The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-11-29
WALKING PRAIRIE.
Thanksgiving story of Early Life I'm
Kansas.

A damp northwest wind presaging
the advent of a blizzard was shrieking
dismally over the prairies. Clouds of
fine drifted sand fell pattering against
the sides of the weatherboarded house.
There was no mistaking the sound. BY
nightfall, IL not sooner, Mrs. Hnsk-
ms knew terrible snow storm would
set in.
"Call pap to dinner, SIS" she said,
turning to her ten-year-old daughter.
HE mus be hungry, an I'm purity late
today"
The little girl took down the buffalo
horn from its peg beside the stove, and,
going to the door, blew one shrill, long
blast. Far off in the cornfield Farmer
Huskins and the hired man were hast
ening to load up another wagon full of
corn. Looking up from his work, Farm
er Huskins waved his arm in answer to
the little girls summons, and a few
minutes later he and the hired man
tramped noisily into the little room that
did duty for kitchen and sitring-room
and bedroom combined. A smoking plat
boiled potatoes steaming were on the
table.
"Gi' me some coffee now, mother"
he said, as he sat down. There's a
lot more to do this afternoon, an a
blizzard is comm, sure. We mus fix
up ther pump an haul two or three
ricksfull o. straw agin Their barn yit.
l noticed Their sides war rather thin
when / fed the horses, an they mus
be made conf table s'fur's possible.
It's goin' to be whopper, er all signs
fail"
Its all ready" said Mrs. Huskins.
The meal was begun silently. Farmer
Huskins had been eating a few min
utes, when suddenly he looked up at
his wife across the table.
"Saw Ragland awhile ago as he was
drivin'. home from town." he said
HE tells me huntin' party hes jes
got back from Their range. Seems that
| they came aerost Injun camp while
| huntin', an there was a young white
man bout twenty or thereaboutS in
| ther camp who used to live right here
| Ragland says he thinks he knows i'm
by the description they gave. Now
| don't get excited, mother
Farmer HuskinS stopped abruptly
| for his wife had all at once turned tc
deathly pallor. What was that chok
| ing sensation which had in moment
| gripped her throatP She pressed hel
hand against her forehead.
did he la'rn that boys name?" she
tremblingly inquired.
"Yeh, the boy told them hunters his
/ name war Walkin' Prairie, but o. course
that's only his Injun name, an it pears
like they couldn't get nuthin' else out
4 en- him."
"Jacob, that's our Jim, it's our boy
i Jim"
'WalI, 1 got kinder suspicion tina
away myself, but then, how dyer ac
count for that Medicine Lodge lettel
we got from i'm sayin' he war goin
with a herd o. cattle to Nebrasky
Ragland says that them hunters CLAIM
that this Walkin' Prairie is might!
peart-looking young Teller, with curl.
hair, an all that, am he didn't max
| no bones as to his havin' lived here II
Kansas, but how in Sam Hill did b
ever come to be InjunW
Mrs. Huskins did not answer, and tn
rest of the meal was finished in silence
Farmer Huskins did not refer again T.
the subject. AS he walked out afte
the dinner he turned around and said
/ 81 reckon we better keep up a goot
fire tonight, fur / feel we're goin' t
hev a regular socdologer Of blow
I'll get you O load o. cobs. we've go
| at1ImnS enough here. loOkO m0tiOnin