Show rd to abr critzas Crit t ahn mas a on efte t be V prairie ra t de t scantier tier I 1 the story of the most unusual celebration in american history ill P y te 4 k 7 k I 1 i r p 7 4 7 7 i 0 r ro TT W 1 U EY I 1 WO I 1 I 1 AI I 1 1 I 1 1 I 1 a i gg I 1 i zia Z 1 I I 1 f ad 4 I 1 ile 11 1 1514 atno I 1 I 1 MAR k A jp J 11 R i abi T R IT i V ai o 11 0 ly 1 IR W 1 t I 1 IV 41 1 M vi as E I 1 I 1 1 71 N Z gex X e ax ay iy 1 I N 1 1 0 U k W ohp I 1 I 1 1 11 1 i I t ff 1 V IA 1 IT t va t Z I 4 1 4 N 1 q mi u ik V V 4 1 N ft 0 k 11 l s a I 1 1 1 01 t S r IT 4 J 0 9 10 letl 4 etl ag k ak 4 1 w k iv A 11 j I 1 4 e 1 nix A I M K J 4 77 t fr R 1 4 Z I 1 iq I 1 N 1 r g 1 r mi letl i R i I gr 4 I 1 I 1 V t all V k V alv K e 91 U v 11 3 1 a 1 1 I 1 z V I 1 ik 1 A 1 CA I 1 IV I 1 1 1 t 1 11 K j 4 ah I 1 X f 0 t I 1 M k k 11 V V I 1 I 1 1 1 V V IV k 1 I 1 k t IV 11 ka I 1 ll 11 I 1 V S I 1 fa W k I 1 k 4 k al 4 E n 1 all M 14 11 4 I 1 i ot ik W S I 1 5 I 1 A V 1 0 I 1 7 ra I 1 I 1 4 40 V I 1 4 1 4 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F barry by I 1 ELMO SCOTT WATSON released by western newspaper union T WAS the day before christmas 1875 at old fort abraham IT lincoln on the dakota frontier in the quarters of francis M gibson of the seventh cavalry his young bride Krit Kother herine lne gibson was struggling with the problem of decorating the bore bare little rooms for the christ mas tree party which they wore planning to give that evening soldiers sent out to scour the neighborhood for an anything Y resembling a tree had returned with a few forlorn branches of sage and cedar brush but undaunted by this poor substitute for christmas greenery the young couple set to work they hung the boughs on stout cords from the ceiling down to within a few feet of the floor beneath they placed a washtub decorated with gaily painted paper and filled with sand in the latter they burled wh what at few gifts they had been able to purchase from the scanty stocks of merchants in the crude little frontier town of bismarck a few miles away well call it a 0 christmas plot cried katherine gibson with a brave laugh but the room still lacked a festive holiday appearance so they set to work on sheets of plain paper which she had find saved they colored the paper with paints then cut it into long strips to serve as festoons fes to their aid came several young officers of the seventh recently arrived at fort lincoln from west point with silver foil that had been wrapped around cigars these youngsters covered the few nuts available and hung thern them on the makeshift christmas tree other officers wives contributed old christmas cards resurrected from their trunks and they tied them on the tree with scraps of faded ribbon that had been ironed and freshened they colored candles with red paint cut them in n two and perched them jauntily on the branches of the tree they fashioned a big bell out of paper that had been colored red and pasted cutout cut out pictures of santa claus on its edges As for refreshments for ft party what if the post traders I 1 store had only a meager supply of such staples as sugar coffee flour and the like somehow young katherine gibson managed to get together some sandwiches a cake a small amount of candy and lemonade made from citric acid crystals but her greatest triumph was ice cream 1 it was fee ice cream made from condensed milk whipped up gelatine gelat lne and the whites of eggs the mailman had brought these eggs from n bismarck and he had wrapped them in cotton and carried them inside his buckskin shirt next to his warm body to keep them from freezing by late afternoon the young officer and his bride were ready to receive their guests soon a laughing throng had gathered in their house housa for the festivities and but let katherine gibson tell the story of that party and its unexpected and dramatic aftermath surely one of the strangest christmas eve celebrations ever held in america here is the story told in her own words christmas eve dawned bright on and 4 clear and th the temperature had moderated someone brought an old banjo an other had unearthed an n antique guitar another a jews harp with such dance music provided we wung swung into the virginia reel with much merriment and then the old square dances dancea had their turn what a cuare beautiful time we hadl finally before midnight n lieutenant gibson gabson being officer of the day had to make his rounds round of the outposts and shortly afterward the party broke up everyone ve tired but happy when the last guest had departed I 1 thought I 1 would take a peep into the kitchen now dark and deserted so with lighted candle held high I 1 opened the door As the flame stabbed through the darkness I 1 suddenly gasped and gazed before me with startled eyes for on the side porch appeared some strangers huddled d led together strangers of juvenile stat ure one barely tall in enough to see above the window casement tn in short my uninvited guests were small indian achl children mt dren who were staring through the glass at the tree in me mesmeric amerio entrancement for a moment I 1 was held spellbound pell bound in surprise rase then lien cautiously so BO as an not I 1 to 0 r frighten burp rig e n them i I 1 opened the porch door and motioned them to enter at first they cowered and shrank away then a straight bucked backed youngster in buckskin dragging by the hand a diminutive squaw bout about four years old stepped into the room the others following warily single nie file how had they gained entrance to the garrison I 1 wondered then I 1 recalled a slight breach in the 0 stockade to c kade wall lust just big enough to admit t the he wriggling in and out of one small body at a I 1 time I 1 turned to the supposed leader of tle the party and speaking slowly lowly asked pointing to the tree some some one tell indian iz boy about abou t it lie nodded as the little ho hostiles stiles around th the e agencies picked up a smattering erbig of E english n glish very quickly who tell indian boy horn toad rom horn toad was a good natured indian scout adored by all the children in the garrison oh I 1 nodded white while the little frozen band huddled about the stove in stolid a silence and who Is she indicating the wee 2 squaw sister replied the boy while the little girl clung more fiercely to his hand my eyes ran over the tiny figure and m my y heart contracted the poor tot shiv e red ered and drew across the shoulders of her calico dress an impromptu shawl made of gunny sack and a strip of the sa same m e material mator lar served as her only headgear her sins and leggings were 0 of f buckskin the young warriors were c lad clad in whole suits of it but evidently when it came to the female of the species the supply had given out it was a miracle iracle that the little band been frozen frozen to death just how where or why at this season reason of the y year ear these people ople were abroad instead ge of f under shelter s 1 ter at the agencies did not matter the fact remained that they and at least some of their tribe had sot set up their wicki ups somewhere nearby I 1 mentally shook m myself myself self what h a t a unconscionable c 0 hour for ey r I 1 these children ll 11 dren to be u up they must be returned to their arnott mothers r a at once and yet as I 1 looked into their timid expectant faces pity stirred within in me and my logic went woefully awry H heaven ven e only knew how long lone they lk s I 1 1 f 1 W W I 1 IW 1 auar I 1 1 I 1 11 e i 1 11 1 I 1 1 A 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 C 1 1 11 I s 3 41 I 1 aa 1 I 1 12 1 1 11 I 1 4 M I 1 1 6 1 I 1 V 1 1 1 I 1 I 1 P I 1 gr k 1 I 1 W 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 01 d I 1 I 1 C 1 1 t I 1 appa ay A iy K av 5 4 I 1 1 11 4 t f 1 r 1 I j 4 1 k I 1 J I 1 f 1 1 I 1 I 1 wa as P I 1 1 0 I 1 41 6 I 1 I 1 I 1 F 1 1 1 9 1 11 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 mrs francis bl gibson and baby kate hate who grew up to be come mrs Ha catherine therine gibson fou gera author of with custer austers Ou cavalry had waited out there in the cold feasting their eyes on this glittering paradise and that set me thinking quickly I 1 drew them into the living room and towards the christmas tree pie ile which I 1 was as confident still held a few few treasures a and nd digging into the sand myself I 1 fash ashted t d out a jack ln in the box which I 1 presented to the little lady iler her black e eyes leaped with surprise and joy and hyed her er wee hands trembled as she clutched the toy then making a motion for them to continue I 1 flew to the kitchen to heat up what cocoa still remained the striker was just leaving tor for his barracks when I 1 called to him I 1 oh alko alkorn I 1 instructed go up to the nearest earest ba bastion 8 rg n and tell the sentinel to relay to other sentinels that in the event of any indians hanging around and looking for children they are at lieutenant Gib gibbons gibsons sons quarters and will be along soon during my absence my gue guests big had y e explored p the entire coo coolants lents of the tub thea the appearance 7 arance of the jack ln in I 1 the he box had dle dissipated 1 abed their last vestige of hesitation and they plunged feverishly feverish ir into the sand and with each rag dol dolf toy pistol or other treasure exhumed they became in tact fact wild indiana Indians wild with delight the boys voicing their emotions in short grunts the wee ones in squeals of rapture it was u upon n this scene of oozing scattering sand that I 1 entered bearing a pot of steaming cocoa but the children refused to abandon the magic tub until the very last toy had bern salvaged then rhen they drank long and thirstily of the r refreshing beverage and soon color returned to their pinched cheeks and warmth crept back into t 0 their attle chilled fingers noting all this I 1 communed with my sell ek though tf I 1 should have sent bent th them em home ril right away I 1 told myself severely yet I 1 continued to heap their laps lapi with goodies Bood les popcorn nuts and can ly dy De besides sides there was some tee ice cream left over and cake too that wre were beg ging to be eaten and what was wa a party without them so before they know knew it mounds of pink and nd white while concoction were whisked in n front of 0 the little savages who immediately plunged small eager ringers fingers into the pretty fluffy stuff only to recoil from the sudden chill the tin tiny squaw u was the tha first to experiment walh i it b by Y cautiously some onie olt off her palm and her cherubic smile mile would woud I 1 have inspired a masterpiece from rom raphael the they needed no further urging and attacked tag d the ice ere cream m a shifting tu mn themselves with all the abando abandon n 0 I 1 h healthy lai by hungry children while they were thus engaged I 1 ran upstairs looking for cor old blankets wool on en stockings and socks nock I 1 found a short coat of my own some ome mittens and galoshes galos hes and warm mufflers suddenly queer sounds coming from below sent seni me scurrying holt holl wey way downstairs where aher I 1 paused the me noise started with th the aused Wp clapping ap pp I 1 ot hands accod accompanied ailed by a weird atan chant I 1 this was top owed by the sound of softly muffled feet and short hor sharp harp whoops at first taint faint but growing louder and louder I 1 sank upon the stairs stain and peered through the bannis into the living room and what I 1 beheld kept me rooted to the spot my eyes dilated before a picturesque phase of barbaric expression expresion s the no straight backed boy evidently wishing to do his part and that of his tribe toward the entertainment was staging a performance of his own and was directing the others in some kind of a dance one boy and the diminutive squaw stood at the side clapping their hanus a and nd chanting monotonously the latter moving her hips and body in imitation of the older squaws squads while circling the stove in single file the young braves stamped upon the ca carpet r p t with the firmness of buffaloes c combined neb I 1 ned with the whirlwind lightness of the wildcat their lithe frames swaying like the prairie grosses grasses and with a rhythm as an perfect as a set measure backwards Dack wards and forwards forward they lung flung themselves as though made of elastic rubber bending pliant heads and nee necks k and emitting long drawn out whoops of joy the no crunching into the carpet of ruinous sand mattered not for on tho the R tep I 1 sat at like petrified wood lost in wonder at the wild beauty and the cadence of that native dance why I 1 pondered on dered did white children have to spend money to anything like the grace of these aborigines to whom it seemed as inborn and as natural as lea a spring of cool clear water the dirge changed and the little redskins red skins swung into close group formation each executing fast fantastic steps followed more insistent hand clapping and droning the rhe young bucks quickly rung flung back into single file die whereupon the dance became fl fiercer ercer the whoops louder and longer and with a frenzy that almost shook the floor they fairly lazed leaped about the stove until the leader he held u up aphis his hand and stopped the droning ceased the embryo braves threw themselves gasping upon the carpet and the wee one slid down beside the young chief I 1 drew a deep breath hurried back upstairs and brought down an armful of clothing and blankets then nen I 1 bundled up the wee squaw like a bale of cotton tied my too big mittens on her warm little hands and gave the rest of the blankets mufflers and galoshes galos hes to the boys after that I 1 stripped the tree of its remaining gifts gift 5 put candy and cake in a bag which I 1 consigned to the care of the straight backed boy and very reluctantly luct antly let my guests out again into the night I 1 glanced up at the clock in the hall already it was christmas the snow cru crunched nc h ed crisply beneath light retreating steps while again and again the happy children clutching t their he ir cherished toys eye turned radiant faces over their shoulders hl ders tor for one last look and smile finally the small straight backed indian boy bringing up th the e rear with h his 12 christmas burdens pat patted t e d his mouth with his slim hand and emitted the tare fare well call of his tribe which seemed to hisa linger on the air ir even after the time band had faded from view I 1 smiled to myself blew out the kerosene lamp in the hall and trudged wearily upstairs while drifting through the still approaching dawn and echoing from bastion to bastion came the comforting call of the sentinels one and alls wela 11 0 0 so that is the story of the christmas eve celebration at old fort abraham lincoln on the dakota frontier a traditional observance of the birth of the prince of pe peace ace which came to an unexpected ex climax in a barbaric war dancel dance I 1 find the story in a book published recently by the caxton printers ltd of cald well idaho with custers cavalry by |