OUR GIRLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19798, 19 November 1927, Page 4 (Supplement)

OUR GIRLS.

LULU, THE INDIAN MAIDEN.

BY ALICE A. mm J.

Part I. The young man named Blown, who boarded" with the Thomsons, had been ill with influenza, and now that* he was a little better he often watched the children's games from his window. Lulu had been lying on the scullery roof for half an hour, looking at the horizon through a telescope made, of tins with tile ends knocked out and fitted into each other. Air. Brown leaned out of his window. . " Hallo, Lulu; are you a scout? " The little girl looked shy. No, 1 m an Indian maiden watching from a lock cannon.* * u Canyon—l see. Are you watching for enemy Indians, or caraVans of white people to scalp and plunder V' Lulu took a long look through the baking-powder tin of her telescope and did not answer. Me saw tlliit she had a feather in her hair, and a little streak of fed ink on her face. '• Where are the boy Indians; big chief Len, smaller chief Mike* and smallest chief Arthur ?" " Out on the prairie scalping a caravan." Some yells from the orchard told the young man where the prairie was. "Good work! Isn't it rather slow being an Indian maiden all this time by yourself V Lutu shook her head. Mr. Brown went back itito his room and appeared again with a square of chocolate in silver paper. " Do you know wllafc pemmican is, Lulu ? "

" fc'es, what Indians eat," "1 see you know something about the habits of your tribe, Squaw Lu. Here's a piece of pemmican for you, and tell the boy chiefs when they come in from their fighting to look out for an Indian picture writing to night." The boy chiefs, when they heard, were interested, but decided that Mr. Brown was only making fun of Lulu. When they went to bed, however, -they were much surprised; to find an arrow pinning a large piece of paper to Len'S bed. It was covered With rough red and blue sketches of men and animals arid wiggly lines of which they could make nothing, but on the back was printed:

" Groat cluels Len the Lynx, Mike the Mocassin, and Arthur the Arrow," read the picture Wiltirig of Browonskv, the Sitting Bull. "An enemy invades the prairie to-nforrow. Lip, biaves, and at 'em. Gfeetiitg to Lulu, the Indian maid.'' Len pretended to ho very clever and to understand all about it, biit, even he t'ould not help being exeited Lu came in ill lier nightgown to hear what they were talking about, and wag father frightened. " It couldn't be renl ltidians, could it.?" she asked, atkl Arthur looked anxious, too. " No, you little silly." said Len, and Mike exclaimed, " They'll get shot full of arrows if they are!" They dreamed of Indians all night, but when thtfv got up iri the morning there was nothing to be seen in the orchard except their own old sack tent- They were all disappointed, though Len kept on saying that he had known all the tim 6 that it Was a joke. Hut in the afternoon when they came liotne from school they were amazed to see a real Indian t#ni under the trees. It Wasn't vttry large, but it was jti«t like the pic tu res. " It's n real teepee! " exclaimed Len as they stood and stared. Next moment an Indian in a red blanket with feathers in his hair came out of the tent and went jigging round his little camp-fire in an Indian war dance, stamping and waving an axe. " Arm yourselves, braves!" said Len, throwing his school-books aside. " Come on!" and they all raced to get their bows and arrows, and feathers and scalping kiih'es.