eror, she was
afterwards called "Lady Rebecca;" but to those who had known her in
childhood she would ever be Pocahontas, the "little romp."
And now the Indian maiden, who by her loyalty to the white race had
changed the course of her life, was about to merge her identity in
that of the colonists:--
"On a balmy April day, with sunshine streaming through the open
windows of the Jamestown chapel, the rude place of worship was filled
to overflowing with colonists, all eagerly interested in the wedding
of John Rolfe with the dusky princess who was the first Christian
Indian in Virginia."
The rustic chapel had been decorated with woodland blossoms, and its
windows garlanded with vines. Its columns were pine-trees cut from the
forest, its rude pews of sweet-smelling cedar, and its simple
Communion table covered with bread made from wheat grown in
neighboring fields, and with wine from the luscious wild grapes picked
in near-by woods.
There, in the beauty and fragrance of the spring day, up the aisle of
the chapel passed the young Indian bride on the arm of John Rolfe, who
looked every inch an English gentleman in his cavalier's costume. And
very lovely was the new-made Lady Rebecca in her gown of white muslin
with its richly embroidered over-dress given by Sir Thomas Dale. Her
head-dress of birds' plumage was banded across her forehead, Indian
fashion, with a jeweled fillet, which also caught her floating veil,
worn in the English way, which emphasized her dark beauty. On her
wrists gleamed many bracelets, and in her deep eyes was the look of
one who glimpses the future and fears it not.
Slowly they advanced up the aisle, and halted before the altar, a
picturesque procession; the grave, dignified Englishman, who now and
again cast adoring glances at his girlish bride, of an alien forest
race; the old Chief of a savage tribe, in his gay ceremonial trappings
and head-dress; the two stalwart, bronzed young braves, keenly
interested in this great event in their sister's life, all in a
strange commingling of Old World and New, auguring good for the future
of both Indians and colonists.
The minister of the colony repeated the simple service, and Lady
Rebecca, in her pretty but imperfect English, repeated her marriage
vows and accepted the wedding-ring of civilized races as calmly as if
she had not been by birth a free forest creature. Then, the service
ended, down the aisle, in the flickering sunlight, passed the
pro
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