Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-12-30
THE ONEIDA COUNTESS.
True Story Of a Frenchnlan's Life
with the Indians.

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with the Indians.
In the year of the French revolution,
1899, young man of good birth, fine
education and good address, who was
glad to escape from Paris with his life,
came to this country. He was tail and
handsome, with the manners of an
aristocrat. Finding nothing to do (for
the physical labor of the docks was so
much better done by the negroes that
he could not stand the competition) he
finally gave up in despair; and while
he had money for the few implements
needed, started for the Oneida county,
where he cut few saplings and built
himself a shelter from the weather.
He endeavored to support himself by
fishing, shooting and trapp ing. but had
made little progress, when he was
stricken down with fever. His end
seemed coming. He was alone and
helpless, and, commencing himself to
the care of Heaven, he lay down to die.
On the other side of the wood near
which he had built his hut, but hidden
entirely from his view, there lay an
Indian village. One afternoon, an In
dian girl, named Nanita, out berrying,
espied the hut of the stranger, and
naturally peered into it. Hearing no
noise, and seeing no one, she finally
entered and found handsome man
lying prone, very pale and apparently
dead. Her woman's heart was touched
with pity. She saw, too, that, though
insensible, the man was still alive.
The young girl paused not to think
of his color. Her fleet feet took her
back to her wigwam, whence she re-
turned with milk, rum and a blanket
With the latter she covered him, and,
pouring a little rum down his throat,
she pillowed his head upon her lap
and sat still and watched him. Pres
emily he opened his fine eyes and gave
her dim, wandering, wondering look.
But he was faint. He saw, however,
in the large, lustrous, black, deep-set
eyes of the squaw legibly written:
Thou shalt not die forsal1en, stranger"
She signified to him as we'll as she
could that he mast sleep now, and that
she would return after awhile and see
him
In a couple of hours the Indian girl
returned to her patient with food and
| medicines for the night She found
him still very feeble, but much better;
she made him eat and gave him to
| understand by eye and pantomime
that he must sleep, and she would see
him as early as possible the next morn
| ing.
In the morning the Indian girl told
her mother about the stranger. At
first the squaw was suspicious, but she
went with her daughter to see the
stranger, when her heart warmed to
the young paleface; and, with true
womanly feeling, she busted herself
about the sick man. The women re-
moved him to their own wigwam for
better nursing.
Three weeks good nursing brought
him round, and he was man again in
all but strength. The patient endur.
ance of the count, with his quiet,
graceful manners, won the little COM
munity, and all found pang in their
hearts at the mention of his depar-
ture.
The old warrior, one morning, said:
Stranger, the time has come when
you should no longer be stranger.
You have name in your own country.
What is it?''
Arthur De Lille, they call me in my
own country"
Then, Arthur De Lille" said the
chief, ''stay with our people another
moon. Hunt with us, fish with us, &C
to our council fres smoke with us, then
go back to your own country. Or, il
you like the red mans life and will
cast your lot with us, we will adopt yor
into our tribe. You shall be my son
) you shall be hunter and a warrior
Adopt our custom and our costumes
and we will give you wife from oul
7 tribe"
Nanita explained what he did not un
derstand to De Lille, who, turning tC
the chief, said:
sit is well said 1t shall be So" ant
= offered his hand.
+ They smoked pipe together, anC
the understanding was complete.
Y Arthur De Lille rapidly grew from
4 convalescence to robust health HI
walked, wrestled and ran with tn
: young braves, his great height beinl
of much advantage to him. His educa
= ton in the school of the athletes an
= | in fencing and shooting in Paris nov
:. became of great service to him. Witt
= returning health he developed grea
8 physical power; the Indians wer'
Is proud of him, he was their equal il
e most sports, their superior in man.
1t things.
AS the time approached for his de
= cision, De Lille went to the old wal
'e rior and said:
r DE Lille wants to go into retrea
u, for three days to consider his decision
s. lie wants to be alone, to consider tn
r future, to consult the Great Spirit"
II de Lille speaks wisely. 1t shall b
i'd so No one shall speak to thee, to as
anything of thee for three days"
1t was so ordered He took his GU
This cut illustrates the Norms