Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-08-09

may De severed. L menI1On In1S I'd
show you how extremely courteous
these priests are even when they con-
template taking a mans life. I turned
over and saw in the dim light badge
across the breast of this man standing
near the door and knew at once that it
was a serious matter.
What could have occurred had no
idea therefore had recourse at once
to a weapon that had thus far never
failed me-sarcasm.
said: why do you pull me from
my dreams? When have been talking
with my friends in Washington, you
call me back suddenly, and in this rude
manner. Be as rude with the fire, and
shake the blaze out of it that we may
see one anotherr'
And they said: ''Ah, little brother,
this is no ordinary occasion. 1t is not
to ask questions that we come here,
but it is for you that we come"
replied: "An right. Is it coun-
Gil or lawsuit? Has any body's ami
mails been eating any body's cornP"
''Oh. it is not an ordinary occasion
| that brings us here, little brother, but
it is very grave occasion"
WELL" l said, ''let me put on my
mOccasins."
put my moccasins on, threw my
head band over my head, and slipped
into the corner to stuff some tobacco
into my open shirt. Then these men,
who proved to be four, marched along
with me through the little narrow
streets in the dark, saying never a
word and turning neither to the right
nor the left, one of them behind me,
one in front, and one on either side.
| We went down through the great
/ plaza and into a narrow turning I'M
derway that had known, but was not
very familiar with. Presently heavy
door rumbled and we went into a dark
| passage, turned to the left and went
through another dark passage and
then to the left again, through the
cracks in a door at the end of which I
could see a fire cleaning and smell the
smoke of tobacco.
| It seems we were under one of those
great buildings. could see a great
wide chamber with a huge fireplace
and very low ceiling. Ranged all
around this room was row after row
of old priests, some young ones among
them, each row elevated little above
the first. To the left as we went in
were three stools, one occupied by an
| old NANNY adopted father.
Just behind was another stool, on
which my adopted brother was sitting.
One of the men who was with me was
a priest, who was my priestly father,
and he took one of the seats and point
ed silently to the other.
My first exclamation was:
'How are you these many years, my
| brothers? My brothers, why are you
wasting the hours of sleep in this fool
ish manner? Occupy yourselves; Oc-
cupy yourselves! Smoke, at least"
and 1 took one of the bags of tobacco
and poured the whole contents on thu.
floor.
YES" said the oldest man on the
opposite side, ''smoke we will once
more-once MORE" and my old father
remarked to me: Sit down, my little
child, once more; only once" So 1
rolled cigarette, and they all began
to roll cigarettes and smoke in perfect
silence. Then suddenly, smoothed
my face, sat up straight, threw my
cigarette away and said: 1T seems
that this is a serious occasion. Let us
be serious. Let me hear what is the
occasion of this council"
I'm the first place, they said, ''there
is strange fatality, the red disease
coming on our children, of which they
are dying one by one, and some one is
very cruel, and some one loves not his
people, and loves only to aff1ict them.
Why should he love to afiict them?
Who knows? We know that you
brought strange medicines with pecu-
liar odors to your home some time
since, but we have been cautious, and
we have waited long, and have in
quired of the Mexican herders who
were here: Was there such a thing
as that unknown thing and that thing
which the grandfathers said did not
exist, as an American-born sorcerer?'
and the Mexicans replied: Yes, there
was and we said: is there one, per-
haps, among us?' and the Mexicans re-
piled: No doubt And then we went
to the MormOnS to the east of here
and the same questions were asked and
the same answer gave they. And then
we went to the Americans dwelling
among us, and these questions were
asked, and they pretended that they
did not understand them, but they said
there was no doubt of great and dire
evil in the American who lived with
them, and so, little brother, there is no
doubt that your whole intention is to
cause affection among u.s."
1 asked them if that was all they
had to say, and they told me long
story. They reminded me of occur
rences that had taken place on the
very first month of my living among