Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-07-29
SNIDER.

Snider was a baddish sort Of boy
aged twelve, whose home was on the
very bank of the Mississippi-so near
to the water that when his active
imagination or conscience would not
lot him sleep he had been known to
get out of bed in the dead watches Of
the night and plunge into it as a
diversion and solace. He had the
mighty river as playmate and al.
most worshiped it, without being
aware that he did so; for the Mis-
sissippi is wonderful thing both by
night and by day to those who
achieve familiarity with it, and Sni-
der was a nature worshiper within
reasonable limits-the limits of a
savage or boy of twelve.
Snider's playmates were boys and
girls of two races, the red and the
white, and he expressed 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 is hard to get along
harmoniously all day with the little
white boys who are permitted to play
on that day. The red people, great
and small, looked on Snider as sort
of phenomenon, and everybody
knows it is very soothing to the
nerves of all ages and sexes to be
treated deferentially. To have
harmed hair Of Snider's 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 is pizen,"
and did not approve his sons famili-
arity with the aborigines, but this
did not seriously interfere with tho
boys plans, for it was not regarded
as strictly necessary that he should
consult his parents as to his goings
in and comings out of the woods.
Snider and his Indian playmates
had in their intercourse constructed
q blend" of English and Algonquin
that was unintelligible to other NOR
tails than themselves, and frequently
they used it to express sentiments re-
garding their progenitors that would
have made things pretty stormy for
them had their elders, into whose
teeth they hurled it, known what
was said.
Snider's best friend and STEADY
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
ters that would look very discour.
aging to civilized people. Red Leafs
mother had no warrior she could call
her own, and this detracted from her
popularity with the tribe, for its
male members were expected to di
vide the produce of the chase with
her, and gratitude was not her
strongest characteristic. Her hus-
bands scalp was blowing about like
a dry rag in some Sioux warriors
tepee, he having been killed in battle
seven OF eight years before Snider
formed the acquaintance of his
daughter The lady's name might
have been rendered Allxali in Eng
lish, although it is quite likely she
had adopted or been given this bitter
title at a later date than her MAJ.
riage,
Alkali always greeted with q
friendly "How how" the coming of
Snider, for his pockets usually con
tanned something edible from his
home larder, and exc a tIife of to-
bacco from his fathers hoard 1t is
not improbable that Snider was in
measure responsible for the annual
and protracted visit of this particu-
lar band of Indians to the neighbor
hood. for in addition to adding a
trifie TO the comforts of the com
pany he had, on occasion, been So
duced into securing whisky for them,
though at the earnest solicitation of
Red Leaf he had many times declined
this sinful act of accommodation.
ut is not good to live" she said,
when the warriors have taken the
devils water"
But Snider had other sources of
than the congenial so.
riety of the Indian maiden. One of
these was the casting of stones at
wayfarers from ambush. 1t chanced
one day that he cast a stone into a
passing immigrants covered wagon
and struck a babe on the head, max
ing cruel wound, and it Glanced
that the child's father succeeded in
Snider from his conceal
ment in the high grass and dragging
him to the wagon, first To show the
he had done. and next to
,winge him soundly. But when Sni-
ier had seen the wound ho was so
lbject, 50 remorseful, SO anxious 10