The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-11-26

Duls as usual, Leke WAS lOOkIn OUT Iut
what he was ter eat, and made great
fuss about his gardenin'. When the
Iudejuns asked what he meant by his
lingo, When | get home I'll stay
there he tried to make them under
stand about his mothers victuals and
begged them to 60 home with him to
their feast of the hunters moon, called
Thanksgivin'. Some of the young
braves had min ter go, but every time
they laid plans the Oldest squaw in the
tribe would sneap and put stop ter
their goin'. She was most savager-
Gus old varmint, called POngwassy, and
she ruled them all, old and young.
They were all afraid of her, and be-
lieved that if she got mad at them she
would turn them all into old squaws
like herself, and that would be the end
of their great and powerful tribe.
zone night Ezekiel was roasting a
wild turkey, and the braves were squat.
ting around the fire waiting for it. Just
as twas done to turn, old Pongwassv
raised up out of the bushes where she
been skulkin', an grabbin' the turkey,
went mumbling off with it. Zekiel's
dander was up, and arter her he went,
and he snatched the bird, an showed
her out er the camp"
" Kicked her." muttered Miranda,
"tell things straight, Melvine-kicked
her."
well, well, Randy, that don't sound
very perlite ter tell ter young folks, but
| amt goin' ter contend. He hurried
! the turkey back, an she run'd squalling
/ like er wildcat off inter the woods.
Zeke found the braves all stretched
back at full length, ez if they were dead,
and all of tremble, fur fear they were
turnin' into Pongwassys. When Ne
kiel came back they were 'sprised be-
yont measure, and minded like whipped
dogs when he tole them to follow him,
for he was goin' home to stay there,
and off they all Hoped. Zeke used ter
say, when he tole the story, that the
night; it was warm huff weather, game
was plenty, an he didn't have the
rheumatiz-so's twas more fun comm
than twas goin'. On the third day"
"The fourth dayl" muttered Miranda
AS they were crossin' a small
stream Ezekiel, who was ahead, saw in
the soft clay, clus ter the water, a fresh
made human footprint. He had lived
with the savages so long he had larned
good many er their notions, and he
said, quick es a wink, that it was
woman's foot; that ii had some time or
ruther wore shoe-and that twas
white woman. Before one of the
others came up he set his own yreal
foot sprawling over the little footprint,
an yellin like ID soundin' pipe, he keeled
over inter the brook"
g. He was quick witted as thunder-al.
lus was" interpolated Uncle Sam, who
listened as intently to his wife's stOrii
as if he had never heard them before
ezekiel wriukled his face and begar,
doing everything he could think of H..
mimic the old squaw, Pongwassv, ar
the poor savages made themselv,
skarse for Canada like flock of dog
beset sheep-just as he had tore cail
lated they would. Soou's they were uut
of sight -hearin' he got up ar9
made search for the settler he expected.
'strue s faith, ter fud. He WASP
long gittin' on trail, an middlin'
soon came upon a little open bit of Ian Il
where corn had been raised, an und.
the shelter of a great ledge was a sor
of little soOter-rain, with bark root.
and smoke like twist of blue worsted
curling up. u Ike hid behind biz |,
tree, sly's an Injun, he didn't want ter
scare the folks ter death, nor oh
stuperfy 'em-so he begun and whisll,d
| the liveliest tune he knew, an GU; fro %
behind the rock, steppin' jest like
fawn, came er young woman, calm
soft like -
"' Friendl Friend!' and Zeke quiz
musickin' am came into sight.
"'Thee is 100 late, oflicer,' tie
woman said. My hush; nd is dead
" Zeke made her know after while
who he was an how he came to be
there, an then the poor sole-ship. who
had long yellow hair that shined like
gold, braided and hanging almost TO
her feet, told how the neighbors where
she and her husband lived prosecuted
them and called them Quakers because
they spoke with thee and a thou, as
they found it in the Scrpter. They
threatened them until they had no
peace of their lives, an at length they
started for settlement they had heard
of to the north'rd, carryin' their tools
and garding seeds, an all the things
they could. When they got so far the
man sickened, an arter "A spell he
died. The poor little wife couldn't 20
back and couldn't 90 on, so she made a
grave between two rocks and buli.d
her husband. She said he was as thin
and light as blackbrd, an for weeks
and weeks she brought stones and
filled in above his grave. Zeke never
could tell it over in all his life without
cryin' and his voice gettin' hoalse.
She said she had not been so very lone
some; for, said she, There was he and
l and God, and so many wild creeters. >"
" An she had more'n forty tame
squirrels" muttered Miranda.
"Well, well, 'Randal That's your
story" she said. AT first she was
afraid at night, but after while she
found hollow log, an ever since had
crawled into it at night an slept safe
and sound; but the fallin' leaves made
her think that winter was comm an
of Thanksgivin' an of friends that
dwelt together. ooh, yes, Thanks
givin',' said Zeke; there's where Pm
goin', an if ever | get home I'll stay
there. Pm in tarnal hurry an he