The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-08-05
SNYDER.

Snider was a baddish sort Of boy
ased twelve. whose home was on the
very bank Of the Mississippi so near
10 the water that when his active
imagination or conscience would not
let him sleep he had been known 10
get out Of bed IN the dead watches Of
the night and plunge into il as
diversion and solace. He had tho
mighty river as playmate and al
most worshiped it. without being
aware that he did 80: for the Mis-
sissippi Is wonderful thing both by
NIGHT and By day u those who
achieve familiarity with il. and Sni-
der was nature wUrshiper within
reasonable limits the limits Of
savage or boy Of twelve.
Sniders play,nates We're boys and
girls Of two races. the red and the
white. and he expressed a slight pref
erence for the white on week days
and the red on the Sabbath. for, be-
ing a baddish boy. he played all day
Sunday. and it i hard TO get along
harmoniously all day with the little
white boys who are permitted 10 play
on that day. The red people. great
and small. looked On Snider as sort
Of phenomenon. and everybody
knows il is very soothing TO the
nerves Of all ages and sexes 70 he
treated deferentially. To have
harmed a hair Of Sniders head would.
in the opinion Of the band Of Chippe-
was. where he passed current. have
been the worst kind Of bad medi-
cine"
Snider's sire held the orthodox
Western view that 'Injuns l. pizen.
and did not approve his sons farnili-
arity with the abo,igines, hut this
did not seriously interfere with the
boys plans. for il was rot regarded
a. strictly necessary that he should
consult his parents as to his goings
10 and comings out OF the woods.
Snider and his Indian playmates
had il their intercourse constructed
q blend Of English and Algonquin
that was unintellgible to other NOR
tails than themselves. and frequently
they used II to express sentiments re-
gariing their prozenitors that would
have made things pretty stormy for
them had their elders, into whose
teeth they hurled it, known what
was said
Snlder's best friend and steady
company was an Indian maiden Of
ten. whose name in English would
be freely translated Red Leaf. but
which in her native tongue could be
spelled only By a combination Of let
tiers thar would look yerr discour-
aging to civilized neople. Red Leafs
mother had no warrior she could call
her own. and this detracted from her
popularity with the trile. for its
male members were expected 10 d.
vide the produce Of the chase with
her. and gratitude was not her
strongest characteristic. Her hus-
bands scalp was blowing about like
q dry rag in some Sioux warriors
tepee. he having been killed In battle
seven or eight years before Snider
formed the acquaintance OF bis
daughter. The ladv's name might
have been rendered Alkali in Eng
lish. although il Is quite likely she
had adouted Or been given this bitter
title at q later date than her mar.
riare
Alkali always greeted with n
friendly How how" the coming Of
Snider. for biz rockets usually con.
tanned something edible from bis
home lartler. ana exc 4 tr;fie az 70.
bacco from his fathers hoard II L
not improbable that Snider was III .
measure responsible for the annual
and prctracted visit 81 this particn
lar band of Indians TO the neichbor
hood for ~ addition ~ ADDING 4
trifie 10 the comforts az the corr
pany hc had. On occasion. been y