The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-12


/ az first were wild with delight at hearing
| themselves in accord with the r1elodeo1.
| Their little childish voices are verT sweet
and they sing true and in excellent time.
a TYPE OF INDIAN MISCHIEF.
There is one little fellow, a thin. wiry
| hibbertlglbbet, known as Nat" who is
very good-natured but appalhngly mis-
chievous. He is particularly devoted to
| music, and one afternoon / noticed him
seated on the end of the front beach swing
ing his little feet and more than once moving
his head and arms In unison with the sound
and singing with all his little might.
whenever there was a break in the pro-
| gramme he would call out, with a smile on
his comlcal little face, ''Sing halleluiahl
haueluJeh" and would strike in and begin
before Mrs. Fosters symphony was half
over: One of their favorite hymns has
"hallelujah" in the chorus.
Behind Nat sat another little boy, with
ms mead bent forward and his hands mo-
tlonless before him. His eyes were riveted
on the musicians, and he had not moved a
muscle since the singing began. So wrapt
was MS whole expression that even the boys
| around noticed 1t and began to punch each
other and point to him. 1t was Fenton-
Geronlmo's soma large-eyed, strong faced
child, who is always present whenever there
IS even a suspicion of music. He is very
bright, and, with his father to see to ir that
he studies. is learning fast.
MOURNING A DAUGHTER
One day. just as Miss Shepard was about
10 close the children's school, Miss Stephens
hurried IN and told her to dismiss imme-
dlately and come with her to the camp,
where she would see sight she might never
again have an opportunity of witnessing
The young ladies went into the heart of the
village. There, in front of Virginia's
house, they found an assemblage of women
all seated on the ground in sort Of circle.
with their shawls over their heads and their
faces buried either in their hands or on
their knees They were sobbing, weeping,
wailing.
In the center was a pile of gaudy ma
terials-bright quilts, lowered cloths, red
wooIens-and lying in state on them was a
beautiful dead woman. Her face was dyed
with delicate red coloripg that prevented
all ghastliness CT look. There was not a
trace of emaciation, and she looked as
though death had come to her in a sudden
stroke, leaving her no time to suffer. Her
| neck, bosom and arms were profusely orna-
! mented with gorgeous beadwork; her
clothes were gay and clean, and her feet
| were incased in deliberately wrought san
dals.
But all these things were soon forgotten
before the shattered old woman-the mother
who was crouching beside her. She was
she wore suggested the idea of sackclOth
and ashes. She was bent almost double,
with her eyes fixed on the dead face, and
was perfectly silent, while the others walled
around her. Presently she, too, burst into
wild sobs, and stretching out her wasted
arms, she lifted the senseless form and
pressed it to her naked bosom, rocking it to
and fro.
All the while her tears were falling like
rain, and her hysterical wailing was trans
lated in phrases not unlike the old biblical
words, Cry aloud Cry aloudw Whether
she was asking for sympathy or calling on
her child to speak to her again, the teachers
could not tell; but there was wild, uu-
studied pathos in the whole thing that
brought their tears thick and fast.
LITTLE GIRLS FAREWELL.
The dead woman left three children, one
of them quite large girl. She was seated
at little distance with the ''capousen
basket in her arms, weeping softly. The
old grandmother went TO her and led her to
the corpse, forcing her to kneel beside it,
The child shuddered and sobbed pite 1usly,
but the old woman took her in her arms
and forced her to take the cold, dead hand
in hers. 1t was the little girls farewell to
her mother.
Presently the two ladies slipped away to
| garden just beyond the camp and came
white roses. The poor mother was sitting
| silent by this time, and they asked her,
| through an interpreter, If they might place
| their flowers on her child. She consented,
| and they knelt down among the crouching
| Apaches and spread them over her, fasten-
| ing their stems, by the mothers silent direc-
! tions, under her brass studded belt.
| PRAYER FOR THE DEAD.
Then Miss Stephens went to the head and
| said gently: "White woman. when she
dies, has prayer said over her Let me
| say prayer for her." She knelt on the
| gray stuffs, and lifted both hands. Every
sound was hushed, and in a broken voice
| she repeated the Lords prayer. The sim
pie and noble words fell very sweetIy on
| the sunlit air, and she knew the Apaches
| felt it was an appeal to some power for
| good.
After little one might notice women
coming up with different articles in their
handsome with an elaborate bead neck
| lace, another with a shawl, another VITA a
gayly decorated saddle, and SO on. They
were bringing their offerings to their friend
for her long journey. Later these gifts
were all buried with her in grave whose
location is, and always will be, kept pro-
found secret. Later still, everythin the
family owned was burned, and they are
required by the customs of their people to
4N0 lOI IL oIdl6u JeTul III tl6 IlOSC leart-
rending isolation-especially the bsreaved
husband.
AN INDIAN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL.
The ladies are preparing to have the
Apaches celebrate the coming Christmas in
a way that will make it an era in their
stagnating, almost hopeless, lives. 1t will
be probably the first Christmas thew have
ever knOwn-that is, in our sense of the
word. If possible, every child in the camp
land there are POO is to have present, be-
sides candy and fruit, and every man and
woman who attends Miss Stephens classes
is also to have present.
1t is a herculean undertaking, but friends
of the Indians are helping in different parts
Of the country, and the ladies of the gar
rison, with Mrs. Kellogg, the wife of the
commandment, at their head, are taking up
the cause with generous sympathy that is
very encouraging.
FEDERATION OF SPINNERs.