Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1884-04-03
HE WEE sEFEN.

We WERE SETES.
People don't mean harm. they szlv
DO i; and the way we came to have 5
finger in fate's PIE was this.
To begin with, there were seven oi
us-ssren demoralized young sarages
turned loose on n lonely sarm, along
with = stepnother who dealt oEt justice
Fery much as Mrs Squeers cezit out
rrescle. and 4 f0rloru old fafher who
dared not call his s0ul his own. He
was such big. grand fellow. such .
gentleman was NV father. so genial,
and accustomed 10 being the master IN
his own ho1se (fhat other house where
mamma lived and diedl that think il
must have come -'st0ne hard" to him IN
his Old age to play second fiddle TO our
severely proper second ma He feIi
along with Richmond. and when ma
had brought him captive in chains mat
rimonsal 20 her couufry hono-bis being
eon,iscated-and gathered up us ehii-
dren from the poor relations and poorer
schools where mammals death had
drifted US. she Just emptied US cut in
her wilderness Of pines and waste Of
sand 70 scratch our way through child
hood as best pleased Providence and our
Dumcr0us selves
Weeds have cne thing TO BE- thankful
f0r-they are not dug around. nor
shifted At and they keep their heads
I'll they grow 10 seed The sun NAV
Sing hos kisses 10 their vagrant. up-
furn-d faces OF storms bzffer their
Eealks 20 earth. but there IS always that
c1e grand privilege that poverty gives
% her worthless children-the privilege
of being let afone-and II freedom
means happiEess. then we were Just as
gioriocsly happy as the summer DAYS
were long.
We were gregarious little wretches.
hunting together. climbing together.
fishing and lighting together, regardless
Of sex or age II John dired OF the
wharf after mud oysters. the rest Of the
gang were expected 10 dive after mud
oysters. too True. there were snags
IN dangerous plenty fhsf only showed
their black. shiny saces ST low tide. but
the Providence that gnes about caring
for fools OF children ordained that they
should not interfere with our sport so
far as 20 deprive US Of our brains. If
he (mesning John again climbed M
the bruwn ribs Of the barn tili he
reached the caves and then flung him
self madly on the hay-ricks below, six
interesting young followers would
swarm about the tobaccO-plants curing
under the caves. rcady to sneeze them
selves OF the beams and down into the
hollow he had made One morning
when old black Joe (no reference TO the
song and chorus) came into the barn
and caught us-sOme panf.ng in our
fragrant. yellow nests. one ia mid-air
eurlcd up Ike = ball. and file Of fire
balancing on the rzfters resdy for =
tllrn-h0w his old body quivered. and
how his eyes suggested oiled eggs with
the shells OF. rs be scratched under the
straw and iished up before our demor-
Allied eyes the farm ho,, the big rake
with its cruel teeth upward. and two
scytbes cleaning with wicked keennesS
In the summer sun
Ma was down with one Of her aches
and pains that day-poor 6ear, and
pspa having invited us to play away
from the house. L suddenly occurred to
our ambitions minds TO 90 Oat boating
in the scOw- To be sure. there were
white ladies' riding on the big blue
waves cut in the channel. but they
might have been witches strzddling
their br0omsficks sor al we thought or
esred for we were amphibi0us in those
days. 50 Ear as frafsrnizing with water
snakes. crabs and long tailed sea-neffles
E.~.r.n-r..-
fuothy surf with the brown fin Of a
shark looming before us Setween the
rise and fall Of the waves II was
old boat. grimy with oys-
ter Shells and slimy with fish bait and
scales There were greerish crab claws
plasfered shout her sides and Eosting
on her leaky bottom. and the baiiing-
rar. as a matter OF course. was nowhere
10 he seen neither was her rudder.
neither WAS her aachUr. neithe- were
her cars
Wcdged N as UncOmfortably as Cleo
Dafrz's crew in the picture. and unable
10 row or steer, we showed her of IN the
heavy surf. and being both fools and
children. trusted TO Providence 20 keep
rs along the shore. The first thing we
did was to w0bble. and IS we rather
liked w0bbling. a chorus went up 70
hat effect in seven grateful yells- Then
We rocked-fhe cradle in the tree-top
wasn't q circumstance to the way we
rocked after we eft of wobbling, Then
he rain best on US in 3 sudden gust. I
mi the white ladies" Teamed over the |
.ides Of the sc0w and mo our laps with I
, rude familiarity 10 which no geDuile !
White lady should descend Alter that {
he delngei Yes. our Heaven ordained 1
nurse was flirting round some invisible I
,orner ~ifh the elements. after the fash 4
on Of earthly maids and tangible police /
men. leaving her panic-stricken charges
o the uercies Of the cruel. gree " (;
rarss. / think even Baby Dixie real /
zed that water MP % our knees meant
linking, and that sinking meant death
nd % there was nothing 10 do but
hrfrk fer moor dear daddE. with q