Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1888-10-18

itNoH thiiuIth hu 4 huVW WI uutut
'em. But these other folks here in
tho car have paid for a good nights
sleep nd it's my duty as q director NV
the Han bul md St. Joe TO see that
they get IL. Seems 10 mo like you
ought to be able TO keep that child
quiet--you can't make inc believe that
there's any use for child 70 be carry
in on so. Somepin's hurtin' It'll
know sumpin's hurtin' II by the way
II cries. Now, you look nd sec II
there amt pin sticlSin' into IL some
where; I've raised 'leven children nd
that's jist the way u " used to cry
whom there wuz pin sticlin' en-"
He rcckoned he'd find things all
right this time nd he went back TO
his bunk feelin' toler'ble satisfied with
himself. But the young woman
couldn't find no pin sticldn' the baby,
md, no matter how much she stewed
and Worried, the baby kop right on
cryin', jest the same. Holy smokel
but how that baby did cry.
Nov, reclxoned that the Colonel
would be gettin' almighty mad II this
thing KEEP up much longer A man
may raise 'leven children as easy as
rollin' ofTn log, nd yet the twelfth
one, that isn't his at all, may break
him. There is ginerally n last straw,
even when it comes TO the matter NV
children.
So when the Colonel riz feet fore
most for the third time outern his
bunk that night-or, should say,
mornin', for it was mighty near
mornin' now-we looked for hail Co
lumby.
"Look a-here, my good woman" "
SEE he 20 the young woman with the
baby. ''as / wuz tellin' you afore. you
must do somepin TO keep that child
quiet. tn never do TO keep all these
folks awake like this. They've paid
for a good pirht's sleep nd it's my
duty as director NV the HANDFUL nd
ST. Jo TO pertest agin this disturbance.
I've raised a family NV 'leven children
md know, as well as know any
think, that that child is hungry. No
child ever cries like that when IL isn't
hungry, so insist on your nursin' it
nd givin' us peace nd quiet"
Then the young woman began 10
sniflie
LAW me, SIR" sez the young
woman, 81 amt the baby's mother
I'm only just tendin' itr'
The Colonel got pretty mad then;
his face got red nd his voice kind ov
trembled-he wuz so mad,
where is it's motherp" sez the
Colonel. "Why isn't she here takin'
care of this hungry nd cryin' child.
like she ought to be?"
She's in the front car. sir" sez
the young woman, cholIin' up. "She's
in the front car-in box, dead: we're
takin' the body nd the baby back
home.n
Now what would you or me have
1one-what would dnV man have done
then nd there? Jest what the Colonel
done.
The Colonel didn't wait for no sec.
ond thought; he jest reached out his
big bony hands nd he sez: "Young
woman, gi' me that baby sex il
so quiet nd so gentle-lil1e that seemed
like 1t wuz the baby's mother that WIZ
a-speakin.
Tie Colonel took the baby and
now, may be you won't believe me
the Colonel held that baby nd rocked
it in his arms nd talked to it like II
had been his own child. And the
baby seemed 10 .snow that II lay agin g
! la!ris,f - - f.ss. s..h 80 "a - -
OF mans kind voice nd saw his smilin
face nd felt the soothin' rockin' NV hi.
arms, the baby stopped its grievin' md
cryin' nd cuddled up close TO the
Coloners breast nd begun to coo nd
Ian.
The Colonel called the niger.
Jim" sez he, ''you go ahead nd tell
the conductor to stop the train AT th5
arst farmhouse. We've got TO have
some milk for the child-some warn
milk with sugar into it; / hain't RAISED
a family NV 'leyen children for moth
in"
The baby didn't cry no more tha
night; leastwise we didn't hear it II 4
did cry. And what II we had heard III
Blessed if don't thin& every last on,
Of us would have got up to help tent
that lonesome little thing.
That wuz more'n twenty years ago
but | kin remember the last words
heerd the Colonel say: "No matter
If it does cry" sez he. 1T DON
make no more noise than n cricket
nohow, nd reckon that being a di
rector NV the road | kin stop In,
train nd let OF anybody that don
like the way the HANDFUL nd st. JC
does business.
Twenty years agol Colonel Elijah
Gates is sleepin' in the Palmyry
buryin' ground; likely as not the baby
has growed up-leastwise the Han bal
md ST. 10 has; every think is differ.
ent now-every think has changed
every think except human natur nd
that is the same It allus has been,
and II allus will be, | reckon CHI
eagO NeUs.
s -
EATING SlNGED FISH