Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-01-04
A Midnight Adventure.

One afternoon last summer L went
out TO our local base ball park to wit
ness the performance of one of the Wild
West shows which have become fea-
ture of our National amuSements. l
was accompanied by the young lady to
whom am engaged. We had good
seats in the grand stand and enjoyed
the performance very much. The mark
manshlp was good, the horsemanshIp
excellent, the cowboys were rough
enough to have come from the most
distant frontier, and the Indians were
typical representatives of the modern
Ted man. There was one old squaw
who figured In a camping scene, and
who impressed me as the uglIest human
being l had ever gazed upon; there
were also several young women, who
Were not bad looking in spite of their
rather stolid expression of countenance.
/ turned TO Bella and remarked, during
the course of the performance:
"How thankful we ought to be that
the accident of birth has made US chill
dren of a civilized and progressive race.
.jTI /, Imagine Lhe fate Of one connected
by birth or marriage with these untu-
torei children of the forest, and COM
PEELED to pass his whole life among
theml'
Bella responded with some remark to
the effect that IL one had been born
an Indian, one probably wouldn't find
anything uncommon or disagreeable
about it, and that as for marrying one
of them, there was no necessity OF reason
for either of US making such a sacrifice,
when a startling feat of horsemanship
performed by half breed Apache excited
her interest and put an end to my
morallZing.
did not call at Bella's that evening,
having been with her all the afternoon.
AS was saunterIng down town after
supper, whom should L run across but
Bilkins, young friend of mine, of
sporting proclivIties. BIlkins proposed
that we have a game or billiards. We
played one game-two games-half a
dozen games-during the course of
which smoked several cigars and i'm
bibed number of mixed drinks.
/ started home about IL O'Clock. /
was feeling little tired from having
stood on my feet so much during the
evening, and as l passed through a
small public park which lay Ill my
homeward route L sat down on an iron
bench to rest for moment. The bench
which occupied was lust across the
walk from a life-siZed bronze statue of
an Indian, clad in the traditional garb
Of the forest, of period antecedent TO
the introduction by the white man OF
whlskey and blankets
had been looking at this statue for
several minutes, when It seemed to Inc
that the bronze plume which decorated
the warriors scalp-lock began to wave
10 and fro in the gentle wind. OF
course the idea was preposterous, and L
had formed a satisfactory hypothesis 10
account for the delusion, when the
statue upset my theory 10y stepping
from its granite pedestal and adyanc-
ing with a stately stride to the place
where sat.
''UghI' said the voice of the statue,
with a metallic ring which sounded
just little out of the common.
1.-The same TO you," l answered, po-
liUely, not knowing exactly what 1t
meant.
the Objibways."
''Pleased TO meet you," murmured.
"My name is Jones'"
The statue-or 1 may say, the In
dian-glared at me a moment, and
AfASu cAlcuUluS Llo llkuL al Ahs WIN q
commanding movement, swept it slowly
from right to left.
This was once the hunting ground
of my fathers" he said, and then
paused as though he expected me to
say something. But the circumstances
were so unusual that 1 could not think
of anything appropriate.
Through the forest that adorned
these shores once roamed the red deer
and the moose, where now the street
car horse tolls YEARLY; the war whoop
of the OjibwayS resound where now the
shrill piping of the hand organ an
nounces the return of Spring. Who has
wrought these changes?" and he paused
again.
was about to remark that the great
American people had wrought these
changes, and that he would lind COM
plete description of it in Bancroft s
s'History of the United States" when
the Indian continued fiercely:
"'Tis the pale-face! the false-hearted
pale-face who has stolen our inherit
ance. But we shall be avenged. You
are my prisoner. ComeV" And he
grasped his tomahawk so significantly
that did not stop TO argue the point,
bat arose and followed him.
We went to the edge of the park and
took street car. There were several
passengers aboard, and L might have
raised an alarm and made G2y escape;
but hated to make scene in paoiic,
and so sat quietly by the side OF Ey
bronze companion.
"a T.. n 49,. @In oh