Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-01-30

every crcV!"c and closet, before gong
to bed: aad we often left the house bv
!,~rlf i'll the dayNmr. with doors and
windows wide open. and nothing but
tho S'inicamS. or perhaps n stray chick
en-. had ever ycntured TO stray within.
'Nna warm afternoon in July. mother
and the boys went bcrrying. leaving me
at home alone. Father was at work on
wha: we called the burnt land. three
quartaps of n mile away. | had expected
to he one of the brrrsing party; bat As
| had been out OF doors all the forenoon.
and was afflicted with a headache.
mother thought it would not do at all
for me tc 90 ont again under the hot san.
"'fou won't be afraid to stay in the
house alone. will YOU, Mary? said she
Il don't know what could possibly
harm yWi. wish YOU would feed the
chickens about four O'Clock. Be sure To
take the gingerbread out of the oven in
about ten minutes. and don't let puS>!
get her rose into the custard-res which
are cooling in the window
IL wasn't afraid the least bit in the
worli. The sunshine was streaming in
ri the open door; the birds were sing
ing in the bushes outside. and the
srrcklrd kitten was chasing her tail
around the kitchen floor Who would
think of being afraid, or even lonely,
when everything WAS so bright and
pleasant?
Il took the gingerbread ont of the
oven. II was what folks called a tin
kitchen. an affair with several shelves.
which stood before :hn blaze in the fire
place. Everybody usci it in old times,
before stoves were plenty.
Then covered the fire with ashes.
that it nigh. not 90 entirely ont. When
1t was time to boil the tea-ket;lc for sup
per. You could rake the ashes away. and
and there would still be hot Goals under
them.
Then | sat down and rocked by the
cool window. where breeze blew in
through the morning -glory vines. and
soon fell into sort of dozr. But il was
not long before u bumble-hcc came in
and wakencd me. and. glancing out OF
the window. bcheld a sight which fair
ly froze my blood with horror
at was a tall Indian. dressed precise
ly as had seen Indians dressed in pic
lures. making long. but lcisurcly strides
toward the house.
"lIc had a sort of topknoi feathers
OH his heal. ike that of one of our
cropplc hens, and could SEQ
that his long. brown arms were quito
bare, and looked like copper in the sun.
light.
What should | do? where could
hide myself? Ny hear; was beating so
violently that felt almost sufocatcd
and | stood for moment in the middle
of the floor, unable to move or think.
Bat there was no time to be ,o>:. lie
was coming so near that could almost
see his face now. aud what, oh. what il
he should find me when he got into tho
house.
at did not once occur to me to bolt
the doors; but, if it had, there would
have been hardly time. for the bolts
We're very heavy, and it was as much a.
| could do to move them. and then tho
windows were all open too. and though
they were very small. the Indian might
have squeezed through one OF them ut n
pinch.
81 ran wildly toward the bedroom.
and was about to creep under the bed
But no. that would not do. | thought.
His long arms might reach me there
Then | rushed through the kitchen into
the shed, and looked about me in a
perfect frenzy.
"Suddenly the huge brass kettle which
had been my grandmother's caught NV
eye, hanging from II beam overhead.
and quick is thought climbed first ON
to fathers workbench. which stood
underneath, thus. obtaining a footing
on wooden peg which was driven into
the wall. managed to swing myself on
to the beam, and from thence let N.Y.
self down into the kettle. which was
large enough to hide me completely.
al had never accomplished such a
feat before: but WAS light and nimble
child, and in my fear and excitement it
seemed easy enough to perform
1.-The kettle had not ceased moving
after my leap into its brassy depths.
when the Indian entered the door.
was sure that he would sec it. and gave
myself up for lost. | was really para
lyzcd with fear, and if | had tried to
L
done so.
'.But he evidently did not look up in
that direction. He stood stock-still in
the middle of the iloor for moment or
two, uttering some indistinct words in
his cultural Indian tongue. Then I
heard him stride into the kitchen. ard
from thence into the bedroom. still talk
ing away as fast rs he could talk. Then
| heard him tramping about overhead.
He had climbed the ladder into the loft.
''}nt in Il few moments he was back
again, INVESTIGATING the pantry. Mother
had been doing 4 whole week baking
that morning, and the shelves were filled
with nice brown loavcs OF bread. custard
and berry pies. great milk-pan full OF
cookies. and the gingerbread which
had just taken ont Of the oven.
Judging by the sounds which heard
from that direction. | thought he must
be eating; and every once in while
there came deep @rnnt of satisfaction,
ns if he had found something that he
liked very much. Then, for little
while, there was deep silence, and
then. TO my great relief. he stole very
quietly and swiftly out of the house,
and away, taking the same path by
which he came.
Il peeped out from my hding-placc
and saw him disappear in the distance.
Then mist came oyor my eyes and |
lost consciousness. had been expect
ing every moment that he would espv
The kettle, which was SO huge that it
"rcrally attracted attention, ard FRO
ceen TO investigate; and now my re-
lief w'ls so great that | was entirely
overcome.
"When | recovered my senses heard
my mothers voice calling me:
"Mary, Mary, where are you?'
40, mother screamed my brother
Cyrus, who always repaired to the
pantry the minute he got into the house,
Just look here! All the baking's gone,
pies n everything, and there's crumbs
all over the floor
"'Therc's been an Injun here l
gasped. from my perch overhead.
81 should think so, said my mother,
who gazed up into my white face, the
very picture of CONSERVATION. How in
the world did You get up there, childT