Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-01-22
.Grandmother's Story.

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 risky paws.
"When l was little girl, and lived at
the West" said grandma, my brothers
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"
go, we didn't use coal ashes, but
scraped clear place in front of the great
wood fire, put the corn down in little
heals, and then covered each heap care
fully with hot ashes, placinga live coal
or two on the top, and in little while
they would come popping out all over the
floor"
"What fun" said Meg. Il wish we
had fireplace and wood fire."
"Grandma," said Bess, who had been
reading frontier stories, and was more
interested in Indians than popping corn
ct present, having become somewhat
tired of the occupation, did you ever
see any Indians in those days%
nearly out of my senses"
go, do tell us about it," cried all the
children in the same breath. The corn
is all popped now, and it will be SO nice
to hear a story while we are eating it."
"Wait till | count the stitches on my
needle, and then, if you will promise not
month at least, | will tell you the story"
\ fhnp al
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
a clearing not far from the edge of the
prairie. III you went far enough into the
woods or across the prairie, you could
hear the wolves howl at night.
"There were no roads for great dis
lance, only a path or trail, as they called
it, and our nearest neighbor lived nearly
mile away.
"When we first went there, we had a
.reat dread of Indians-or at least
mother and we children had, though
ather used to laugh at us, saying that
nere were no hostile Indians in the
legion, and the remnant of copper
colored tribe, which still fingered on the
outskirts of the State, would have to run
the gauntlet of don't know how many
blockades to get at us.
''But it was only very few years be-
fore that they were scalping and COM
hitting all sorts of depredations within
Q mile or two of the spot where we were
living, and my mother was always on the
lookout for them, though she was very
careful not to say anythingto brighten us
children.
As for me- was nervous, delicate
child, and there was not day during
the first six months of our life in this
new country that did not imagine that
saw one. If tuft of leaves stirred out
in the still twilight, l was sure that it
was the feather in an Indians cap. If l
heard the cattle tramping about in the
En6erbrush, | was sure shat whole
horde of Indians were coming to ransack
the house. If / looked out into the
moonlight, every shadow took the grim
shape of a chief, tomahawk and all. If
peered up the wide chimney to see the
sparks from the fire fly up to the stars on
awinter's night, | never failed to encOun-
ter twinkling, sly and terrible eyes gaz-
ing down into mine."
"Did you, truly" inquired little Joe,
with his mouth wide 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 l went to
Sleep" grandma continued, Il heard all
sorts of noises, which l had no doubt
were Indians trying TO break into the
house, shaking the bolts Of the doors, OF
tramping about on the roof over my head
But as the time passed on these fears and
lamentations gradually wore away, and
when Summer came even had forgotten
nearly all about Indians.
at had been late, cold Spring. The
rain dripped off the caves and blurred
the windows nearly every day; and
when the sky was clear, chilly wind
blew, that frightened back the leaves and
blossoms, and stopped the BIRDS songs
in their very Threats.
"But when June came, the weather
was 10 lovely that we children played
out of doors the whole day long. The
flowers seemed to be making up for lost
time and crowded everywhere, dressed
in all sorts of pretty colors. They peeped
through the chinks of our log cabin,
climbed to its very roof in pretty, grace.
{ul vines, and made it, as crude and
pumsy as it was, a perfect bower OF
beauty.