“The Lance is shore the fashion, an’ Black Cloud discovers he ain’t a four-spot by compar’son.  His repootation is gone, an’ the Lance is regyarded as the great medicine along the Arkansaw.

“Sunbright is lookin’ on at these manoovers an’ her heart goes out to the Lance; she falls more deeply in love with him than even the red-eyed bronco does.  That evenin’ as the Lance is goin’ to his camp onder the cottonwoods, he meets up with Sunbright standin’ still as a tree in his path with her head bowed like a flower that’s gone to sleep.  The Lance saveys; he knows Sunbright; likewise he knows what her plantin’ herse’f in his way an’ her droopin’ attitoode explains.  He looks at her, an’ says;

“‘I am a guest of the Osages, an’ to-night is not the night.  Wait ontil the Lance is in his own teepee on the Polecat; then come.’

“Sunbright never moves, never looks up; but she hears an’ she knows this is right.  No buck should steal a squaw while he’s a guest.  The Lance walks on an’ leaves her standin’, head bowed an’ motionless.

“Two days later the Lance is ag’in in his own teepee.  Sunbright counts the time an’ knows that he must be thar.  She skulks from the camp of Black Cloud an’ starts on her journey to be a new wife to a new husband.

“Sunbright is a mile from camp when she’s interrupted.  It’s Black Cloud who heads her off.  Black Cloud may not be the boss medicine man, but he’s no fool, an’ his eyes is like a wolf’s eyes an’ can see in the dark.  He guesses the new love which has stampeded Sunbright.

“Injuns is a mighty cur’ous outfit.  Now if Sunbright had succeeded in gettin’ to the lodge of her new husband, the divorce between her an’ Black Cloud would have been complete.  Moreover, if on the day followin’ or at any time Black Cloud had found her thar, he wouldn’t so much as have wagged a y’ear or batted a eye in recognition.  He wouldn’t have let on he ever hears of a squaw called ‘Sunbright.’  This ca’mness would be born of two causes.  It would be ag’in Injun etiquette to go trackin’ about makin’ a onseemly uproar an’ disturbin’ the gen’ral peace for purely private causes.  Then ag’in it would be beneath the dignity of a high grade savage an’ a big medicine sharp to conduct himse’f like he’d miss so trivial a thing as a squaw.

“But ontil Sunbright fulfils her elopement projects an’ establishes herse’f onder the protectin’ wing of her new love, she’s runnin’ resks.  She’s still the Black Cloud’s squaw; an’ after she pulls her marital picket pin an’ while she’s gettin’ away, if the bereaved Black Cloud crosses up with her he’s free, onder the license permitted to Injun husbands, to kill her an’ skelp her an’ dispose of her as consists best with his moods.

“Sunbright knows this; an’ when she runs ag’in the Black Cloud in her flight, she seats herse’f in the long prairie grass an’ covers her head with her blanket an’ speaks never a word.