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Show 1'11 Jottings From Froma 1'1 11 ' \1 1 \ , a Prodigal SonDear Son SonDear ] Dear BishId Bish BishI Id I d rath rathrr rather r have youi YOul your friendship fnendship whileI while whileIm I Im m living l1vmg , . ! iYour Your flowers flowerS111 will \\111 111 wi11 \ not help me me.hen when \.hen .hen \ ' . .henI ' Im I m gone goneThe goneThe The things you think of doing or of ofgiving ofglvlng ofgiving giving glvlng , May not bs be b needed latci latel later onYour on onYour onYour Your kindly kmd1y " , words ords today onI , iour Jour Sour locforgivmg ) lo\e lo e lo\c c loeforgiving are areforgiving \ I forgiving forgivmg , Would Wou1d clear the cloudy skies shies 0 o oerheidSo erheqd erhead , " ' So I Id d iathei lathel rather have your friendshipw friendship fnendshlp w ' " hlle hUe bile Im I m livingThan hvmg living hvmgThan livingThan Than sour our roses after I im 'lm lm 1m ' dead deadMills ' -Mills Mills - Mills MillsIn MillsIn In my Jottings to you I want to nasson pass passon passon on to ar old 01d and much lespected respected friend friendi friend"I "I I " . r bouquet of loses roses while he can enJoy enJoythem enjoythem enjoythem them , and not " wait v"mt vmt wart until he is lald laid laldaay laidaway laidaway a\\ay a ay away \ in 111 the cold and silent tomb But ButIt Butit Butit It seems hardly necessary necessarv to W extol e\tol e tol ' \ the themany themany themany many virtues vlrtues and good deeds done byone by byone byone one of the few remaining remammg old tlmers timers timersand timersand ' 'Ind Ind and ! ' il 'l1 l1 ' rho o an old pioneer plO eer , now living l1vmg inMoab inMoabThere m in mMoab inMoab Moab MoabThere There are a few who know kno\l kno l knov \ of the thethings thethings thethings things I w \ wish \ Ish to relate , but it may be bethat bethat bethat that a host of thoseho those \ who \\ho ho ho.ere were \.ere .ere \ ' . young youngin youngin youngin in the d'ris dris di d"l dl " . ' s of which WhlCh I shall spoak sp'all spall sp'allare sp ' ak me are arenot menot aienot not familipi famth'l famthl familiar ! : ' with \ \ Ith the things I shall re relate re- re relate relate - late in 111 this one of my penodical pCllodlcal periodical Jot Jottings Jot- Jot Jottmgs Jottings - tings tmgs This story elates lelatc5 relates i to our old andrespected and andrespected andrespected respected townsman tonsman to\\ to \ \ nsman , C L Chnstens Chnstensl1 Christensen Chnstensl1To ChristensenTo " nTo ' To him I extend my undying fuend-ship fuend ship fllend- fllend friend- friend fllendship friendship - ship , , and tendei tendel tender him thisa this thisa.ce \a.ce a.ce race \ \a a \ . e of flo\\- flo flow- flow floers flowers flow flowers \ - ers while lie he can enjoy the odor acidthe a'1d a1d acid a'1dthe andthe ' the pei pel perfume fume . which v.luch vluch winch , , I hope may eman eman- emanate emanate emanate - - ate therefrom I way may not know his hisexact hisexact hisexact exact aw ag-e ag e age - , but I am safe s2fe in 111 saying saymg ' , i " [ ithink Tthink thmk think , that foi fOl for o\er o er 0er over 0\ 0 \ er seventy years hehas he hehas hehas has seen the "ups ups " and downs ' of life.and lifeand 1Ife life . , and has tested t\sted t sted tasted " \ the bitter and the sweetas sweet , as he has passed on along that long longlong longlong longlong long trail that is 18 now neanng nearmg nearing its cnd end cndfor endfor endfor for this old ola and trusted friendThhtyone friend friendThhtyone Thh Thhty-one Thhty one ty-one ty one - years ago he was sheriff shenff of ofSan ofSan ofSan San Juan county and w " was "as as as then l1vi1"g l1vi1g livirg l1vi1"gat livirgat livingat " at Monticello His salary 5alar ' was theprincely the theprince1v theprincely prince1v princely sum of $25 25 $ per month It isquite IS ISQUlte isquite QUlte quite likely that the above sum was allthat all allthat allthat that the county could couJd afford to pay anofficer an anofficer anofficer officer away back in m 1902 At that thatbme thattime thattime bme time he was called upon by the NavaJo NavaJoIndl3.ns NavajoIndians NavajoIndians Indl3.ns Indl3ns Indians . to help them ouL out in securing securingtheir securingtheir I theIr proper allotment of rations given giventhem giventhem giventhem them by the government throu through h the theIndian theIndian theIndian Indian agent in fn charge of supplies supplles onthe on onthe onthe the reservation The Indians maoe maae mace thecharge the thecharge thecharge suppliesfrom suppllesfrom charge that he withheld wlthhe1d their supplles supplies from the fact that they theJT refused to lethim let lethIm lethim hIm ; send cend their children chlldren a away way to dlS- dlS dis- dis dlStant distant dis distant - tant schools They made the assertIOn assertIOnthat assertionthat assertionthat that eleven of those who had been beensent beensent beensent sent away to school never returned and andthey andthey andthey they never saw them again alter after leav leav- leavmg leav- leav leavmg leaving - - ing mg home homeThe homeThe homeThe The Navajos were not averse a\erse a erse aterse \ to having hav having hav- hav having - ing their thelr children educated in the whiteman's whitemans white whiteman's whiteman's man's mans man'says ' ways \\ays ays nays \ , but they wanted a schoolat school schoolat schoolat at home where they would know hnow their theirchlldren theirchildren theirchildren chlldren children were safe , and they could see seethem seethem seethem them and know that all was well wIth wIththpm withthem withthem thpm them The Indiin Indhn Indl'rn Indlrn ' agent as withhold- withhold withholdin withholding withhold-ine withhold ine - in ing their rations , and rather thin th"l.n thl.n thln " . sub submit sub- sub submit submit - mit they theyere were \\ere ere ' \ willing Wllhng to go withoutand without without3nd withoutand 3nd and starve and keep their children cl11ldren athome at athome athome home and away from school Theyknew They Theyknew Theyknew knew that C L Christensen was theirfriend their theirfrlend theirfriend frlend friend imploredhim and therefore they implored hIm to help them out For ror this kind hind- hind kind- hindness kindness kindness - ness to the Indians , Mr ChrIStensen ChrIStensensuffered Christensensuffered Chrisfcensensuffered suffered abuse and contumely at the thehands thehands thehands hands of the Indian agent , and wascalled was wascaUed wascalled caUed called things unbecoming a man whoshould who whoshould whoshould [ should have known better . Not con can content con- con content . - tent with his visit to just one villagehe vIllage , he went up the San Juan river to hearfrom hear hearfrom hearfrom from those on the Mesa , where he hefound hefound hefound found conditions even woise WOlse worse , , as they theywere theywere theywere were on a starvation diet and were werelivIng wereliving wereliving livIng on carrion meat unfit for fCYt the thebIrds thebirds thebirds bIrds that fed on that kind of food foodHe foodHe foodHe He took the matter up with the lateSenator late lateSenator lateSenator Senator J L Rawlins at Washingtonand Washington , and obtained the adjustment neededby needed neededby neededby by these poor poor suffering Indians Theysecured They Theysecured Theysecured secured ShipRock their thelr school house at ShIp Rock , a canal to bring outater out ' \ water \\ater ater to toirrIgate toirrigate toirrigate irrIgate the dry and arid nrId and land , and the thepay thepay thepay pay for so doing from Uncle Sam SamThus SamThus SamThus Thus his good work Vrork cork was answered with withsomething withsomcthing withsomething something somcthing to cat eat and a school for theirchildren theIr theIrchlIdre.l theirchildren chlIdre.l chlIdrel children . Again A a1n he saw a school houseerected hou house houseerected C ' > Cerected erected at 'T'11ba T11ba Tuba ' 'iba iba ' . City . , Arizona , modemand modem modemand modemand and carriedon convenient convenlem , , also llso : agriculture carried on among the Indians Indlatu ; making 11'laking 11laking ' them I - self-supporting self supporting .seU-supportIng .seUsupportIng .seU seU . - through what he cl1d did cl1dfor didfor : for them m 111 the years of long agoEven ago agoEven agoEven Even at MoenKopi Fort , built in 1875 1875where : . where the Indmns Indians later on lived ana and anaenjoyed andenjoyed enjoyed fruit frwt from the trees planted plantedby plantedby by plantedby early Mormon missionaries , here in inlater inlater inlater later years he saw another school schoolhouse schoolhouse schoolhouse house built for the Moquol MOquoi Indians andtoday and andtoday andtoday today they are arc happy and contentedIn contented In all aU of these things he lent a helpinghand helpIng helpInghand helpinghand hand and goes down to the graveknowing grave graveknowing graveknowing knowing that God has rememberedand remembered rememberedand rememberedand and blessed him for all his hlS past efforts effortsin effortsin 111 in their behalf . For these things , and an unnumber unnumber- unnumbered - - ed lot lot ; of other good and glorious deeds deedshe , he has my affectionate friendship , al also al- al also also - - so , I know knO\V knO V \ , that of many others whoknow who whoknow whoknow know him well as a father of the un untutored un- un untutored - tutored and lowly red man May thesunset the thesunset thesunset sunset of life shed its hallowed haUowed andholy and andholy andholy holy Influence along his hlS pathway , and andmay andmay andmay _ may the storms of adversity adverslty pass on onfar onfar onfar far to the other 51 side de of the road , along alongwhich alongwhich alongwhich which he is trave1Ing traveling trave1IngyOU travelingYOU YOU KNOW ME |