Meanwhile the two girls were wholly uncon-
scious of any disturbing presence in the forest.
They were telling each other the signals that
each had received in the dance. Taluta's com-
panion had stopped at the first raspberry bushes,
while she herself passed on to the next
thicket. When she emerged from the pines
into an opening, she suddenly beheld Antelope,
in his full-dress suit of courtship. Instantly
she dropped her eyes.

Luckily the customs of courtship among the
Sioux allow the covering of one's head with the
blanket. In this attitude, the young man made
a signal to Taluta with trembling fingers.

The wild red man's wooing was natural and
straightforward; there was no circumspection,
no maneuvering for time or advantage. Hot
words of love burst forth from the young
warrior's lips, with heavy breathing behind
the folds of the robe with which he sought to
shield his embarrassment.

"For once the spirits are guiding my for-
tunes! It may seem strange to you, when we
meet thus by accident, that I should speak im-
mediately of my love for you; but we live in
a world where one must speak when the oppor-
tunity offers. I have thought much of you