The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1883-07-26
An Indian Girls Romance Long Yea
of Waiting.


She was California Indian, proba-
bly, of the Tulares, and migrated to Or
egon with her family thirty years ago
She was then young girl. and said to
be the handsomest squaw ever seen in
Oregon. In those days white men in
the wildernesses thought it small shame
if any. to take Indian women to live
with them as wives, and Lucy was
much sought and wooed. But she seems
to have had uncommon virtue or cold
ness, for she resisted all approaches for
long time.
Finally a man named Pomeroy ap-
peared, and as Lucy said afterward, rs
she looked at him she knew he was her
''tumtum man. and she must 90 with
him. He had small sloop, and Lucy
became its mate. They two alone ran
it for several years up and down the
river. He established little trading
post, and Lucy always took charge of
that when he went to buy goods. When
gold was discovered at Ringgold bar,
Lucy went there, worked with rocker
like man, and washed out hundreds of
dollars worth of gold, all of which she
gave to Pomeroy.
With it he built fine schooner and
enlarged his business, the faithful Lucy
working always at his side and bidding.
At last, after eight or ten years, he grew
weary of her and of the country, and
made up his mind to 90 to California.
But he had not the heart to tell Lucy he
meant to leave her. The pilot who told
me this story was at that time captain
of schooner on the river. Pomeroy
came to him one day and asked him to
move Lucy and her effects down to
Columbus. He said he told her she
must 60 and live with her relatives
while he went to California and looked
about, and then he would send for her.
The poor creature, who had no idea
of treachery, came on board cheerfully
and willingly, and he set her off at Co.
lumbus. This was in the early Spring.
Week after week, month after month,
whenever his schooner stopped there,
Lucy was on the shore asking if he had
heard from Pomeroy. For long time,
he said, he couldn't bear to tell her. At
last he did; but she would not believe
him. Winter came on. She had got
few boards together and built herself
sort of hut. near house where lived an
eccentric old bachelor, who finally took
compassion on her, and, to save her
from freezing, let her come into his
shanty to sleep.
He was a mysterious man, recluse,
with morbid aversion to women, and
at the outset it was a great struggle for
him to let even an Indian woman cross
his threshold But, little by little, Lucy
won her way; first she washed the
dishes, then she would timidly help at
the cooking. Faithful, patient, unpre-
suming, at last she grew to be really
the old mans housekeeper as well as
servant. He lost his health, and be-
came blind. Lucy took care of him
until he died, and followed him to the
grave, his only mourner, the only hui
man being in the country with whom he
had any tie. He left her his little house
and few hundred dollars-all he had
and there she is still alone, making out
to live by doing whatever work she can
find in the neighborhood. Everybody
respects her. She is known as Lucy"
up and down the river. Il did my best
to hire her to come and keep house for
nv wtfc," said the pilot. I'D rather
have her for nurse or cook than any
white woman in Oregon. But she
wouldn't come. don't know as she's
done looking for Pomeroy to come
back yet, and she's going to stay just
where he left her She never misses
time waving to me when she knows
what boat I'm on, aud there isn't much
going on the river she doesn't know. =
FROM the atlantic Monthly.