St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-01-17
GRANDMOTEER'S STORY.
now Sbe Made a Hiding-Place of
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 lire. and the kitten was chasing
great white fluffy kernel around the
room with her frisky paws.
'"Nhen | was little girl and lived at
tke West" said grandma, "my broth
ers and 1 used to pop corn in the
ashes"
s.How could you do that?' said Tom.
Il shouldn't think it would have
popped at all"
20, 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 a live
coal or SO on the top, and in a little
while they would come popping out all
over the floor"
..Wha. funr' said Meg. 81 wish we
had . fireplace and 4 wood fire."
SGrandma," said Bess, who had been
reading frontier stories, and was more
Interested in Indians than popping corn
at present, having become somewhat
tired of the occupation, ''did you ever
! see any Indians in those days?n
81 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
ikn
ssWait till I count the stitches on my
! needle, and. then, if you will promise
not to ask me to tel it over again for a
month at least, l will tell you the
story"
They promised, and seating them
elves in a row, each with a dish of corn
Sin 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 wears old 1t was a pretty, but
lonely spot where our little log house
vas 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 =
..Ihere were no roads for great dis
tance, only path or trail, as they called
Il and our nearest neighbor lived nearly
mile away.
..When we first went there, we had
creat dread of Indians-or at least
mother and we children had, though
f.tber used to laugh at us, saving that
there were no hostile Indians in the
rccipn. and the remnant of copper
cnlored tribe, which still fingered on the
,cntskirts of the State, would have to
mn the gauntlet Of Idon't know how
many blockades to get at us.
..But il was only a very few years be-
sre that they were scalping and COM
hitting all sorts Of depredations within
. 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
frighten us children.
sAs for me, / was nervous, delicate
child. and there was not q day during
tho first six. months of our life in this
new country that / didn't imagine that
COW one. If tnft of leaves. stirred
onf : = in the still twilight, 1 was sure that
= was the featherin an Indians cap. 1t
= heard the cattle tramping about in the
.,n darhrush, l was sure that whole
SarSa | Of Indians were coming to ram
sack the house. If | looked out into
the the moonlight, every shadow took the
Grim shape of chief, tOmahawk and
sn II / peered up the wide chimney to
see the sparks from the fire fly up to
she stars ON q winters night, | never
ea;led I 10 encounter twinkling. sly and
terrible eyes gazing down into mine.
..Did you. truly?" inquired little Joe,