The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-12
IA son OF KIT CARSON.
HOME AND FAMILY OF A DESCENDANT
OF THE FAMOUS SCOUT.

Their Dark Isrowctl Offspring.
When old Kit Carson died. full Of
years and Indian fights, he loft son.
who, resting oontont with the nane
which his father had Won, betook him
self far from tho strife Of this world and
built him a homo under tho suns Of
southern California Far up in ono of
tho canyons of Santa Monica he cut
down fow sturdy cedars md built his
shelter. Then he covered 1t with the
mud which no dug from tho bed of the
mountain torrcnt flowing noisily at the
| bottom OF tho canyon His house was ON
the hillside overlooking tho stream and
was shaded by n hugo 1.-Two oak, which
spcad its branches this way and that for
his half Indian children to sit and
! swing upon.
This was tho homo of Sam Carson.
| and just before no built his adobe Inc
had taken to wife u connolly Indian w-om-
an whose tribo for centuries had lived
in tho foothills of tho Sierras Santa
Monica. whence they could look ont
upon the blue Pacific, with Santa Gaia
lima rising, blue hump in the ocean
80 miles away.
n wanderor up tho canyon groom un-
der the warm February sun found Nine.
Carson sitting placidly on stump In
an onion field, mcnding her lords leans.
She WAS Indian, and Indianlike was
wrinklcd and Worn and bent though
her eyes were still bright and sparkling.
She looked at least 60 years old as she
sat there, CHANGING cannily ut me and
then pointing out the ravngcs which
storm and fro had made in past years.
She put her sewing down on her knoo
and i'll broken English, mixed with Mex
icim Spanish and frequent expressive
little grunts, she told mo all their trom
blcs of tho past.
Tho old Indian woman suddenly
turned to watch three littlc dark browcd
children that were chasing one another
along tho hills crest, their chubby
bodies silhouetted against tho blue sky
beyond.
"AIine-all minc." sho said proudly.
"Sam's and mine. l have had seven
children, four grown, three little Seer"
and she pointed her wrinklcd finger ut
tho youngsters now rolling glecfullv
down the hillside
'T'rantulas, chil'rcnr' she screamed.
rantqlas like tho warm earth on the
sunny hills and como out and sting
sometimes little chill 'ren dead, ;" she cx-
planned, and then she started sewing
again, leaving tho youngsters and the
tarantulas to their own devices
'How-how old are you?" tho visitor
venturcd.
The old woman dug thoughtfully into
the dirt with one Of her brown toes.
Then she druw it back hastily beneath
her skirt and looked Over at the noun
tnins. Maybe 49, she said, with
sudden smile
"Oh, nd, not so much rs that
She thought again for long time,
watching the Pacific cleaning In the
sunlight. "Well, maybe 80 then, and
she smiled contentedly.
The ocean breeze blow up tho canyon,
bringing with it the faint roar of the
breakers Occasionally one could hear
the crack of u rifle, at which the old
Indian woman never failed to glance up
quickly. Her sewing was almost done
when Sam Carson, her husband, walked
out of the thicllets up the canyon and
stalkcd lazily across the field, gun in
hand and a small yellow dog at his
heels. The wife arose quickly and Sam
Sat down on the smooth stump He was
us brown as his Indian wife, his hair
was gray, and his hoard was grizzlcd
Hc spoke III a low toned deliberate fash
ion, as most people do who live long
under q scmitropio sun
DO you SEQ that little crrT' hc said.
'That darncd little dog hcs just killcda
wildcat - and tho son of thc old scOut
wiped his brow and prepared to tell the
rest of his story. He had reputation
for thrilling and impossible tales.
''Mc and Bnldy-1 named him after
the old mountain over thcrc-Iuc and
Badly, wo was a-slyin through the IN
dcrbrush. l thought I'd shoot Some
gophcrs just for luck We'll, sir, was
standin In front Of big live oak, way
up tho canyon there where it gets narrcr.
ALI of suddin heard whrrin noise
III the air. looked up, and bless me
If there wasn't big wildcat flying ri ght
down on me. l gave one jump, but
expected the cat would have me the next
lick. Oh, sho was big I'm, I'm tellin
you
But Badly was there He just sailed
into that cat My. how Badly did shake
her." and Sam carcssingly shicd
lump of dirt at the diminutivc ours
nose. 1t would have been an uupardon-
able insult to suggest that any Vi, lc.t
would hrvo made two mouthfuls Of little
Badly.
did Badly kill hor?''
Gas dead rs snail" said Sam.
well, where is the skin of tho cat