The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-10-02
Indian Wives.

There was rather an imposing cere-
mony in the camp to-day. The cook
of our outfit took unto wife a young
squaw, and frankly admit that the
solemnities were striking. Having be-
come smitten with the charms of a six
teen-years-old belle, the cook sent for
her friends and his, and the whole lot
sat down in conclave around a beastly-
smelling smudge. The squaw's mother
conducted the performance on her side
while Mr.. Cadd, one of the traders took
up the cudgels for the cook.
M. Cadd explained that the cooks
heart was very low, and that his life
dragged heavily on the ground, because
he was compelled to live alone. He
liked the girl, and wanted her to help
him around the kitchen and carry
water for him, and be wife to him
generally-for all of which he was will
ing to pay $25.
"Wa seeche wash ta'' (white man
very good, calculated the squaw; ''but
papoose better. The papoose is good
girl, and / love her more than S25.
She is pretty and strong, and can work.
Make it $50, pard, and I'll jine yer"
This is not literal, but as translated
by MIR. Cadd-for be it known to all
whom these presents may come, the
cook is not what might be termed a
fluent Indian scholar, and can't as he
describes, "yappee the lingo.
The cook came up to $35 and the
squaw dewn TO S45, and there they
stuck. Then the cook displayed the
wedding presents; item, a blanket;
item, calico dress; item, ditto for
sguaw; item, q necklace; item, pair of
moccasins. At length the trade was
struck for $40. A circle was formed.
The cook and the girl stood facing
each other, and the squaw wrapped
blanket around the twain. The cook
kissed the girl a kiss big and wet
enough to water a horse, and the cere-
mony was complete. He paid the $40
in sugar, tea, sirup, raisins, -four,
blankets, beads and looking-glasses,
and departed with his wife to arrange
the wedding supper of buffalo-steak
and antelope. Now the cook is a pc
culiarly finished man. Years ago he
used to whack bulls over the plains of
Montana, but one day he got one of his
legs complicated with the wheels of the
cart, since, which time he has been
more or less physically imperfect.
He has three legs, all told-one flesh
and blood, one wood and one cork.
The cork apparatus is for state occa-
sions, and his wife had never seen the
wooden arrangement.
Just after the service he escorted her
to the kitchen, and, taking off his we'd
ding or cork leg, prepared to substitute
that of wood. His wife was not famil-
lar with such transformations, and fed,
yelling. from the premises.
In few moments her fond brothers
came up for an explanation, and at the
time of my departure, which was some-
what hurried, the cook was engaged in
satisfying his brother-in-l law, with one
leg to stand on and one in each hand.
There is to be another council to-
morrow, at which it is hoped the family
differences will be amicably arranged.
1t may seem strange to the people of
Chicago, but around the trading posts
and agencies of the northwest many of
the whites are married to squaws. AS
a matter of course, these men are faith
full TO their wives, but are they very wise
as wellp
1t is the experience of all "squaw
men," as the thus married men are
called, that the Indian woman cannot
habituate herself to the white mans
ways. He imposes less burden upon
her, in the way of labor, than her In
dian father, brother or husband would,
but she does not get along with him
very well, and sooner or later will elope
with some young buck who has engaged
the affections the white husband can
never secure.
As long as she stays with her pale
husband she keeps him in hot water. 1t