Riverbend School for Girls - Vox Fluminis Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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V OX F L U M I NI S Page Ten and so saying, he stepped into his canoe and took the baby Dawendine back with him to his chieftai'n's Wigwam where she grew u-p, loving him as her father and being loved by all as if she really were the daughter of the greatest chief of the Lake of the Woods. g Dominick was learned, much travelled, a-nd wise. As a young boy he had been educated by the best tutors in Canada and later attended her greatest university. On completing his studies he had travelled f-or ma11y years. He had marvelled at the learning of Oxford, the cathedrals of F rarnce, the pyramids of Egypt, the horses of Arabia, the forests of Afnica, the sheep of Australia. and the vastness of the Amazon, only to return to Canada, to place his hand upon the ageing shoulder- of his father and sav, I have seen many countries, father, but I love our Canada the best, so I have returned to assist you in any way I am. able, to rule our peo-ple fairly, and to try and lighten the burden from your shoulders so that you may. in your last years, sit back and smoke your pipe in peace. , Now Dominick was an old man, much older than his father had been when he had sped to his Happy Hunti-ng Ground. The education and travel he had received, and the years that had begun to sit a little heavily upon his shoulders had made him wise. Though he lived with his tribe away from civilization he kept in contact with the outside world, and his methods of governing his people would put ours to shame. ' His people still lived in wigwams in the Summer and wore the piC- turesque garb of their ancestors. No car had ever travelled their trails and no rod and reel had ever caught fish from their lakes. Yet it was the twentieth century. These were the things that were passing through Dawendine's mind as she skimmed across the glassy surface of the lake. ' Dominick had taken her to the great cities of Canada, had bought -her lovely clothes, taken her to operas and thein asked her if she would like to see all the world and live like a lady, the lady she would have been had she not been left on Yaada's shores, for Dominick r-ecognized in her the in- born grace of a lady. the airs and graces that had descended to her through countless generations of beautiful women. Dawendine had not hesitated. She had slipped her hand into his and said softly. s No sire. I like it better in thy Wigwam. There is peace there. and beauty. and I prefer to see thee in thy chieftain's garments to these evening clothes. I will not go. So he had taken her back and she had never re- gretted her decision. for the bond between them grew daily stronger, as together they read the latest books in the shade of a tree or discussed the most prominent economic problems of the day. af as :af wk g Not many moons after Dawendine had been seen by the Moon Man, Dominick received a letter from a friend of his, a young Canadian. who

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Page Nine VOX FL UMINIS those who find English difficult enjoy her periods. From this it will be surmised that Miss Erith's method of teaching is absolutely painless, and we might add that she usually manages to teach us the set work in time to give us some entertaining book or play of her own choosing. Although we have not yet mentioned Miss Erith for herself alone. her achievements must have spoken for her and it only remains to say how sorry we all are to learn that she will not be back at Riverbend in September. The Senior .Muse A TALE OF DAWENDINE CSenior Prize-winning Storyj HE silvery mloon looked down on a calm lake of transluce-nt midnight blue, surrounded -by tall, dark evergreens. Two canoes started out from the cover of the shore. The Man in the Moon winked and laughed his silvery, rippling laugh when he saw that one canoe contained a young Indian brave and a chieftain's daughter. Cupfid's assistant had watched these two before. and he knew that in the not far distant future there would be much feasting among the tribe, and that a very new bride would shyly look up into the eyes of a handsome young brave. The laugh died in the distant cloud hills and the Moon Man looked for the other canoe. There it is. It has only one occupant. No, two. A young girl and a dog. The Moon Man looked wlith genuine pleasure upon the maid. He called her his little Earth Daughter. Earth Daughter was not an Indian. No one knew what her nation- ality was, but quite obviously s-he was n-ot Indian, though her hair was as raven as any redskin's. I-n sharp contrast with her black hair, her face was creamy and pure, like the petals of a gardenia. She was beautiful. Many were the young braves who loved to see the color deepen in her face. to see her black eyes dance and sparkle, and to see her red lips part in a laugh or smile over a set of beautiful teeth. From whence she came no one knew. As a tiny baby she had been found by Dominick. the chief of chiefs, in the rosy dawn of morni-ng. She was lying on the sandy shore of Yaada. the Lake of Beauty. Because she was so lovely, because he was getting old, and because he was childless, he had taken the tiny baby up in his arms and whispered, I will take thee for my own, wee one, and I shall call thee Dawendine. Child of Dawning, 'because thou hast come to me to make my old age a thing of rose and blue and gold like yo-nder sunrise from whence thou hast come. Oh Dawendine. thou hast caught mv hard old heart in thy baby hands. I shall leave it in thy keeping, but I trust thee not to break it.

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Page Eleven VOX F L U M I N I S lived in VVinnipeg. This gentleman, whose name was Gordon Kent, had once saved his life and a deep bond of affection existed between the two. The letter contained G1 request that he be allowed to visit his old friend, the Indian chief. It was against Dominick's principles to allow any white mlan within the b-oundary -of this Indian haven except those whose busi- ness took them thither, such as government officials, missionaries, etc., but he wanted to see Kent again before he was called Home and he was get- ting too old to attempt the journey to Winnipeg. Dominick had sat pondering for some time over the letter. Dawendine noticed it, and said, g Sire, thou hast smoked many pipes over the letter. Does something trouble thee? Can I help thee? Thou knowest, sire, that I would do anything for one who has been so good to me. I know thou wouldst, fairest Howler, but---. Tell me, little Dawendine, hast thou given thy heart to one of my braves P No, sire, slowly, I like them all, but not one has taken my heart away. Thou art the only one that hast custody of that. Dawendine, I am an old man and before I seek my Maker in the Happy Hunting Ground I would see thee safely wedded. I love my people, but Child of Dawning, thou art too good to waste thy precious years here in the tribe of an old Indian. Nay Dawendine, as she started to protest. I know better than thee wherein thy happiness lies. But sire, thou art not going yet for many summers. Do not send me away for awhile. I would rather remain with thee l I kn-ow, I kfnow, Dawendine. We shall see. but for the present do not 'trouble thy pretty head. Sing to me instead. X The old chief lay back and closed his eyes. To all it would seem that he was quietly listening to the rare beauty of her voice, but he wasnlt. There was a struggle going on in his heart. A bitter struggle. He wanted Child of Dawning to marry one of his braves and for 'the two of them together to rule his tribes, but he knew that there was better than that in life for her and it did not lie in an Indian wigwam. Her true happiness. he knew, lay in the -ou-tside world. and with a young Canadian by her side, so. after she had crept away, thinking him asleep, Dominick wrote to Gordon Kent. ' sf :nf we Pk . You can teach me so much, Dawendine. You can even tell me more about the plays I have seen than I can. and you have only read them. Gordon Kent looked despairingly at the girl while her quick hngers flew at her basket work. But that is because you only went for the pleasure. I read them to learn something. There is a great difference. t I suppose so. Still, I have yet to find something that I can tell you about of wh'ch you don't already know more.