The Republican journal., 1881-10-13
wropped up 50 twas wonder it hadn't

| picked it up, and kind OF clutched at his
whiskers, playful. Saul, he fetched it to
the loggin' camp, that was all the home
he he'd, and fed it and tended it as gen
tie as a woman, never mindin' nothn'
about the mems .jokin.' A great jokin'
they KEEP up, and so did the hull settle
ment. They thought he'd ought to kerry
it to some poor-house, or 'sylum down
river, but he wouldn't. Then arter a
spell, some Injns down to Oldtown Of
fered to take it, but he wouldn't agree to
that. You see he was tender hearted,
and the little thing kind of clung to him
and he got to settin' byit. Twas a little
gal and goin' on two years old when he
found her. 'Twan't harnsome child
It was as black as your shoe and it favored
a monkey. But Saul seemed to take to
anything that was kind of helpless and
clingin', and that little Injin she learned
to be terrible fond of him, as was material.
"Patty Hutchins, she was in a terrible
takin'. Patty was high minded and she
couldn't bear to hev folks crack their
jokes at Saul, and she was kind of Jealous
tempered too. She was afeared the little
Injin was a weanin Sauls affections
away from her. She said she wan't 60
| III ~ iltN iiJ lltlt ItiillI ltlItL Ill IGl
house, and Saul must take his ch'ice
atween her and it.
d" Saul, he was dretful worked up. He
set his life by Patty, but that little young
one kind of confided in him, and he sot
by her too.
"When Patty see that he WANT agoin'
to give the young one up, even for her
sake, she was pooty mad, and she said he
need MT never come nigh her agiu. But
arter spell she kind of come round a
little. Saul he coaXed and coaXed, and
she'd found out that it want quite so
easy for her to give him up. She want
the kind that has their hearts all ready
for any man that comes along. She'd gin
her'n to Saul, and she didn't seem to know
how to take it back again, but she hated
that little Injin like pison. Saul used to
bring the young one long of him when
he come out to the river with logs, be-
cause there Want nobody to take care Of
it in camp, but he used to leave it to one
of the neighbors when he went to see
Patty she wouldn't hev it in the house.
And she wouldn't marry him, tho he
kept a coaXin on her to name the day.
She said she'd wait till he got red of that
little Injn. SO it went along for a year
and more, and the little Injin was three
year old, and Saul seemed to set more and
more by it every day; but he was terrible
in love with Patty too, and | expect the
poor feller had a struggle atween 'em.
"When it come along spring there was
a terrible freshet. We're pooty apt to
hey a treshet up here along in the spring,
but sech a one as they tell of that year
o., I Il F,,1, 4
winter, and the ice in the river was un-
common thick, and when it went out it
was sight to see, they all said. The
great blocks was leapin' and tumblin'
over each other as if they was a Wrastlin'
and they was hove up onto the shore
mountain high in some places. Saw
mills was kerred off, and the lumbermen
had hard work to save any Of the logs
that they'd piled upon the shore, ready to
drive down when the river opened
"They was all there OH the shore, Il
workin' to save what they could, and the
hull settlement was there too, the day
that the ice went out.
"Saul's little Injin was all by herself,
Saul bein' too busy to look arter her, and
folks in gineral hevinga kind of prefer
dice agin' her. She was humbly little
cretur, and they didn't set 10y lniuns no
how. And what did the young one do
but 90 where Patty was standin' with Il
parcel of gals, and cling holt of her
skirts.
"Patty, she shook her off and told her
to clear out, but Jest then Saul he sung
out and asked Patty if she wouldn't look
arter her little, seein' he was in sech
trouble. Patty hestated a little and
then she said she would.
''The gals was standin' pooty clost to
the river and the little Inin she was Il
a-watchin' the lumbermen tryin' to save
the logs, and, the fust thing they knew,
there was that block Of ice with the young
one on it, a-tloatin' out into the river and
she a-yellin and a screechin to Saul to
come and git her.
''Some thought she'd been a-jumpin on
it and kind of made it slip down into the
river; some thought the water must a
washed up without their noticin' and
kerred it off; and some on 'em looked
askance at Patty, and thought she might
a. pushed it.
"Anyhow, there was the block with the
poor little Injn on it, being pushed and
sure to be swallered up before many min
utes.
"Patty she stood like a stun, whilst
the others was all a-runnn' and ascreech-
in. Saul he didn't stop for nothin'. He
jumped onto the blocks of tloatin' Ice, tust
one and then another. The current was
kerryin' out the block that the little In
jim stood on pooty fast, but he all but
fetched t-all but There came great
pile of ice and logs a-swooping down on
him, and knocked him Oft into the water
as if he hadn't been no more'n feather ,
The little Injun she went too, and the
great heap of ice went over 'em, and they
never come up.
''Patty Hutchins, she took on like Il
wild cretur; some thought she really was
a little teched, and wouldn't never be
herself agin. There was considerable
whisperin' and most folks believed that
she'd gin that ice block a little hist she
did hate that little Injun so like pson
But of course there want never nothin'
done about it. She shet herself up, and
she wouldn't hev nothin' to say to any
body--till arter ten years or more. Then
she up and merried widerer with seven
children. Folks was surprised, but you
see, her father and mother was dead, and
she hadn't no home.
~ don't mind tellin' you that twas my
father that she merlied," added Jones
lowering his voice. II hain't nothn' to
say ag;n' her. She Want never what you
could call fond of children, and she was
kind Of gloomy by spells, but she done
her duty pooty we'll by us. She'd always
seem to be a-broodin' over things, per
tikerly when it got along towards spring,
and the ice Was a-gon' out of the river.
She'd always go and set on the bank and
watch it a-goin.' Seems as if any body
would kind of forgit, after years and years
but some folks don't seem to; but when
they git on-common long in years, they
do get kind of mixed, and they're apt to
say kind of queer things to folks. |
WON l1,a,t Nov s. Mic,