Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/92



TUB PRATRIE FLOWER; OR,

all were driven in and carrelled, or yarded, within the village.

Never before had I seen a people appear so wholly content with whatever Provi dence might give them, and so perfectly happy among themselves, and the time I spent with them, however singular the statement may seem to others, I must ac count one of the most pleasant periods of nay life

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CHAPTER XIX.

RESOLVE TO RESUME OUR JOURNEY AN-

VOUNCSMKNT TO PRAIRIE FLOWER HER

SURPRISE AND REGRET DANGERS ENUME RATED A CARELESS QUESTION ABRUPT

ANSWER ALARMING AGITATION OF PRAI RIE FLOWER OUR JOURNEY POSTPONED

FOR THREE DAYS HASTY DEPARTURE OF

PRAIRIE FLOWER.

IT was about the beginning of Septem ber, that I found my wounds so far healed and my strength so much recovered, as to think seriously of taking my departure. The air, too, on the mountains was becom ing cool and frosty; and as my friend and I had decided on crossing to Oregon or California before the snow-storms of win ter should entirely bar our progress, we thought best to be on the move as soon as possible.

Daring my stay in the village, I had seen and conversed more or less with Prai rie Flower every day. and noted with re gret that hsr features gradually grew more and more pale, her eye more languid and less bright, her step less elastic and buoy ant, and that she moved slowly and heav ily over the ground, with her head bent forward in a mood of deep abstraction. The cause of this I was at no loss to con jecture, particularly as I saw a studied effort on her part to avoid my friend on all occasions, and that, when they did meet, she ever exhibited toward him a coldness totally foreign to her warm, frank, open, generous nature. Huntly noticed her seeming aversion to him, with less philos ophy than I had expected to see him dis play. In fact he became exceedingly troubled about it, and often told me with a sigh, that he must have been mistaken that she did not love him but that it was

me on whom her affections were placed.

contradicted him only so far as to say, that she cared no more for me than for him; but did not care to tell him the real ause of her coldness for I saw it wouid only serve to inflame his passion, and, from what I could judge, render both the more unhappy.

That Prairie Flower loved my friend, and that too against her wiL ,was to me ai clear as daylight; and the anguish it must have cost her gentle heart to avoid and appear cold and indifferent toward him, 1 could better imagine than realize. Sev eral times had I been tempted to broach to her the subject, that I might learn from her lips the true state of her heart; but the slightest allusion to my friend, always produced such visible, painful embarrass ment, that I instantly abandoned the idea, and adroitly changed the conversation to something as foreign as possible. Of one thing I became satisfied; and that was, that the sooner we took our departure, the better it would be for all parties; for both Prairie Flower and Huntly were becoming touched with a melancholy that I feared might lead to something more serious.

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Accordingly, as soon as I fancied my strength sufficient to encounter the fatimie

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of a perilous journey, I announced mv intention to Huntly, and wrung from h'ra a reluctant consent to depart forthwith. My next move was to see Prairie Flower, and announce the same to her. As chance would have it, I shortly discovered her just outside the village, taking a stroll by herself a habit which had now become with her of daily occurrence. Bidding my friend remain in the village, I hasten ed after, and presently overtook her; but so deep was she buried in meditation, that my steps, close behind, failed to rouse her from her reverie.

"You seem lost in communion with your own thoughts, sweet Prairie Flower," I said, in a cheerful tone; " and were I bent on surprising you, I might have done so to good advantage."

She started, a slight flush sn (fused he? pale features, and turning her lovely coun tenance upon me, with an ex|>res.-i<m ot deep surprise, she rallied herself lor t reply.

"Really, I must crave par