The Fate of a Squaw
Larkin meets Ethel, the daughter of a miner. The two fall in love shortly afterwards. While setting his traps, Larkin is set upon by a band of Indians. A blow on the head robs the man of his reason. Wahnura, an Indian maid, comes upon the trapper and takes him to her people. The girl nurses him tenderly. Despite his affliction, Wahnura loses her heart to the white man, Ethel wonders at her sweetheart's absence. Believing he no longer loves her, the girl is heartbroken. Brown Bear, a Hopi Indian, falls in love with Wahnura and decides to make her his squaw. The maid repulses his advances. That day, the girl goes to the settlement to dispose of some beadwork. There she meets Dr. Watts. Learning that he is a "medicine man," Wahnura brings Larkin to him. The surgeon sees that a slight operation will restore the trapper to health and bids Wahnura to return in a week. At the end of seven days, the Indian girl hastens to the settlement. At the same time, Brown Bear arrives at the encampment of Wahnura's people, where he secures the chief's permission to marry Wahnura by presenting him with gifts. When the Indian maid appears before Larkin, the trapper, who has recovered, fails to recognize her. The man hastens to Ethel's home. Wahnura stares after Larkin in mute grief. Slowly turning, she wends her way home. She arrives just as Brown Bear and the chief have concluded their bargain. The Hopi roughly orders her to return with him to his people. Her heart torn, Wahnura trudges toward the Hopi village.
