Show SNIDER snider was a baddish sort of boy aged twelve whose homo home was on the very bank of tho the mississippi so near to tho the water that when his active imagination or conscience would not lot him sleep ho he had been known to betout of bed in the lead dead watches of the night and plunge into it as a diversion and a solace lie he had the in mighty i gaty river I 1 as asa a playmate and almost worshiped it without being aware that ho he did so for themis the mississippi sis sippi is a wonderful thin thing both by night and by day to th those ose who achieve familiarity with it and snider was a nature worshiper within reasonable limits the limits of a savage or a boy of twelve sniders Sn iders playmates were boys and girls of two races the red and the white and he expressed a slight preference for the white on week days and the red on the sabbath for being in 0 a baddish boy he played all d day 1 y sunday and it is hard to get along harmoniously ill all day with the little white boys who are permitted to play on that day the rod red people great and small looked on snider as a sort of phenomenon and everybody knows it is very soothing 0 to the nerves of ill all a ages aes 0 es and sexes to be treated deferentially to have harmed farmed a hair of sniders Sn iders head would in the opinion ot of the band of chippo was where he passed current have been the worst land kind of bad medicine 11 Sn sniders iders sire held the orthodox western view that uns is aizen 11 and did not approve liis his sons familiarity with the aborigines but this did not seriously interfere with the boys plans for it was not ilot regarded as strictly necessary that lie should consult his parents as to his goings in and comings out of the woods snider and his indian playmates had in their intercourse constructed a blend of english and algonquin that was unintelligible to other mortals than themselves and frequently they used it to express sentiments regarding ardin g their progenitors 0 that would have made things pretty stormy for them had their elders into whose teeth they hurled it known what was said Sn sniders iders best friend and steady company was an indian maiden of ten whose name in english would bo be freely translated red leaf but which in her native tongue could be spelled only by a bombina combination tion of letters that would look very discouraging to civilized people red leafs mother had bad no warrior she could call her own and this detracted from her popularity with the tribe for its male members were expected to divide the produce of the chase with her and gratitude was not her strongest ch characteristic her husbands scalp was blowing about like a dry ra rag 1 in some si sioux oll K warriors tepee ho he having been killed in battle seven or eight years before snider formed the acquaintance of his daughter the ladys name might Z have been rendered alkali in ene english C although it is quite likely she had adopted or been given this bitter title at a later dato data than her marriage alkali always greeted with a friendly how how the coming 0 of snider for his pockets usually contained something edible from his home larder and eke a trifle of tobacco from his fathers hoard it is not improbable that snider was in ill a measure responsible for the annual and protracted visit of this particular band of indians to the neighborhood for in addition to adding a trifle to the comforts of the company he had on occasion been so deuced into securing whisky for them though at the car earnest nest solicitation of red leaf he had many times declined this sinful act of accommodation it is not good to live she said when the warriors havo have taken the devils water but snider had other sources of amusement than the congenial society of tho the indian maiden ono of these was waa tho the castin casting of stones at wayfare rs from amb ambush ish I 1 it chanced one day that ho he cast a stone into a I passing immigrants covered wagon ind and struck a babe on the head making a cruel wound and it chanced that the childs father succeeded in alag ng snider from liis his conceal ment in tho the high grass and dragging braggin 0 him to the wagon first to show th the a villainy he be had bad done and ne next vt to hirn him soundly but when n snider had been the wound he N was vis v is so abject so remorseful so anxious to be smitten my hip and thigh ala and 4 made a torri torribio blo example of that tho the immigrant and his bis wife and the baby to boot forgave him with all their hearts I 1 others had seen his evil deed and tho the neive of it went speedily to his father yo so that snider wasa was 1 bruised and it nd battered bitt britt ered little imp when his father b t c t him to bed that night iio he resented his punishment with bitterness of 0 spirit reasoning that having made peace with the immigrants outside parties had no right to disturb the statu quo his fathers punishment made it hard for snider to sleep and being a queer motherless little fellow ho he lay upon his pillow and thought of tho the cool waters of tho the river and the smoky tepees where the indians were asleep and how they at least always received him gladly then he roso rose up and stole out of tho the house after if ter filling fillin 0 his pockets with biscuits biscuit s lie he was going to be an indian the GUIS curs did not bark at snider as he approached but sniffed his pockets and wagged their absurd and damaged tails luckily for sri snider ider alkali was asleep and her daughter awake it would bo be pleasant to describe red leaf as pocahontas Minne minnehaha halla wenona venona and other indian maidens have been described by literary people who have employed terra cotta or bronzo bronze models but rod red leaf alast was a genuine indian girl with all the mental and physical characteristics of her race As she emerged from her mothers tepee on observing C the face of snider peering in would be as good opportunity to describe her as any likely to be obtained her hair was long black and coarse and at the part was a streak of yellow pigment this hair hung down over her swarthy and not always clean cheeks in such a way as to make her forehead a tolerably correct triangle her eyes were almond shaped and wonderfully dark and deep with a trace of natural ferocity about them that made a stranger look a second time before he remembered with a shudder that they were made to look upon tho the tortures that the savage heart below might glitt devise levise dermouth her mouth was large but the handsome white teeth within made it a rather pleasant feature like all growing browin 6 children her shoulders arms and body were angular and bony her raiment seldom parted with by night or by day until it fell from her person piecemeal consisted of a single calico garment toggled together as only squaws squads know how to do dressmaking torn tom and mended in many places torn and in in many others shoes she had none headgear she would have despised tho the personal beauty of snider was not of a character to arouse jealousy or comment in a raised mixed collection of white people though thong h it was C conspicuous in the admiration of tho the red itemized it would invoice as A magnificent supply of particularly brilliant freckles beginning uin 0 in the neighborhood of his eal ears s and becoming 0 by far too numerous to mention as a s they approached his nose the indian children observed with envious admiration that whereas they could apply yellow and blue pigments to their faces and thus be handsome as a summer dawn until dirt or accident obliterated tho the work of art hero was a favored mortal who wore his coloring matter under onder the skin and could even wash without injury to his toilet the nose of snider where the freckles did most congregate is worthy of extended notice it was of an irregular type a sort of compound pou nd comminuted com fracture of all the different styles bayles of nose worn by the aryan races both before and since their earliest migration his raiment was a pair of jeans tro brou trou luers ers with one gallus and a hickory shirt surmounted with a hat such as only a reckless and sunny disposition could enable any one to wear his temperament was sunny or wail warlike like as bocc occasion aaion demanded as is apt to be the case with a child thrown largely upon his resources for diversion but nature had been cruel in giving i i him a tender heart and a se sensitive e soul both of which defects he was studious lious to conceal as an ancient knight would have covered up a weak spot in his armor removing a little coal from froin the smoldering ahre fire red leaf carried it a short distance from her mothers vicinity and soon had a little council fire for herself and snider established As part of tile the arrangement snider threw from his pocket a biscuit and it was eagerly seized by the girl who was in the normal indian condition of ravenous liun hunger er af after ter a reasonable period of si lenco snider remarked ive cona como to boan bo an indian red leaf and live with you always you cant was tile tho instantaneous answer delivered without sign i of interest one no way or another poor snider 1 here was waa his death sentence hero here the faithful wound of his friend am I 1 so bad tho the wont have me lie almost sob sobbed betl tho the hairy man would find you and take 0 you back to his lodge Sn sniders iders sire had a broad in bringia gr ingia iau beard and the reds called him tile tho hairy man but I 1 go replied snider valiantly then he would cut a stick kand and mako make you cry red leaf said this with concentrated contempt she lad seen snider flagellated flagellate A the intending indian arose to go Hs ha had been worse wounded than by all b his is fathers punishment an and d at the moment red leaf seemed to realize this she admired him and was a woman in embryo but you are not a coward whito white people are different snider resumed his seat would alkali like me tor for a son ho he said after af ter a period of silence alkali does not even love pleasant days she says red leaf is not good except to eat when there is little to be had and to gather sticks for forthe the fire her heart is very bad said the dutiful daughter with much frankness 1 I sh shall all never return to the lodge of my father said snider resolutely 1 I can live in the woods alone kawa neche cagat Man martou manitou itou this last expression is supposed to mean in the language langua 0 of the aborigines god cares for tho the poor indian A great change came over the face of red leaf at this manly declaration of independence red leaf will go with her friend she declared the woods are good to live in without further remark they arose from the council fire and went toward the river without being realized by either it was the god of both boing being t tho the greatest natural object with which they had acquaintance tance and both being t utterly without other than natural religious sentiment the moon came out and lit the mighty stream with a weird and uncertain light the spring freshet had not wholly subsided and the water was covered with wreck and stray and castaway 11 it lashed its ita banks and whirled away into the darkness like a tortured snake they looked and said nothing for a long along time and then red leaf began beau hastily to divest herself of her clothing there are ca canoes noes on the island she explained the island was half a mile distant and a strong current rolled between the two children and the nearest point they would not so havo have expressed it but they were abbat to practically interrogate the god dagon 0 whether he be heareth the young eagles when they cry as the god of the christians is said to do it is awful cold whimpered snider as his un toughened flesh felt tho the raw ran evening air and he shivered but on this side is the hairy man and mali alkali responded red re 1 leaf as she w wadded added her clothing into a bundle and tied it to the top of her head by the sleeves of her dress thick darkness was round about them again for tho the moon had retired behind a cloud the river gurgled at their feet and almost laughed aloud tho the trees on the island were a lark dark patch on the border of the horizon lib lizon red loaf leaf plunged into the water and after a moment of hesitation snider was buffeting tho the waves at her side with a chill at his very marrow there was much searching and scurrying about when the children were missed as may easily be supposed white men and red men united their cunning and experience int in tho the search the leaves in the forest were almost turned over by one party or the other in the minute chase after clews and it was more than a nine days wonder where they could havo have gone but dagon knew and gurgled unintelligibly the fish god tell all his te crets to nineteenth century folk about three thi ee weeks later when the great river had shrunk within within its banks two swollen and disfigured little corpses were found stranded on a bar somewhat gnawed by fishes but unquestionably all that was mortal of snider and red leaf and alkali and the hairy man each remembering their last words to their offspring were remorseful after their kind in the hairy mans opinion one grave should suffice for the battered little bodies and it was so may be aizen lie remarked but this little girl must la a been very fond of my snider to try iry swimming tho the river with him in high water if theres any resurrection for f or ono of them there is for the other and I 1 think maybo maybe like to rise together on that day As ho he ceased speaking the first clod of the hard firm clay fell on tho the box in the sour earth that had been set aside for a graveyard and few waited to see the little mound rounded up at the top they had other things to do seneca E truesdell in buffalo news |