The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-04-23

kIOuuu u I466E u0Es So OL0 -
the moment, that the Shawnee squaW
would not be likely to speak English, ana
was wondering for moment, what sne
should say; when the: other, good-naturea-
ly enough, but without smiling, gave a
hand to the child, lifted her where sne
could rest upon the. cottonwood log
against which the fire was burning ana
said, "Wet, wet, cold, wet. arm more
by-by, by-y, warm more; cold, Wet colu,
wet" .l.rLr
Sarah was amused and surprised that
the responsibility of the conversation was
thus taken from her. She assented to
these simple propositions, chiefly By, re-
peating the words of the other, IN dlter-
emit infections and varied order; somewhat
as she would do in saying a lesson in a
French primer and she adapted herself
60 the occasion by taking off some of her
outer clothing and of that Of the little
girl, and proceeding to wiring the water
out from them as we'll as might be. In
this act, sufficiently necessary, the other
Joined her, Sarah laughing already, and
her hostess quiet and grave.
"But, really, my dear Aunt" Sarah
wrote to Mrs. Whitman, "fromz that
time she and 1 were very good friends. I
remember thinking that if they were going
to roast me alive, it would be good to get
dry and warm as it began. But the
young woman was so good-natured in
her deeds, though she was SO glum in her
looks, that l was not afraid two minutes
after it began"
The other women looked on, quiet as.
three or four sphinxes might have been.
But gradually, as the three worked over
p~etticoats and shawls and stockings, and
brought them into tolerable condition,
bag number one, bag number two, and
hag number three took more and more IN
tereSt in the process, and at last little
Mary Titcomb found that she had con-
4uered her terrors, and was not above
wondering what would come out of the
broken iron pot, which formed a sort of
centre piece in the fire, and from which
clouds of steam came up in puffs as the
women kept the fire up with driftwood.
As the long twilight advanced, one and
another dive into the pot, made by bag
number two with a long fork of cherry
wood, seemed to show that affairs were
advancing toward a solution of the girls
wonder. Sarah made one or two efforts
at conversation with the younger girl,
who had given to then such welcome as
they had. But any reader of these lines
who, after the full French course of the
New Padua Female Seminary" has
found out, say in Normandy how little
the average French peasant understands
of the French language will readily be-
lieVe that the two young women did not
obtain much mutual information. Whether
the Shawnee women had any boat or
canoe by which Sarah and her companion
could cross to the western shore, she
could not find out. Where they were
going themselves, she could not find out.
Nor why they were there together on
the island, with no men-folks visible%
Sarah had never heard that invaluable
counsel, "The dumb mans borders still
increase" But she was forced to fall
back on. the great truth hidden in it,
whether she would or no She and Mary,
however, had all the more conversation
because the. communion with the Indian
girl was so unsatisfactory. Mary con-
suited her as to the propriety of their
eating, or perhaps drinking, the provision
in the pot.
my dear child" said Sarah, off they
ask us, we had certainly better take what
they will give, tsasking 10 questions for
conscience sake | am sure that dear
DIR. Bentley would tell US that this was
good sense and good Scripture. I am not
so doubtful about eating. for I had but
little dinner, as [ am about what we shaHs
eat with. But we are as well off as Adam
and Eve were"
And this matter was oon tested. Hag
number two announeedbysundry "ughs,"
and more definitely by lifting the pot
from the Goals, that she was satisfied with
her studies of the contents. Hays num-
Der one and number three then rose from
the sand where they had been crouching,
and, at a call from them, three or four
children appeared, who had kept away
before. The three hays and the inter-
prefer produced such articles of table
furniture as were at hand or were thought
necessary. These were, first a long bit of
bark which was laid on the sand. OF the
upper part of the beach, and supported
with stones that it might not roll. To
Sarah's s surprise and relief two or three
little bowls of cracked earthen ware, two
or three half gourds, and three small
wooden trenchers appeared A trencher
was given to Mary and a half, gourd to
Sarah, who kept it from rolling by sticks
and little shells from the ground. The
old pot was then set on the stones Just
above it. A rude earthen pot appeared
In the hands of bag number one, and this
wa set upon the bark. The bag number
two, with a long gourd, from which one
large slice had been cut, so that it made an
excellent dipper, labeled out the contents
Iot the iron pot into the earthen one. She
uttered several grunts, probably of ap-
proval, though of this let no one speak.
RnrtaInlU Cnrtoin 6ico1cciop IN Tho
Shawnee tongue followed, of which there
is no record in any earthly archives. But
it was clear enough that none of the party
were dissatisfied. Sarah suspected al
ready, what proved to be true, that the
basis of their meal would be boiled
hominy. :
So DOR as the mixture had a little
cooled, bag number two practically am
nn1nnad that nnnlitinn nf ill., A.