The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-04


tunity seemed to offer. and we took our
places ut the table. Now. clergymen were
rare visitors in those regions at that day,
and We had become lamentabiy thoughtless
as regarded many of the religious obssrv-
ances of civilization. No sooner had we
seated ourselves than the dread
ful consciousness came over me
that my husband was entirely OBJ
hvious of the fact that when a minister
of the gospel was present grace was q custom
airy preliminary TO a meal. He prepared to
carve the substantial roast of venison, and
there was no lull in the conversation of the
gentlemen. In vain / fixed my gaze upon
his face and strove to send him mental
telegram. In desperation thrust my foot
across, seeking his beneath the table, hoping
in this way to give him an intimation OF
what should be done. But, alas! when did
succeed in touching him, he. with that de-
PRAYED obtuseness seen only in man, looked
up with cheerful pardon me- as though
he had trespassed beyond his boundaries
beneath the table.
The poor young clergyman had given one
| or two aloud "ahems" in vain, and now in
despair rose from his seat, and, with arms
extended over the table, loudly invoked a
| blessing upon our feast Despalring of eny
other. chance, l suppose, he dextrously in
| terwove petition I the conversion of the
| grim old savage before him, making In all a
eyes had been fixed eagerly on the venison,
wandering only to the motions Of the carv-
| ing knife in the hands of my husband, who
| finding his hospitable efforts suddenly sus-
| pended by the unexpected prayer, sat with
the carving implements in his hands gazing
helpleSsly at me with an air Of mild re-
proach as it to say, why didn't you warn
! meP
The old warrior evidently regarded this
| devout exercise as some sort Of incarnation
| by a medicine man of the pale faces, de-
signed to affect food, for as our minister in
| his eagerness to offer u suitable petition,
wildly waved his hands over the various
dishes Sitting Bull gla iced suspiciously
| from one sample of food to another, then TO
| the faces of the white mon, and finally sank
| sullenly back into the unaccustomed chair.
| When at length his plate was filed and
sent round to him he glowered over it, NUT
| tered and granted, but made no attempt to
| eat. In distress beckoned to the half breed
| who served as interpreter and who hung
about the tent awaiting his turn to eat.
After series of grunts exchanged with the
savage the af- reed informed US, "Great
chief say white medicine man put bad spirit
in meat and potatoes. If chief eat maybe
he he weak and never travel to see the Great
Father"
A long explanation ensued, and at last
| our grim guest fell upon mis- long-delayed
dinner with fierce ap elite. regret TO say,
however, that in the training of his child
| hood table manners must have boon sadly
neglected. The only possible use he could
| see for a fork was to reach forth with his
| m hands and spear various articles of
food which appeal ID to his desire.
At the close Of the meal the persevering
little minister was on the watch for on
portunity, and, as we were now better pre-
pared, a decent silence ensue1, and we
| bowed our heads with due reverence for the
return of thanks. The poor man opened
his mouth and had uttered but a word or
two in adjuration when Sitting Bull rose
and with one stride reached hi n, placed his
hand over the parsons mouth, and with an
| emphatic mo, no; once enough; no more
call down the Great Spirit to crush the
chief, " he marched out.
For the remainder of the day he strutted
| about the camp with he most absolute self
satisfaction. his confidence and pleasure in
| the loneliness OF his new attire being I'M
bounded. Furthermore. upon strolling into
my tent and peering about at the various
| unknown articles he espied a small hand
mirror. Now, Sitting Bull, equipped as he
| was that day, squatted on the floor, survey
ing himself in the little miro is about as
different an object from the Sitting Bull Of
| the record of the war department as it is
possible to conceive, but the one is as much
of reality as the other.
Nothing could induce him to return the
glass. He deposited it somewhere beneath
his vestments and went out, but justice
compels me to state that he returned to the
tent with the tall war plume worn when
a rayed for battle, and plucking one heavy
quill from it, bestowed it as q eat treasure
upon my little girl. 1t was white, ap-
parently from the wing of some huge wild
bird, but its tip was stained with crimson,
and he haughtily explained it was the blood
of "Wah-ton-set, chief f the Arickarees. "
l saw him at Bismarck long after the cpl
sode, the center of group of eastern Curl
osity hunters, where he was driving a
thriving business disposing Of his auto
| graphs at rs cents apiece. Regard for my
sex should, suppose. induce me to refrain
from recording the fact, but it is true that
l saw New York belle in the Gro I'D around
him who, not content with the autograph,
aspired to bear away some more novel me-
mento. and. minclng up to him, whispered
something in his ear The old chief grinned
and shook his head, then something heavy
passed from her hand to his, and with an
other grin to the crowd the grimy, dirty,
smoke-scented old heather bent his head
| down and kissed her.