The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-02-21
GRANDMOTHER'S STORY
How She Made a Hiding-Place OF
a Brass Kettle.

1t was stormy day, and the children
were popping corn over the glowing
Goals in the CRATE.
Grandma sat with her knitting work
near the fire, and the kitten was chasing
great white fluffy kernel around the
room with her frisky paws.
"When was little girl and lived at
the West" said grandma, .'my BROTH
ers and ] used to pop corn in the
ashes"
''How could you do that?" said Tom.
81 shouldn't think it would have
popped at all
80, we didn't use coal ashes, but
scraped clear place in. front of the
great wood fire, put the corn down in
little heaps, and then covered each heap
carefully with hot ashes, placing live
coal or SO on the top, and in little
while they would come popping out all
over the floor
"What funr' said Meg. 81 wish we
had fireplace and a wood fire.
''Grandma," said Bess, who had been
reading frontier stories, aud was more
interested in Indians than popping corn
at present, having become somewhat
tired of the occupation, Ibid you ever
see any Indians in those days?"
II saw one, and he frightened me
nearly out of my Senses"
30, do tell us about it!' cried all the
children in the same breath. 1.-THE
corn is all popped now, and it will be so
nice to hear story while we are eating
it."
''Wait till l count the stitches on nv
needle, and then, if you will promise
not to ask me to tell it over again for a
month at least, 1 will tell you the
story"
They promised, and seating them
selves in row, each with dish of corn
in his or her lap, waited impatiently for
the stitches to be counted.
'When our family moved to the
West" began grandma, IL was only
eight years old. 1t was pretty, but
lonely spot where our little log house
was built, in clearing not far from the
edge of the prairie. If you went far
enough into the woods or across the
prairie, you could hear the wolves howl
at night.
There were no roads for a great dis
lance, only path or trail, as they called
1t, and our nearest neighbor lived nearly
a mile away.
"When we first went there, we had
great dread of Indians-or at least
mother and we children had, though
father used to laugh at us, saying that
there were no hostile Indians in the
region, and the remnant of a copper
colored tribe, which still fingered on the
outskirts of the State, would have to
run the gauntlet of Idon't know how
many blockades to get at us.
but it was only a very few years be-
fore that they were scalping and COM
hitting all sorts of depredations within
a mile or two of the spot where we were
living, and my mother was continually
on the lookout for them, though she was
very careful not to say anything to
brighten us children.
''As for me, was nervous. delicate
child, and there was not day durino
the first six months of our life in this
new country that / didn't imagine that
l saw ore. If tuft of leaves stirred
out in the still twilight, was sure that
1t was the feather in an Indians cap. If
L heard the cattle tramping about in the
underbrush, / was sure that whole
horde OF Indians were coming to ran
sack the house. If / looked out into
the moonlight, every shadow took the
grim shape of chief, tomahawk and
all. 1t l peered up the wide chimney to
see the sparks from the fire fly up to
the stars on winters night. I never
failed to encounter twinkling, sly and
terrible eyes gazing down into mine"
did you, truly?" inquired little zoe.
with his mouth agape with astonish-
ment.
"Why. no, Joe. Grandma said she
only imagined it all, you know, because
she was afraid" explained wise Bess,
impatient of the interruption.
''And every night before / went to
Sleep" grandma continued, II heard
all sorts of noises, which / had no doubt
we're Indians trying to break into the
iouse. shaking the bolts Of the doors,