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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1886)
THE WEST SHORE. 217 MULTNOMAH. BY l'HILIP HOFFMAN. In the dy of TVinMUiooui, alias Ihe Indian roamed fita From the valley of great waters westward to the mighty sea, Wlien the buffalo and bison and the antelope anil deer O'er the broau and sweeping prairiw sported wild without i (ear, Long before the cave of miner, or the hut of trapper shown Through the wilderness and forest on the lull of Oregon, In tlie wigwam on the mountain!, reaching out ao bleak and high That it MMMnod to reel half hallowed midway 'tween the earth and sky, Lived a little Indian maiden, fair at mortal ever eaw, Whom the father oalltd hia Jewel, and the mlinen Multnomah. Hhe waa young and ever Joyous, pure In heart ami bright in main, Loved by all who ohanoud to know her, treated like a Mayday queen, Bought by many a boaalf ul lovor, chief of trilie and warrior bold, Who to her pledged all thoir riches, wampum, toalhers, ring and gold, And with arma outstretched 'fore heaven by their ancient fathers ewor To obey her, and to follow when ihe led, forever mora. But no anawer could ah give tliem, aave that sweet, benignant smile That belongs to ohildhood only-half la please, half to beguile. For as yet, love was a stranger to Multnomah's heart so purs Never had she nursed the paaeiuna that all lovers must endure. At no meeting had she ever felt her milder passions rise, Nor at parting found the teardrops lurking In her pretty eyesi But in innooence and freedom, tripping through lime's golden hours With the open sky and lanuaospe as ner nrnos anu ner Thinking little, earing nothing wliat the future hours would bring, Hhe served neither law nor manual, feared no master, lord or king. All alone she loved to wander through the tress by hill and glen. Keeping oompany wilh the squirrel, talking to the Jay or wren, ,,uail, Warbling netas that fooled Ihe robin, elrains that thrilled tho modest Chirping like negliwtl nestlings that made old bmls cry and wall, Or away to race unwary with her shallow o'er the lea. Till her limbs would quake beneath her and her heart beat violently) Btopping'then beneath some pine tree, waiting but to eeUh her breath, Off again to ohase a rabbit over valley, at train and heath. Thus the childhood of Multnomah pssaed. as pasaee it with all, Leaving naught but recollections for as after to recall. Happy, then, are those whose childhood has been knit with childish Joys. And unfortunate the otliera whose was stained with dire alloys. But at last the day of bondage dawned upon Multnomah's life, And around her oarelese spirits looked the ohaine of car and strife, As one morn she lightly wandered where she oft was won! to roam. Close beside a little streamlet running near ber mountain home, And was easting careless pebbles at her shadow In the water. Filling all Ui dismal foreet wilh her guata of merry laughter. ttuddenly before ber vision stood a youUi of noble mnld- Blood the noted Pooalello, be, Ihe mighty and the bold. Ah! fair maiden," said he sweetly. " l the woodland her below. All disheartened wilh my trouble. I waa walking to and fro. When U,. .OC-.U of thy laughter .toiling through the hieme a.r Fell ao eoflly on my hearing Uial It bora away my caret And I cm. to a.k. and wilh r by thU little strmrn soHrn, "f thy fleeaur. ami th, Itghln-a I mlghl b,ra." Not a word could Ind lie filling o tb. lips of thai .. .blU As slVLksd at him and -evWm 1, and be U-k-d b-and emlMl Hut a voice seemed to ep-ak for her and a form tm aon. sway As she felt b.mlf dr., . him and b.W hi. walk away. Wh, It tms. the blithe-.- maiden "'' fw' """ iw heTblrl should be so ready to .U, bU light command. O, why In U- ch-rful fealur-s or tl- mwr thai he bor. m rid ..ui . Jus, th. .am 1-rple.lng MlW UeubUd l-r. U- J-rt W ZZZX Iraon-UalM - -'"-' Th-rs we nod that power reelaiieee , 1 , ... -ut. bow I U-ihs Ihe livelong day. Out again to kiss Ihe eunehin. caresses teas r 1 who kasrw what a". 1 " MH As your eours la an my life le-through In brightest thoroughfares, Ae you ran around earn hindrance, an I torn aehle from ear, Kagerly you seek bat one thing, and thai is In reach th as. And my one and only ohteet le my borer's heloV to he, Ho forgive m. little streamlet, and my secret do not tell -Ah! but hush! ber comes my lover-genii wanderer, tare you wll." lore which rWeanecnlental is Ihe keener of them all, Hul as true aa 'tie Ihe keenest so it I the Ural to fall. Wrung al tret hail grown Ihe fellers binding Iheee twu hanrta as on. Ami each meeting eaw litem stronger as lb ilays wore slowly on. Hul as human aspirations, gliding in their normal range, Never aetlened with pleuty, elruggllng over for a change, Ho at last Uietr Joye and pleasure, all lb hop, they'd nursed en well, Turned tu woe and wrath and sorrow In an idle lover'e quarrel. Far edown the murmuring streamlet strolled Multnomah then again, On her brow the marka of sorrow, id her heart the dregs of palm Terete wliere leer sups were leaillng awl end alow she wan. Wed on Till she came hi enenes more distant than sh e'er before had gone Till slie name to where lb waters, with a rippling, splashing sound, Over rock awl shell ami pebble rushed in hurried lurrenu dowm And here eh eat down sadly, wiped Hie teardrops from her eyaa, Ami again mldreaesd Hie slreamlel, talking alow 'mid aula and sighsi " l.ltlls friend ami lillie enmtianiitn of my childhood's sunny years. For Hie Hrst do I behold yon through Ihe dim of gushing leant For the first In all my llfe-llme ban I tell, ami feeling, know Of the pain Indued by eorrow ami lb wage uf human wot Ami the A rat lime, gentle compete, sadly Is It lhal I knew Thai a ripple broke thy emoMhneaa or a atone ere Inmlded yuni Hul I eee how well yon r ualn yim glhU along Jusl as If thy smiling surfer never fell Ihe hand of wnmgi Ho I will forget my sorrow, happy In my hive I'll go. And mire- with smllee and kieas for llieea bile Isara of was, Hpoaktng thus she turned and ItaMerml lan k aensia he wayward emiree, And of Pueatollo meekly enughl a leslrn for lew remoreei Ami she pleaded tor forgiveness, begged to be reatoKel again -Hul wlien man is truly Jel" woman', tears are shed Its valni Aa th waves era laehed and riven on the roeks along the shore, Ho Uie tear.lr.q- fall aa poweilea on the heart which Ihey Impbirei Hllmled than with dlsaiilntmeni, mmllened with a eenae at wrung, hr Multmimah went an outost from lb haunu she'd kaown en long. Ami beehU her faithful at ream 1st, through Ihe dark ami dlemal wood, Night and day sh heimeted eeewerd, taking nelllier real nor fuel Till one evening, faint and weary, a ber ctrength ws falling fast, Hlie waa looking lor a tone spot, there to lie down for the last. Hmbbwly her path betook her to a fearful precipice, Over which Ui waters boumled failing far beneath la mlsli And onee more la fall'rlng aceenta thus .he In lh etreamU epok. Ae her heart beat wilh emotion, and lu thndai her vole, weald .hoho, - Utile atraamU Hew bast known turn from my Infancy till eow, Thon baet mlnlMere.1 and llalened to aawh ehlhliah wish and vow) And ym were U only wltoem when I to my hirer swor ,,.,1,1 v him, and we mlier, Ihnmgh U.ls w.uU forevermorei And Ihe earn to m he promised rml the promise of a man Hende a easy, break, a quickly a net of green raltani Whilst a woman', vow I. Ironclad, braeed wilh ribs of asewewl oak, Tluil by ve.lng or by m-Ung ean be netlhet bmi not brnket And far ralhM w.mhl I enfler all dlh s agonbei lhan II. He with yo I II bP In ellen. o'er Mil preriptc. awl die. Twae leal a sxhhI and lb. enwe;bn ,A lb. water's dUtonl tsml I .nk a dull eeaselb and Mnllnoewh waa a mun. True to bond of frton-W.lp Uert k-. k-rl had ma.U. True to trwy and prom I- - u I"" "" And nnHlnehtng In a- duly f' 0- mm h. d pr.o.u.1 all. Th- sbe MMKton-l all he ev.fnss to the surging fall. Hal no good ean en to nothing and eaeb noble aet e-setv-, lu. . oa mewiry'. altar many freeh, nat.ling leaf. To the brook to which lb nel s oft U deep WlH.toH. (Mto, A.hb4 lleey with tbtesghl of honor ! nf.tnnal. manWa e namei led fnreva and forever ae Ike yaem la agae draw, tZmZZLM k.pa the naeaorr of 0- toly Meltoomah. And U- Mar. that nightly " '"- " "'U" Honrs tr-r -to.Ung W. of In- w-anaa T..- .o. .J il.a tnnatiir will tlo iimim wurk tltnii l'H of LU UihIh. NA tu "'" workmim U to Vmn yur purwa opn.