His eyes rested upon the ground as
he listened, and his face assumed the proverbial
stoical aspect, yet in it there was not lacking a
certain nobleness. At last he lifted his eyes to
hers, and said:
"You have spoken wise words, and it shall
be as you have said. We shall return to your
people. If I am to die at the hands of the an-
cient enemy of the Sioux, I shall die because
of my love for you, and for our child. But I
cannot go back to my own people to be ridiculed
by unworthy young men for yielding to love of
a Ree maiden!"
There was much feeling behind these words
of Antelope. The rigid customs of his people
are almost a religion, and there is one thing
above all else which a Sioux cannot bear--that
is the ridicule of his fellow-warriors. Yes,
he can endure severe punishment or even death
at the hands of the enemy rather than a single
laugh of derision from a Sioux!
In a few days the houshold articles were
packed, and the three sadly turned their backs
upon their home.
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