The Red Cloud chief., 1884-04-04
We WERE SEVEN,

People don't mean harm, they only
do il; and the way We came TO have q
finger in fa;e PIE was this:
To begin W IN. there were seven of
us-seyen demoralizei young savages
turned loose on a lonely farm, along
with a stepmother who dealt out Justice
very much g. Mrs. Squeers dealt out
t~reacle. and n forloru Old father who
dared not call his SOIL his own. He
WAS such a big. grand fellow. such n
gentleman. WAS nv father. 80 genial,
and accustomed to being the master IN
rs own house chat other house where
mamma lived and died) thai | think il
must have come .,stone hard 70 him in
his Old are TO PLAY second fiddle TO our
severely proper second ma. He fell
along with Richmond. and when MT
had brought him captive in chains mat
rimonial To her country home-his being
cOntscatcd and gathered UP us CHI
drcn from the poor relations and poorer
schools where mammals death had
<iri.ted lis. She gust emptled us out in
her wilderness Of pines and waste Of
sand To scratch III way through child
hood a. bct pleased Providence and our
numerous selves.
Weeds Lave one thing 10 be thankful
for-thev are not dug around. nor
shifted al. and they keep their heads
TIL they grow TO seed. The sun NAV
fling hot kisses to their yagrant, up
turned faces. or storms batter Their
stalks 10 earth. but there is ALWAYS that
u grand privilege that poverty gives
20 her worthless children-the privilege
IF being let ~al0ne-and If freedom
means happiness, then we Were just as
C~luriouSly happy a. the summer days
wrrc long.
We were CrrgariouS little wretches.
hunting together, climbing together.
fishing IN fighting together. regardless
of sex or ace. If John Owed off the
wharf after mud oysters. the rest OF the
gang were expected 10 dive after mud
uVsiers, too True. there Were snagS
IN dangerous plenty that only showed
their black, shiny faces ~ low tide. but
the Providence that goes about caring
for fools or children ordained that they
should not interfere with our sport so
far a 10 deprive Us of our brains. Ii
h. (mean no John again climbed up
the brown ribs of the barn till he
reached the caves and then flung him
SELF maily on the hay-ricks below. six
interesting young followers would
swarm about the tobacco-plants curing
under the caves, ready to Sneeze them
selves off the beams and down into the
hollow he had made. One morning
when old black Joe mo reference to the
song and chorus) came into the barn
and caught us-some painting in our
fragrant, yellow nests, one in mid-air
curied up like 4 ball. and a file of five
balancing on the rafterS re3dy for q
turn how his old body quivered. and
how his ewes suggested hoiled eggs with
the shells oil. as ne scratched under the
straw and fished up before our demon
allied eves the farm ho.. the big rake
with its cruel teeth upward, and two
scythes cleaning with wicked keenneSs
IL the summer sun
Ma WAS down with one of her aches
and pains that day-poor dear, and
papa having invited us 10 LAY away
IRON the house. il suddenly occurred 10
our ambit Gus minds to 90 IN boating
IN the scow. To be sure. there were
white IL lies riding on the big blue
waves ont in the channel. but they
might have been witches straddling
their brooms icks for all we Thought or
cored for we were amphib;ous i'll those
SAYS. so Jar IS lrsts nizinT with water
tn2l e., era and long tailed Sea-HeitieS
went. OF bobbing ccntentedly in the
froIhV S.IrL. with the brown tin Of 4
8: ark - HIIg before Us between the
:i~c = taii of the wave /. Was 4
7ams .:cEl-y ID boat, grmy VITA oys-
kr = q. and >limy with Esh bait and
.ca'cs. Iiere Were gyeeri@h crab cav