Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-05-14
GRANDMA'S INDIAN.


How Two little Girls Were Badly Scared
by Terrible War WhoOp.
You see, my dears, when / was
child l said mother not mamma as
You do That sounds old-fashioned to
you, but to me it sounds very sweet.
NV mother was the dear grandmamma
whom you can hardly remember; she
would be eighty-three years old to-
day"
Mrs Ashley gave little sigh. Alice
and Charlie kept quite still ont of sym
| pathy, though they were eager to have
her go on.
! II don't think either of you ever saw
AN Indian, but you have heard about
the Indian troubles during the past
months / suppose they have recalled
things mother used to tell me about her
own childhood.
Indians were plenty here then.
When she was little girl like you,
Alice, she went to what they called a
district school 1t seems odd enough
now, but there was no janitresS to take
care of the school-room, and the sweep
ing was done by the schoolgirls. Every
teacher to stay after school and sweep.
They enjoyed it because they made a
frolic out of the work, and it was no
unusual thing for two of them to ask:
"'Please, sir may we stay tonight
and sweep the schoolroom?'
''On this day, the duty fell to my
mother and her best friend. Little girls
had best friends then, as they do
now
Mrs. Ashley pinched Alice's ear bit;
Alice laughed and they both thought
about Hattie Brown, who was Alice's
"best friend
''The girls were doing their task as
fast as their fun would let them, but it
! took some time to sweep around the
!, legs of those old benches and desks.
Mother stepped into the entry to get
1.-THE dust-pan from behind the door,
when she looked out and saw an Indian
boy pass, with two brooms on his
shoulder. They often made brooms to
sell in those days. Mother was fear
less, and | don't sdppose she thought
he would hear her; at any rate she
called out:
Pretty little Indian! Got two
broomsr
with that'she went back to gather
up the dirt, and was holding the dust
pan for the other girl to brush it on,
when she heard right in her ear, the
most unearthly yell. 1t was no more
nor less than the regular Indian war
whOop!
"There stood the Indian boy close by
her side, a mOcking look on his face,
his eyes dancing with fun to think he
had paid her off for her careless speech;
an instant, then he ran off like deer.
"Mother said they were both so
frightened they hurried home as fast as
they could, and they didn't ask the
privilege again to stay and sweep the
I, school-house. >"
| Maybe I'll be a soldier and go fight
I the Indians when I'm man." said
,Charlie, valiantly "What if I'd meet
that very fellow who frightened grand
rna! I'd settle him. he added, with a
delightful disregard of chronology.
Mamma laughed but She shuddered
too.
Il trust the Indian troubles will be
settled and the fighting over, before my
boy is a man, though hope he will be
ready to do any service which his coun-
try has a right to claim. :
Mother used to tell me great many
stories about when she was a girl, >
Mrs. Ashley continued, land this one
never tired of, though | dare say
heard it fifty times over. could just
see that Indian boy with his brooms,
and could hear that awful yell, mother
made it so vivid.
II fancy l was like most children; /
enjoyed a danger which wasn't a dan
ger any more, and liked to thrill and
tremble over it. 1t was delicious to
know that after all it was for me a
make-believe Indian and make believe
veil Little Men and Women.