Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-03-02
at was a tall Indian, dressed precisely

4n"HA1S iVnS, UuJ IelSureIy Strl0eS toward
the house.
He had sort of topknot feathers on
his head, like that ofsone of our cropple-
erown-hens, and could see that his long,
brown arms were quite bare and looked
like copper in the sunlight,
'What should / do? Where could ]
hide myself? My heart was beating Sc
violently that l felt almost suffocated, and
| stood for moment in the middle of the
floor, unable to move or think
But there was no time to be lost. He
was coming so near that l could almost
see his face now, and what, oh what if
he should find me when he got into the
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 were very
heavy, and it was as much as / could do
to move them, and then the windows
were all open, too, and though they were
very SMALL the Indian might have
squeezed through one of them at a 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 my
eye, hanging from beam overhead, and
quick as thought l climbed first on to
fathers workbench, which stood under
meath, thus obtaining a footing on a
wooden peg which was driven into the
Hnron r,,anocraI 10, ,,,x-cO1f
beam, and from thence let myself down
into the kettle, which was large enough
to hide me completely.
81 had never accomplished such a feat
before; but l was a light ard nimble
child, and in my fear and excitement it
seemed easy enough to perform.
'The kettle had not ceased to move
after my leap into its brassy depths,
when the Indian entered the door. |
was sure that he would see it and gave
myself up for lost. l was really para
lyzed with fear, and if 1 tried to scream,
| do not think l could have done so.
"But he evidently did not look up in
that direction. He stood stock-still in the
middle of the floor for a moment or two,
uttering some indistinct words in his gut
teral Indian tongue. Then l heard him
stride into the kitchen, and thence into
the bedroom. Then heard him tramp
ing about overhead. He had climbed the
ladder into the loft.
But in few moments he was back
again investigating the pantry. Mother
had been doing a whole weeks baking
that morning, and the shelves were filed
with nice brown loaves of bread, custard
and berry pies, great milk-pan full of
cookies, and the gingerbread which had
just taken out of the oven.
Judging from the sounds which [
heard in that direction, l thought he
must be eating; and every once in
while there came deep grunt of salts
faction, as if he had found something
that he liked very much. Then, for a
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.
81 peeped out of my hiding place and |
saw him disappear in the distance. Then |
a mist came over my eyes and l lost con-
ciousness. had been expecting every
moment that he would espy the kettle |
which was so huge that it generally at |
tltlStCh clIlShliOIl, anu lJIONCCu W HIVES
tgate and now my own relief was so great |
that | was entirely overcome.
"When l recovered my senses l heard |
my mothers voice calling me:
" Mary, Mary, where are your
$50, MOTHER screamed my brother
Jyrus, who always repaired to the pan
ry the minute he got into the house,
just look here! All the baking's gone,
oies N everything, and there's crumbs
I'll over the floor
"'There's been an Injun here, l gasped
rom my perch overhead.
should think SO, said my mother,
yhG gazed into my white face the very
picture of CONSERVATION. How in the
world did you get up there child?'
Just then my father came running in
Iuite out of breath.
octave you seen anything of an In
Ian" he gasped. 'One has been seen
unning toward the river laden with sto-
en- property, quilts and coats and things.
hey say. l didn't know but that he had
'een making ravages here, as you were
II gone berrying.'
Then piped up and told my story;
ut when father stood on the bench and
Dok me out of the kettle, l tainted again
/ his arms.
"On investigation, it was found that
ne Indian had not only taken all the
read and cake in the house, but had
eized upon gray patchwork quilt,
Ither's winter overcoat and a bright
carlet petticoat of mothers. The silver :
ooons and heavy silver tankard-the
cry one that is standing on the side
GARD nowhere all in plain sight; but
e probably had no idea of their value
nd so left them untouched {
"All the men in the settlement imme-
ately turned out in pursuit of the thief
ut they did not not capture him. And
2 was never seen or heard of in that re- {
on again. "-Susdn Hartley SeWeU, IN
OldeR Days.