The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-12-05

In one of the juvenile works ofGrace,
she gives the following amusing incident
in the history of her early life. She
had been indulging in an equestrian
performance to the pleasure other moth
err: - =
!" 1t happened,n says Grace, q that I
mad on that day, q rich new dress, which
I had sadly soiled by my fall from the
pony; SO, that when reached home my
mother was greatly displeased. i sup
pose made very odd appearance. I
was swinging my bonnet in my hand, for
I had natural dislike to any covering
for the head. Ny thick dark hair had
become unbraided and was blowing over
my eyes. I was never fair in complec-
ton, and my face, neck, and arms had
become completely Drowned by the sum
mer' s exposure. My mother took me by
the shoulder, set me down in a chair,
not very gently, and looked at me with
real frown on her sweet face She
told me in plain terms that I was an idle,
careless child i put my finger in one
corner of my mouth, and swung my foot
back and forth. She said / was great
romp 1 pouted my lip and drew down
my black eyebrows. She said was
more like wild young squaw than q
white girl Now this was too much /:
it was what I called !" twitting upon
facts ~ and twas not the first time that
the delicate question of my complexion
had been touched upon without due re
gard for my feelings. was not to
blame for being dark,-I did not make
myself, I'll had seen fairer women than
my mother.-I felt that what she. said
was neither more or less than an insult !;
and when she went out to see about sup
per, and left me alone [ brooded over
her words, growing more and more out
of humor, till my naughty heart became
so hot and big with anger, that 1t al
and looked very stern, for I had
made up my mind to something great.
Before + let you know what this was,
I must tell yon that the Onondago
tribe of Indians had their village not
many miles from u.s. Every few months
parties of them came about with baskets
and mats to sell. A company of FIVE or
six had been to our house that very
morning and knew that they had their
encampmentin our wood, about ahalf q
mile Distant These knew very well, !,
and had quite liking to them, never
thinking of being afraid ofthem, as they
always seemed kind and peaceable.
'sTo them Ireso.ved to 60 in nay
trouble. They would teach me to weave.
baskets, to fish, and to shoot with the
bow and arrow. They would not make
me study, nor wear bonnets and they
would never find fault with my dark com
plexion I remember to this day how
softly and slyly slid out of the house
that evening. Ineyer stopped once, nor
looked round but run swiftly till l reach
ed the woods. did not know which
way to go to find the encampment. but
wandered aboutin the gathering dark
ness, till I saw q light glimmering
through the trees at some distance.
made my way through the bushes and
branches, and after while came upon
my copper colored friends. In very
pretty place, down in hollow, they had
built them some wigwams with maple
saplins, covered with hemlock boughs.
There were In the group two Indians, two
squaws, and boy about fourteen years
old. But / must not forget the baby. |
or rather pappose, who was lying in a
sort Of cradle made of q large hollow
piece of bark, which was hung from d
branch of tree by pieces of wild grape
vine. The young squaw. its mother,
was swinging 1t back and FORTH now far
into the dark shadows of the pine and
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