped him get his 
 pack ready. "Aunt Nannie and I will 
 get along all right, so* do not worry 
 about us. Your medicine is strong; 
 you go "fast like the birds fly/' but you 
 must carry heap muck-a-muck, and 
 blankets. It will be a hard trip; you 
 may have to sleep out in the snow be 
 fore you get through." 
 
 He had planned all this as carefully 
 as she had, for he knew the mountains 
 and the treachery of the snow as well 
 as any one, and knew at a glance which 
 
 95 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 side of the canyon to keep on to be in the 
 least danger from snowslides. The snow 
 was packed down and the weather fine 
 for that season of the year, so he made 
 good time. He ran into a severe storm 
 on Galena summit, but soon made his 
 way over and started down "fast like 
 the birds fly." But when going at a 
 speed much faster than one who is not 
 familiar with such things would think 
 it possible to go, he saw a big tree 
 across his path, and not being able to 
 turn, attempted to jump it. He must 
 clear some limbs and smaller trees that 
 had been bent over, which obstructed 
 his view, the result of it all being a fall 
 over the edge of a bluff, a few bruises 
 and a broken snowshoe. Then came the 
 fight with the snow that at times cov 
 ered him entirely, for the crust would 
 not hold him up without his snowshoes. 
 His wonderful strength saved him, and 
 
 96 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 he finally found an old deserted miners 
 cabin. Here he spent the night, mend 
 ed his shoe, and by dusk the next day 
 had reached the K ranch. First, of 
 course, was the reading of Onedia's 
 letter and Chip's story of what had hap 
 pened since he found the girl in the big 
 snow storm. Then he added: 
 
 "Maybe ye'll think it wus all wrong, 
 Kuna, all wrong fer me to tell ye that 
 me an' Oneida stayed that night alone 
 in yer cabin. But I hope ye wont. We 
 were together nearly every summer 
 when she was with the Indians, and 
 were like brother an' sister. I helped 
 her to git home. Ye might call it 'mak- 
 in' her escape/ but there wus nothin' to 
 escape from but some old squaws, when 
 the scrap wus over. I knew where her 
 folks lived, so took her home. I left 
 her, but got lonesome, and run away to 
 find her. Now you know it all. If ye 
 
 97 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 don't believe me; if ye think I have 
 harmed her in any way you know, 
 disgraced her so folks '11 talk about 
 her, Fll go back an' fix up papers sayin' 
 I faked the story, then hike. She's the 
 same as a sister to me, an' no harm '11 
 come to her when I'm 'round 'thout 
 me being put out o' the way first. Be 
 lieve me, friend?" 
 
 Oneida had not written Kuna any 
 thing about these matters ; she had told 
 him where she was staying; that Chip 
 was worthy of his respect and friend 
 ship, leaving the rest for Chip to tell in 
 his own way and in his own time. Kuna 
 had hardly batted an eye during the 
 time Chip was telling his story, but he 
 knew he was telling the truth and that 
 standing there before him was a man. 
 Tears had filled his eyes, but as his 
 hand was extended to Chip, he said: 
 
 "Yes, I believe you. And from this 
 
 98 
 
CHIP CHIP IN PLAYFUL MOOD 
 
 day, you and I will be as brothers," 
 and they sealed the pledge by shaking 
 hands. And, the vow that was made 
 by these two men that day at the K 
 ranch has been kept all through the 
 years, even to the present day. 
 
 99 
 
IX 
 THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 Chip found life at the ranch with 
 Kuna and the half dozen riders that 
 spent most of their time there, very 
 pleasant. He was an expert horseman, 
 a splendid roper, so he got along nicely. 
 After the stock had all been looked 
 after, the remainder of the day would 
 be spent in reading and study. There 
 were exceptions to this rule, for they 
 often took long rides to look after the 
 cattle. Stock wintered in those days, 
 all over Southern Idaho, out on the 
 range. No one ever thought of putting 
 up hay, except a little for the saddle 
 horses that were kept up. It was on 
 one of these rides that Chip got his 
 first view of the "Mighty Tumwater," 
 Shoshone Falls. Then there were other 
 diversions, too, many an hour was 
 
 101 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 spent with the boxing gloves. They all 
 enjoyed this pastime, and had someone 
 come along just before Christmas-time 
 that winter, he could have found two or 
 three "white hopes," and one with a 
 trace of Red, at the K ranch. Then, 
 after he had stayed several days longer 
 than he had intended, Chip told the 
 boys he must go back to the ranch on the 
 Salmon; Aunt Nannie and Oneida 
 might need him. Yes, he must go, but 
 the parting was not easy; he loved 
 those big-hearted, kindly boys he had 
 found there, and they loved him. But 
 Kuna sketched him out a route, much 
 better than the one he had come over 
 on his trip down, and directed him so 
 he could find ranches to stop at for food 
 and shelter. But he would take plenty 
 of provision, for more men lost their 
 way making such trips, than got 
 through according to plans. He would 
 
 102 
 
THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 take in two big turkeys. Yes, he could 
 carry them, one for Aunt Nannie and 
 Oneida, the other for Uncle John and 
 Aunt Lucy. He could get home in time 
 so they could have the birds for New 
 Years dinner. And he did, but such a 
 trip. Bucking the snow, sleeping, or 
 rather staying out two nights, fighting 
 to keep from freezing, then when he 
 reached "the top of the world/' rode a 
 snowslide back to the "bottom of the 
 world," and had to make the climb 
 again. His wonderful strength and en 
 durance had again saved him, and the 
 birds were delivered in time for the 
 New Years dinner, as planned. But 
 figured at anything like a fair price, 
 they were the most expensive turkeys 
 ever served on the Salmon River. 
 
 "Everything has gone well with us," 
 said Oneida, when Chip got home. "We 
 have had no trouble at all." 
 
 103 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 And so he found things at the board 
 ing house. Uncle John and Aunt Lucy 
 were well and happy. But up at the old 
 town and about the Grabber Mining 
 Company's properties, things had sure 
 ly gone to the bad. This was the view 
 Red took of matters, and it must have 
 been so. Everyone in camp knew the 
 "playful mood boy" for this was the 
 name they gave him had called the 
 "big bluffer," and got away with it. 
 Red had attempted to buy the good-will 
 of these men by supplying the drinks 
 on every occasion when that, to him, 
 unfortunate affair was mentioned. But 
 he was not making much headway. 
 They would gather around him, and 
 talk just as if he were not present, and 
 every time the story of the "coming of 
 the playful mood person" was told, it 
 got worse. What one could not think 
 of another could. And, it was told over 
 
 104 
 
THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 and over, as long as Red would stay 
 around. If he spent too much of his 
 time at the office, the boys would go and 
 get him, then the fun would start all 
 over again. 
 
 "It wus back in airly day, a big feller 
 drifts inter camp here an' goes herdin' 
 prospectors fer a big minin' company. 
 He wus a big, powerful feller, an' had 
 three notches on the handle o' his six 
 gun. He wus shore a bad man. He 
 brags a heap an' puts it over, fer we 
 aint lookin' fer trouble none. Then we 
 fin's out he wus the biggest coward an' 
 bluffer in seven states. Hones', he 
 wouldn't a scrapped a snowshoe rabbit. 
 We fin's this out one day when a little, 
 dwarfed 'playful mood person' comes 
 in, that the big bluffer had said he would 
 hobble an' put in cold storage, when, 
 bang, bang, the lad has the scenery all 
 perforated around the big feller's feet. 
 
 105 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Wot, o'boy. Yer should have seen the 
 coward run. He made it down from 
 yonder, back o' the store, up to the Top 
 Light Saloon, one hundred an' thirty- 
 nine yards, in ten seconds flat. A most 
 magnificent burst o' speed; a record 
 'thout a par'lell in the whole country." 
 
 "An' turned one squar corner on the 
 track!" 
 
 No matter who told the story, and 
 there were as many versions as there 
 were men to tell it, some one would al 
 ways add the last line, about the square 
 turn in the track. Red would usually 
 "buy" before the story was finished. 
 Then the town wag, as he was called, 
 would get to going. Red hated him the 
 worst of any of the gang, and that was 
 saying a great deal. He put it into 
 song. He had made up several verses, 
 but usually started off with this one, 
 everybody joining in the "Wow," as 
 106 
 
THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 loud as they could whoop it up. If Red 
 didn't come through with the drinks for 
 the house, the singing was continued 
 until he did. 
 
 "0, he said he was a fighter a gunman 
 
 that was bad, 
 An' had us bluffed a-plenty here in 
 
 town, 
 But did you see the fun did you see 
 
 the piker run 
 
 When the Tlayful Mood Person' 
 called him down? 
 
 Wow! Wow! Wow!" 
 
 So the weeks passed. Life was not 
 worth the living for Red. He couldn't 
 get away, and his cup was full and run 
 ning over. He must keep his temper, 
 though, nobody else wanted it, and think 
 of some way to redeem himself. But 
 each day the boys took a cup of "the 
 milk of human kindness, and churned 
 it into limberger cheese," and they made 
 
 107 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Red say he liked it. Spring was coming ; 
 he would show them. He would make 
 no more gun talk, and even went about 
 camp without his revolvers. He was 
 afraid he might kill someone, and that 
 would mean another term in the Pen. 
 When he would think of another trip 
 over the road, he would get cold feet. 
 "I'll do it with my two hands. I will 
 break him in two an' throw half o' him 
 down the mountain into the Boise River 
 an' the other half down in the Salmon. 
 Shore, I kin do it." 
 
 This was the talk he would make 
 when going over what he would do to 
 Kuna when he got sight of him. "An' 
 the 'playful mood person' '11 git the same 
 when I ketch 'im 'ith his guns off. Self- 
 defense '11 save me that way, an' I'll 
 wipe 'em off the face o' the earth." 
 
 Kuna had come up from the ranch, 
 and he and Chip had been at work on 
 
 108 
 
THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 the Wild Horse claim several days be 
 fore Redwolf knew anything about it. 
 He thought of course that Kuna was 
 alone, so he confides in a couple of gam 
 blers, pays them to go along as witnesses 
 and see the fight. 
 
 "Ye air to go 'long an' see it's a fair 
 fight. 0' course, if he gits me down an' 
 ye think he's got a chanct t' hurt me, 
 ye'll turn 'im over an' kick 'im in the 
 slats. But, he'll never touch me." Then 
 he would parade back and forth before 
 them so they could note his great, well- 
 formed body, that looked as if he had 
 strength enough to kill an ox with a 
 single blow. 
 
 Kuna and Chip had just finished their 
 noonday meal when the three rode up 
 to the claim. Red stopped a little way 
 back and told the other fellows to get 
 Kuna down there and to see that he had 
 no gun. They went on up to the cabin, 
 
 109 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 called him out and asked him to come 
 and help them with a friend who was 
 not feeling well. They did not see Chip, 
 but he saw them, and followed along. A 
 short distance from the cabin, Red 
 stepped out of his hiding place and told 
 Kuna what he had come for, and it was 
 to be a fight to the finish with life, the 
 claim and the girl as the prize. As in 
 ancient times, it would be "the survival 
 of the fittest." It was the chance that 
 Kuna had long hoped for, so he accepted 
 the challenge gladly. He realized, how-^ 
 ever, what it all meant; what a giant 
 he had to whip. Then he called Chip to 
 come and see fair play. Red and his 
 two companions had not seen him, they 
 thinking until now that Kuna was alone 
 and that there would be but one outcome 
 to the fight. But there could be no back 
 down now ; he simply had to fight it out. 
 They went at it without any further 
 
 110 
 
THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 parley. If a comparison could be made, 
 it was Science and Caution combined 
 with the quickness and cunning of the 
 Cougar, against the ferocity and brute 
 strength of the Grizzley. Four times 
 had Kuna stretched the great giant full 
 length on the ground, before Red real 
 ized he stood no show at that way of 
 fighting. He must get a hold, then with 
 his great hands he would crush him. 
 But to get that hold, ah, that was the 
 question. Try as he would, he always 
 ran into a well-directed blow. But, 
 finally, with a rush that Kuna could not 
 stop, he got his hold, and down they 
 went. Over and over they rolled, Kuna 
 fighting to free himself, Red trying for 
 a grip on the throat. And slowly but 
 surely he drew Kuna down and secured 
 that hold. Here, then, was the deciding 
 point of the battle; could Kuna break 
 that grip. He felt the hand tighten, 
 
 111 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 and knew in a moment more his wind 
 would be gone and then he tore that 
 hand loose, and gave Red such a beating 
 that the three watchers thought he had 
 killed him. Not so. By the time he 
 was up, after freeing himself 2 Red was 
 up and after him. But he never got 
 that hold on the throat again. On they 
 fought, Red taking the big end of the 
 punishment. Would Kuna's strength 
 hold out? Chip thought it would when 
 the two gamblers suggested stopping 
 the fight and call it a draw. They took 
 Chip at his word, too, and kept away. 
 The men would fight and rest, then fight 
 again. In the language of the prize 
 ring, Kuna had his man going, so he 
 slowed up a little. Then, when rested, 
 so he could put the strength behind the 
 blows to make them count, he went at 
 his man and soon finished him with a 
 right, square on the point of his jaw. 
 
 112 
 
THE BIG FIGHT 
 
 Red was whipped, and by a man fully 
 thirty-five pounds lighter. But it took 
 almost an hour to do it. Fair and 
 square, the Giant had been beaten. Re 
 venge? Yes, he'd have revenge, so went 
 to wearing his guns again, as soon as 
 he was able to be out. But that was not 
 for some time, for he had taken an 
 awful beating. He became boastful, 
 and, unfortunately for him, threatened 
 the lives of both Kuna and Chip. He 
 would get them the next time they met. 
 Wrong again. Chip got him. 
 
 113 
 
X 
 
 THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE TO 
 THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 "Self -defense," was the way the ver 
 dict read when the coroner's jury had 
 heard the evidence, so Chip went free. 
 But the verdict did not stand, for it had 
 been whispered around that his father 
 was very wealthy and would pay a good 
 round sum to keep him out of prison. 
 Witnesses were hired, and a lawyer who 
 had barely escaped the court of Judge 
 Lynch several times, made complaint 
 and had Chip arrested again. The 
 prosecution found some sympathy, too, 
 because the defendant was supposed to 
 be part Indian. There were plenty of 
 men so prejudiced against the Red man 
 that they did not consider it a crime 
 worth mentioning to swear against 
 them. 
 
 115 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Spring had come by the time all these 
 matters had been arranged, prospectors 
 were coming in and the old town was 
 taking on new life. Chip walked out to 
 the sheriff when called upon to surren 
 der, unbuckled his belt and passed over 
 his guns. He feared nothing nor no 
 body, so refused to send word to his 
 father. He gave the sheriff no trouble 
 whatever, but must be put in jail, as 
 the judge could see no way to let him 
 out on bail, as he was charged with 
 murder. Kuna had taken up the matter 
 for Chip, and was ready to go with 
 plenty of "good men and true," as wit 
 nesses, whose testimony would clear the 
 boy, if he could find the right lawyer 
 one who would show up these false ac 
 cusers. He kept looking about for such 
 a man. He was on hand with his wit 
 nesses a day before the case was called, 
 and met a young attorney who had come 
 
 116 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 over from Idaho City. He liked the 
 looks of this young man, and at once 
 told him the whole story. 
 
 "I will not only clear that boy," this 
 young lawyer told him, "but unless they 
 make tracks out of here, and that pretty 
 fast, too, Fll put the whole gang in the 
 Pen for perjury. Let them go ahead 
 and swear to those lies, then if you have 
 the men here you say you have, we will 
 impeach them and have the whole 
 bunch, their lawyer and all, arrested." 
 
 The prosecution had fixed up a strong 
 case; there was no question about that. 
 The only trouble was, a fear that the 
 witnesses might not hold together, as 
 Mr. Stratty, the lawyer, had planned, 
 and tried to make himself believe they 
 would. He had seen the defendant, 
 made him a proposition ; fearing some 
 thing might not go just as he had told 
 himself it would. But Chip refused to 
 
 117 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 have anything to do with this "legal 
 Napoleon," as he liked to refer to him 
 self when summing up the case. He 
 tried to impress upon the minds of the 
 jury that he was a self-made man, that 
 his actions had always been above re 
 proach ; that the defendant had tried to 
 bribe him ; that he was prompted by a 
 desire to see justice meted out to the 
 guilty at all times, and expected no fee 
 for the great sacrifice he was making 
 in consenting to prosecute the case. His 
 talk was merely a boost for Attorney 
 Stratty. The witnesses for the prose 
 cution were called, and one after the 
 other, seven of them in all, swore to the 
 same thing, word for word. The Judge, 
 having no acquaintance with any of the 
 witnesses, nor the attorney, either, for 
 that matter, had rather sided with the 
 prosecution. He was not aware that 
 Redwolf had threatened the life of the 
 
 118 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 defendant, neither was he aware of the 
 fact that the whole case was a plan of 
 this lawyer to get a big fee out of the 
 defendant's father. He began to "see 
 things," however, by the time the pros 
 ecution had presented their side of the 
 case. Then the unexpected happened. 
 "If it please the Court," said Jim 
 Worth, who up to this time had said but 
 little, for he had been merely waiting 
 for the witnesses for the prosecution to 
 give their testimony so he would be able 
 to map out his plans, "I now ask for a 
 postponement of this case till ten o'clock 
 tomorrow. I know, and I believe every 
 one in this court room thinks as I do, 
 that these men have sworn falsely, and 
 furthermore, we can prove it. This 
 lawyer, gentlemen, will find that To 
 him that hath shall be given, even o' 
 trouble, for, when opportunity comes 
 our way an' we grab hold o' the tail o' 
 
 119 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 the Golden Calf, there is usually a very 
 pretty race 'til the Calf gits away.' He 
 has told us he is a self-made man. Well, 
 when I tell you what I know about his 
 actions in this case, you will begin to 
 wonder what was wrong with the ma 
 terial he used. Maybe he thought it 
 'cute/ as he rather hinted it was, to 
 bring this defendant here after a cor 
 oner's jury had freed him of the crime 
 he is charged with, but my friends, 
 cuteness abideth not in this big, free 
 land of ours this Idaho land part of 
 that great land known as God's country. 
 A man with a thirst for glory, as this 
 lawyer would have you believe he has, 
 will, I think, find the thirst he really 
 has the same kind of thirst the Gov 
 ernor of North Carolina had when he 
 spoke those kindly words to the Gov 
 ernor of South Carolina. He said some 
 thing about the Golden Rule. Gentle- 
 
 120 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 men, this kind of a man, that wants you 
 to do by him the way he'd be willin' to 
 do by you, usually wants you to do the 
 doin' first. And with such as he, when 
 it comes to doing real charitable acts, 
 if you will only have a look, you will 
 find they are trying to feather their 
 nests with 'cash down/ Now, Mr. 
 Stratty tells us his character is above 
 reproach. I hope it is now, for it has 
 not always been so. He not only tried 
 to sell out to the defendant, but put on 
 a bargain sale and marked himself 
 down below cost. Now, Your Honor, I 
 know these men have all sworn falsely, 
 just as well as they do, so I shall prepare 
 papers in the case we will file against 
 them, and the sheriff can arrest them 
 with their lawyer. It means a long 
 term in the Penitentiary for all of them. 
 Mr. Sheriff, if you find any of these men 
 in the jurisdiction of this court at ten 
 
 121 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 o'clock tomorrow, you will bring them 
 in here. Then they will learn what the 
 penalty is for Bearing False Witness. 
 They know, and we know that Redwolf 
 Jess not only threatened the life of the 
 defendant, but the life of Kuna Tom, 
 also. If you, Mr. Stratty, and you, gen 
 tlemen, who have testified in this case 
 will just stick 'round here till tomorrow 
 you'll see the finish of the greatest 
 trumped up case ever tried in Mountain 
 County." 
 
 The next morning, when court con 
 vened, the witnesses for the prosecution 
 and their lawyer, failed to appear. 
 Eight riders could have been seen, how 
 ever, could one have looked across the 
 mountains toward Big Lost River. 
 And, they were making fairly good time 
 too, considering they had been in the 
 saddle all night. 
 
 Jim's motion to dismiss the case was 
 
 122 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 sustained, and Chip walked out of the 
 court room a free man. Jim's plan had 
 worked, and the trumped up charges 
 of these men, backed by a shyster law 
 yer, to pull down a big wad of easy 
 money from Chip and his friends, had 
 failed. 
 
 In a few weeks Kuna sold the 
 Wild Horse Claim for a good big price, 
 and had made all arrangements to take 
 Oneida and her parents back to Myste 
 rious Valley, on the Salmon River. Of 
 course, Chip was to go with them. They 
 were not going to follow the river, they 
 were going across the mountains. They 
 made camp the first day in the pass of 
 the Sawtooth. Here on this summit one 
 can throw a stone down into the waters 
 of the South Boise, and another into 
 the waters of the Salmon. The view 
 down the Salmon across Stanley Basin, 
 is a magnificent one. It was mid-after- 
 123 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 noon and Kuna and Oneida had climbed 
 Bald Eagle Peak, for a better view. 
 The great Basin lay out before them; 
 they could look down the valley for a 
 hundred miles. It was one of those 
 ideal June days, with soft breezes carry 
 ing the scent of wild flowers up to them. 
 "There, Kuna," said Oneida, "is one 
 of the grandest views in this whole 
 Northwest country. Such a profusion 
 of colors. We hear sounds, but it is 
 only the eloquent language of Nature. 
 The expanding blossoms, with their 
 sweet fragrance, reveal more of life's 
 real worth, than all else. See the river 
 sparkling in the light, casting reflec 
 tions over against the side of those 
 rugged mountains. Little white clouds 
 floating up yonder, cast shadows over 
 those barren peaks, which seem to reach 
 the sky, making a picture like beautiful 
 fairies playing hide and seek among the 
 
 124 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 crags. Over there, nestling in little 
 basins, are the lakes: Alturas, Petit, 
 Stanley, Redfish, and dozens of others. 
 No, we cannot see them from here, but 
 we know they are there. Waters as 
 clear and pure as dewdrops, and in the 
 two larger, Alturas and Redfish, can be 
 seen the pretty Redfish. They come in 
 the last of June, and usually stay about 
 three months. Where they come from 
 and where they go, no one can tell. No 
 other place in the world can these fish 
 be seen, except the outlets of these two 
 lakes. And, the same sun that turns 
 the snows of those mighty mountains 
 into the fairy gems of those lakes, gives 
 the blush and tint to the Sego Lily of 
 the Valley, yonder. The scene is so 
 pretty, we forget the other moods. These 
 grand old mountains which seem so 
 peaceful, are at times, most cruel. Ah, 
 my boy, the storms, I know. But we 
 
 125 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 will not dwell on that. The beauty, the 
 serenity, and, melody of it all, is suffi 
 cient for the day. Here life is renewed, 
 the breezes are soft and balmy, and the 
 gentle sighing of the pines would lull 
 one to slumber. The peace and beauty 
 of it all must be seen and felt; words 
 fail me when I try to describe it But, 
 oh, Nika tikeh okoke, Nika tikeh okoke 
 konoway." (I love it, I love it all.) 
 
 Mysterious Valley was reached in due 
 time, and as soon as the papers could be 
 made out, title to the old homestead 
 passed back to Uncle John and Aunt 
 Lucy. The mortgage, which had long 
 been a lien on the Thomas place was 
 paid off. Then Oneida told Chip of their 
 plans, and suggested that he go at once, 
 visit his folks, and bring Becca True 
 home with him. There was a little Red 
 blood in Becca's veins, but a sweeter, 
 kindlier girl would have been hard to 
 
 126 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 find. "You know, Chip Chip, there is 
 going to be a big Home Coming time, 
 and there will be a double wedding if 
 you and Becca will join." 
 
 Yes, he would do it. For that was 
 what prompted him to run away, be 
 cause he thought he could find Oneida, 
 and she would understand and help him 
 with his books. She and Kuna had both 
 assisted him, and he had studied hard, 
 so knew that he had made some prog 
 ress. Becca had been gone a long time, 
 but would be at home now. She and 
 Oneida were the warmest friends, for 
 Becca often visited the Gipsy camp and 
 they would make long trips up into the 
 hills after flowers. They loved each 
 other as sisters, and although separated 
 during their school days, their love had 
 grown stronger, with the years. When 
 Chip crossed the ridge and started 
 around her father's pasture, Becca saw 
 
 127 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 him, and started out to meet him. Chip 
 dismounted and held out his two hands 
 to greet her. "Kloshe okustee klat 
 yahka lamontai, puis tenas klak nika 
 etshum." 
 
 "Oh," said Becca, "isn't that nice." 
 Then she made response: "Beautiful 
 daughter of the Mountains, and child 
 of my heart." Then as she gazed up at 
 him, he read the message in those 
 pretty eyes, and understood. 
 
 Chip had changed so, when he and 
 Becca reached Mysterious Valley for 
 the big celebration, those who did not 
 know, would have had to be told there 
 was even a trace of Indian blood in their 
 veins, for, their manner, dress, actions, 
 looks and language was the same as the 
 people of the valley. An old Indian 
 woman accompanied them across the 
 mountains, "not that we needed a chap- 
 erone, except for appearance sake; she 
 
 128 
 
THE TRIAL THEN GOOD BYE 
 
 is to be our housekeeper," said Becca, by 
 way of explaining the presence of the 
 old woman. 
 
 There was great rejoicing on this 
 Home Coming Day. First was the 
 double wedding, Kuna and Oneida, and 
 Chip Chip and Becca. Uncle Henry, as 
 all called Kuna's father, was the prin 
 cipal speaker, and the reminiscences he 
 related that day would seem so real to 
 our old Pioneers, they would at once 
 recall the stirring times in their own 
 lives. We then, of this generation, 
 listen to these men and women, and 
 while we think we realize what they 
 endured, it is only a mental picture we 
 see, for those times would have to be 
 Lived, to be fully understood. 
 
 129 
 
XI 
 
 MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 Twelve years later, in looking down 
 into Mysterious Valley, we see two well- 
 kept farms, with big, fine buildings, 
 good, substantial fences around the 
 places, and herds of thoroughbred cattle 
 and horses. Chip Chip and Becca own 
 one of these places, the Bruneau ranch, 
 which they purchased from Oneida's 
 parents. The other is the Thomas 
 place where Kuna and Oneida live. 
 Uncle John and Aunt Lucy, and Uncle 
 Henry and Aunt Mary, those dear old 
 people that all who know them love 
 them, live with their children, Kuna 
 and Oneida. There are others in this 
 family too : Little Oneida, eleven years 
 old, Kuna, Jr., nine, Becca, seven, and 
 Chip, five. There are four children in 
 the other family also. Chip, Jr., Little 
 
 131 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Becca, Kuna and Oneida. They are al 
 most the same ages as the Thomas chil 
 dren. And we know, too, there is great 
 love and friendship in these two fam 
 ilies, by the names of the children. 
 
 A visit to the home of Chip and family 
 reveals many of their little fancies and 
 peculiarities. Generous, you know 
 their hospitality is as real and genuine 
 as the hills that wall in their home. 
 There are many rare "trophies of the 
 hunt" about the place, all arranged with 
 care and exceptionally good taste. "Yes, 
 we have our peculiarities," said Chip, 
 "the same as most people. We have 
 made a great effort to overcome those 
 that might be offensive to our neighbors. 
 The hardest fight we had was to fully 
 forgive those that had wronged us. But, 
 following the teachings of our Savior, 
 we have succeeded pretty well. Yes, we 
 taught our children to speak the Koo- 
 
 132 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 tenai jargon; it will help them some 
 time. But you know there are about 
 fifty Indian languages some claim 
 more than that in use west of the 
 Rocky Mountains. There are as many 
 languages as there are tribes, and they 
 differ as widely as English and Dutch. 
 But as the tribes bunch and mingle 
 you know they are getting fewer all 
 the time their talk becomes a jargon, 
 not only a mixture of Indian tongues, 
 but French and English grafted on 'til 
 pretty nearly all the Coast Indians now 
 understand each other. And there is a 
 universal sign language that all In 
 dians understand. Becca and I have 
 been told there is a trace of Kootenai 
 blood in our veins, but we did not put 
 it there, if there is, so we do not worry 
 about that. Until we were nearly grown 
 we lived, you might say, with the Koo- 
 tenai's. We dressed much the same as 
 
 133 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 they did and maybe our habits were 
 some like theirs, too. We found out 
 later the mistake we had made, for it 
 took us a long time to rid ourselves of 
 the habits and manners of our early 
 life. The Indian garb I wore over in 
 the Sawtooth country was the same as 
 all the men wore around our home place, 
 but it did not take well with some I met 
 up with, so caused me no end of trouble. 
 And, you know there is one thing that 
 has, since we grew up, caused us no little 
 annoyance. Why should we have been 
 falsely accused and made to suffer for 
 something we were not responsible for, 
 even though there is Red blood in our 
 veins, it's honest blood, and we claim 
 our share of human nature. We never 
 wronged anyone. I have had to fight 
 my way, but never did I go hunting for 
 a scrap. And, I will tell you further, 
 I have never run away from a scrap, 
 
 134 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 either, when it appeared that the other 
 fellow would not be satisfied without it. 
 Then it's wrong, too, all wrong, for a 
 man to have to go about denying things 
 that careless, tattling, unprincipled per 
 sons say about him. A shrug of the 
 shoulders, a little word, maybe; and you 
 know everything was small at one time 
 and had to grow, so this little word 
 about the character of you or some mem 
 ber of you family grows, 'til it gets so 
 big you are likely to lose your temper 
 when you meet up with the person that 
 started it." 
 
 "That is a picture of Jim Worth," 
 said he, as he saw me looking at the 
 familiar face; those kindly eyes looking 
 back at me as though they recognized 
 me. "Sure you know him; everybody 
 in Idaho does. He defended me for 
 killing Redwolf Jess. I was just wait 
 ing to tell the court about that shyster 
 
 135 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 lawyer coming to the jail and offering 
 to dismiss the case if I would give him 
 a thousand dollars. I turned him down, 
 and there would have been a murder 
 charge against me that might have 
 stuck if the sheriff hadn't pried my 
 hands loose from the fellow's neck. But 
 Kuna told Jim, so he beat me to it, and 
 scared those fellows so badly they are 
 probably running yet, and that was 
 several years ago. But I have forgiven 
 them and hope they have all reformed. 
 Our children are up at Kuna's, so you 
 will see them when you go up there. 
 They are either up there, or the Thomas 
 children are down here. We have no 
 school house in here, so Oneida and 
 Becca take turn about, sort o' fifty-fifty, 
 as it were, teaching them. You are to 
 go up there now, so Becca and I will 
 go along. It isn't far, so we visit a 
 great deal." 
 
 136 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 Then the visit with Kuna and Oneida. 
 They, too, had only kind words for all, 
 forgetting the past and forgiving those 
 who had wronged them. I know you 
 have been waiting for me to tell you 
 more about these two women that we 
 have been visiting with, and by this time 
 learned to love. How they looked, color 
 of hair, eyes, their size, and all. Well, 
 they were medium size, brunette, with a 
 world of dark hair, and dark eyes. This 
 then is all I shall tell you. Close your 
 eyes and paint a picture to suit your 
 fancy, and look on two charming Idaho 
 women, standing there in their Valley 
 homes, surrounded by hills covered with 
 wild flowers, and you should be able to 
 see Oneida and Becca. 
 
 "Here," said Oneida, "are the rules, 
 so don't forget. You see we call each 
 other by the first name, no Mr. or Mrs. 
 in our language when we are alone. 
 
 137 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 You will not be shocked then the way 
 we address each other, for 'familiarity 
 breeds no contempt' in Mysterious Val 
 ley. Sure, I know what you are think 
 ing about now. I read your thoughts 
 when I mentioned that name. I can't 
 tell it as it should be told, for Mysterious 
 Valley, so-called, has a wonderful his 
 tory if we are to believe the Indian 
 legend that has been handed down to us. 
 Old Comealong Jerry, we know no other 
 name for him, and come to think about 
 it, that does him as well as any, should 
 be here to tell the story. He knows it 
 all, and has told it so often that our 
 attempts to relate it with all the flour 
 ishes and sign talk, is like mere child's 
 play, as it were. Little Oneida tells the 
 story very well, so when she comes out 
 she will play the part of Comealong. 
 The old man was living here in that 
 same little cabin, when, what we call 
 
 138 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 the first settlers arrived, but that is 
 about all we know. If we had a 'rubber 
 neck wagon/ as we have heard them 
 called, we would take you on a sight 
 seeing trip, and the old man's place 
 down there would be one of the sights 
 shown you. And, I think we could pre 
 vail on Becca to act as 'barker.' But 
 we can't get down there today, so you 
 will miss seeing the old man, and also 
 miss hearing the story as he tells it, for 
 no one can tell it quite so well. He al 
 ways takes three chews of tobacco while 
 telling it, whittles, and at regular in 
 tervals, stops to chew, discharging the 
 tobacco juice, and wipes his mouth and 
 long white beard with the back of his 
 hand. Come, daughter, get a stick and 
 daddy's knife, and give us Comealong's 
 story of Mysterious Valley." 
 
 "Tamahnawus Coolee, wus the name 
 the Injuns give thisher' valley a long 
 
 139 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 time ago. They used to hoi' their big 
 feasts here in the fall o' the year on 
 'count o' the 'bundance o' game an' fish. 
 It wus a sort o' rend'voo fer all the 
 tribes in the state. An' they'd all come 
 to these big meetin's. Gamblin', mostly 
 hoss racin', wus the principal pastime, 
 an' when a bunch 'ud go broke, they'd 
 bet their gals, some o' them young wim- 
 en, on a race. 'Course the gals 'ud run 
 away the fust chance they got, but that 
 didn't do 'em much good, fer then 'ud 
 come the fight over the ownership o' the 
 stakes. This, o' course, 'ud make 'em 
 wus enemies as they wus afore, an' that 
 wus sayin' a great deal. Wall, by'mby, 
 stead o' this bein' a sort o' Summer 
 Pleasure Resort, as it were, it 'comes a 
 great battle field. Nobuddy'll ever 
 know how many Injuns has bin killed 
 an' scalped an' throwed over the bluff 
 into the river yonder. This fightin' an' 
 
 140 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 scalpin' bis'ness keeps up 'til 'bout the 
 time I comes here. An' that wus 'bout 
 the time the hants begin. Yas, Gos's, 
 Tamahnawus is the Injun name fer 
 wichcraft, spirits, an' Mamook Tam 
 ahnawus is to conjure, er make strange 
 medicine. Jist at the time the fust gos's 
 appear, three young Injun braves comes 
 out o' the north an' 'rects a big totem 
 pole, there, look right over yonder an' 
 you'll see the big boulder, right thar is 
 whar they puts it up. Over on that 
 side wus three big pine trees, an' over 
 on this side by the little boulder, stood 
 three big cedars. Each character on 
 the totem wus carved three times. Then 
 these three braves goes back over the 
 mountain to the Blackfeet's village an' 
 steals er kidnaps three Injun gals an' 
 makes their escape over here in this 
 valley, but it wus dark an' they wus a- 
 ridin' fast so they lost their bearin's an' 
 
 141 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 rides over the bluff an' plunges into the 
 river, two hundred feet below. 'Course 
 they wus all drowned. Then comes the 
 real, shore 'nuff mystery. Thar now, 
 don't ye go to gittin' figgitty; thar aint 
 nothin' goin' to creep up yore back 'less 
 it's the coP chills er sumpin', 'cause it 
 all comes in threes. Any stormy night 
 the watchers 'ud go up there on the bluff 
 by the totem pole, at three o'clock o' the 
 mawnin', they'd see three Injun gals 
 walk right 'cross the canyon; go right 
 over from one bluff to the other, an' 
 thar wus no rope ner bridge ner nothin' 
 jist the same as it is right thar now. 
 Three little lights 'ud be on their fore 
 heads, so. As soon as the gals 'ud git 
 over, three big owls 'ud fly over after 
 'em an' each one 'ud hoot three times. 
 A big storm had broke the top out o' one 
 o' the big pines, but it fell into the forks 
 o' the other trees so the rosined limbs 
 
 142 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 'ud screech three times as the wind 
 swayed 'em back an* forth. The tops 
 o' the cedars wus dead, so the wood 
 peckers bored 'em full o' holes an' these 
 'ud jine in, makin' three whistles ; allus 
 three sharp whistles. Next 'ud come 
 three white hosses out o' the north an' 
 disappear over the bluff, an' go down 
 jist as the braves an' the three gals did. 
 Strange lights 'ud be seen, in little 
 flashes, thataway, allus three little 
 flashes. The coyotes allus give three 
 howls, an' the mountain lion 'ud take up 
 the echo an' give three mighty roars. 
 Then 'ud come a voice cryin' out o' the 
 darkness, '0 Sahhalee Tyee Polakly, 
 marsh siah kopa nesika konoway me- 
 sahchee.' (0, Great Father (of the) 
 Night, put far away from us all evil.) 
 Three times could we hear this cry. An' 
 I've heer'd an' seen all this an' more, 
 an' kin p'int out the places. Why ev'ry- 
 
 143 
 
A ROMANCE OP THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 thin' in three's, ye ask? I dunno, I 
 dunno. Klone, hias, huloimee three, 
 the Great Mystery. It might mean 
 Youth, Manhood an' Age, er Life, Death 
 an' the World to Come. Klone, hias, 
 huloimee." 
 
 I must have been thinking of the 
 Great Mystery, screeching pines, or 
 whistling cedars, or something, after 
 little Oneida finished the story, for when 
 she awakened me from my reverie by 
 giving one of my hands a jerk, all had 
 left and were almost to the house. The 
 little girl and I had been left behind. 
 We went for a walk, for I was glad to 
 get away so I could shake off that 
 "creepy feeling." 
 
 "Those are Chip's old six shooters," 
 said Oneida, as we reached the house, 
 "those up there on the big elk head. He 
 never has those Tlayful Moods' any 
 more, so doesn't tote them around. And 
 
 144 
 
MYSTERIOUS VALLEY 
 
 this is the old buckskin belt he gave my 
 parents the second time he went up to 
 see them for me. I never knew any 
 thing about it 'til we came down here, 
 and might not have known then, but he 
 refused to take it back. It was full of 
 twenty dollar gold pieces, and I think 
 there are a few of the original pieces 
 in there yet. Yes, Becca and I are the 
 school teachers. My school room is off 
 the children's sleeping rooms. You may 
 have a look in there a little later. No, 
 there are no mysterious things in there; 
 that is, no screeching pines or whistling 
 cedars. But wait. I am not going to 
 tell you of the children's plans. It is 
 nothing out of the ordinary for us ; you 
 could see the same scene any night when 
 they are all ready for bed. 
 
 145 
 
XII 
 
 THE LORD'S PRAYER IN 
 CHINOOK 
 
 After supper that evening, all took 
 turns at story telling, and the reminis 
 cences were so interesting to me that I 
 almost lost track of the time. It was 
 one of those ideal summer evenings and 
 everything seemed so pretty and peace 
 ful, that one could scarcely believe that 
 the hills all covered with a profusion of 
 wild flowers, could have ever been the 
 scene of the great battles fought by the 
 Indians in earlier days. But it must 
 have been, there was the evidence in the 
 Valley, on the hillsides everywhere. 
 
 "Don't look so serious about it," said 
 Becca, "we have only told the stories as 
 they were told to us. Your mood re 
 minds me a little of a fellow who came 
 in here last summer, goodness only 
 
 147 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 knows how he found the way, we don't, 
 but he got in here somehow and was 
 looking for material for a story. He 
 wanted Catch Phrases, and Home Made 
 Philosophy, enough, we thought, for a 
 half-dozen stories, had he been able to 
 draw anything from his imaginative 
 powers, if he had any; so we got very 
 tired of him. He would follow Chip 
 about day after day ; he wanted a Catch 
 Phrase for his book. Chip couldn't 
 stand his annoyance any longer, so gave 
 him this one: 'Anah klatawa kopa 
 Peshak pekahta iskum wawa.' The 
 fellow was overjoyed with it, it sounded 
 so nice he had it all wrote out; little 
 Chip helped him with it, but when he 
 asked the lad to say it over in our lan 
 guage, packed up his grips and left. 
 Sure I'll tell you what it means: 'Ah, 
 
 go to h for Catch Phrases.' The last 
 
 time we were out, we went to Nampa, 
 
 148 
 
LORD'S PRAYER IN CHINOOK 
 
 and stopped at Mayor Bob Davis' big 
 hotel, certainly the finest and best hos 
 telry in the entire West. We saw this 
 fellow there, but he did not bother us 
 anymore about Catch Phrases. He left 
 for the East while we were there; per 
 haps he was taking the one Chip gave 
 him home to show to his friends. Now 
 you have not annoyed us ; you have been 
 so agreeable we want you to come again. 
 You looked so serious for a time, that 
 your mood reminded me of the Catch 
 Phrase fellow, so I simply had to tell 
 the story." 
 
 "I am nearly always serious," I re 
 plied, "and when you spoke about it I 
 was trying to get all these matters right 
 in my mind. And the evening has 
 passed so quickly, too; here it is bed 
 time." 
 
 "Yes," said Oneida, "it's bed time, 
 for the children. They and the grand- 
 
 149 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 parents left the room some time ago, 
 but you were so interested in Becca's 
 story of the Catch Phrase fellow (he 
 never told us his name), and her talk 
 on the mad rush for wealth and the 
 neglect of the higher and broader edu 
 cation, that you did not miss them. But 
 you got back to the Valley, as it were, 
 for when Becca said people who devoted 
 all their time to getting money, never 
 giving a thought to the poor, should turn 
 and read again the thirteenth chapter 
 of Corinthians, 'Paul's Description of 
 Charity/ you replied that maybe it 
 would help you to read it also, then 
 asked her what she said. You may 
 come now, the children have everything 
 arranged, all ready for you to look into 
 their school room. They all speak the 
 Indian Jargon, are ready for bed, so it's 
 time for evening prayer." 
 
 The folding doors were then pushed 
 
 150 
 
LORD'S PRAYER IN CHINOOK 
 
 back and I looked on a scene I shall 
 never forget. It was not only pretty, 
 it was Sublime. 
 
 Out from the wall, so there was space 
 to pass behind, one in each corner of 
 the room, sat the four grand parents, 
 facing the center of the room. On each 
 side of the room, and equal distance be 
 tween the old folks, were chairs for the 
 parents, Kuna, Oneida, Chip and Becca. 
 I was left standing in the door, directly 
 behind Oneida. Seven candles, held by 
 a carved cedar bowl, lighted the room. 
 The children all had their night robes 
 on; the seven youngest, kneeling in a 
 half-circle facing the door where I 
 stood. Little Oneida was kneeling down 
 in front of, and facing the other chil 
 dren. Then with heads bowed, they all 
 repeated the Lord's Prayer. Little 
 Oneida led with the Indian version, the 
 others making response, as given below : 
 
 151 
 
A ROMANCE OF THE SAWTOOTH 
 
 Nesika Papa klaxta mitlite kopa 
 Our Father who dwellest in the 
 
 Sahalee, kloshe kopa nesika tumtum 
 above, sacred in our hearts (be) 
 
 mika nem. Nesika hiyu tikeh chahco 
 Thy name. We greatly long the 
 
 mika illahee, Mamook mika kloshe 
 coming of Thy Kingdom. Do Thy good 
 
 tumtum kopa okoke illahee kahkwa 
 will with this world as also 
 
 kopa Shalee. Potlatch konaway sun 
 in the heavens. Give us day by-day 
 
 nesika muckamuck; pee mahlee 
 our bread; and remember not 
 
 konaway nesika mesahchee, kahkwa 
 all our wickedness, even as 
 
 nesika mamook kopa klaska spose 
 we do also with others if they 
 
 mamook mesahchee kopa nesika. Wake 
 do evil unto ourselves. Not 
 
 152 
 
LORD'S PRAYER IN CHINOOK 
 
 lolo nesika kopa peshak, pee marsh 
 bring us into danger, but put far 
 
 siah kopa nesika konaway mesahchee. 
 away from us all evil. 
 
 Kloshe kahkwa. 
 So may it be. 
 
 Mes-see, Nika mitlite wa wa. 
 
 153 
 
Blue Eye 
 
 BY OGAL ALLA 
 
 A Story of the People 
 of the Plains 
 
 T'HE Sunday Oregonian, Port 
 land, Ore., in reviewing this 
 book, said: "If he intends to write 
 other novels and will write them 
 as interestingly as he has 'Blue 
 Eye/ we shall have a western 
 novelist amoug us who will bring 
 honor to the entire west." 
 
 PRICE BY MAIL, $1.00 
 
 OGAL ALLA 
 
 Nampa, Idaho