The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-12-20

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turned to her compounds Of fragrant
odors.
Slowly the afternoon wore away; the
pies and cakes and cookies disappeared
from the table and were replaced by
pans OF crisp doughnuts and heavy
spherical loaves of brown bread, with
raised lines encircling them; with plat
tiers Of juicy meats, Drowned to the
critical point of perfection, and thanked
with dishes of yellow pumpkin and
white turnip and scarlet cranberry. AS
the table became crowded these in turn
were taken to the storeroo1n to wait
the coming of the great day" And
still the tired and flushed mistress OF
the kitchen went on with her mixing
and tasting and baking.
The low, sullen line of clouds became
more menacing and crept on until they
had masked the entire sky. The wind
grew strong and was soon filled with
fine particles of swlrling snow, but
Mrs. Barten needed not; time was too
precious. - .r
cts growing dark" she grumbled,
as she slid more pans into the oven;
''days are peslxy short this time O. year"
1t was only when a fierce gust OF
wind hurled a cloud of snow against
the window that she looked up.
''For the lands sake!" she exclaimed.
otis showing m III lay a dollar them
drafted children's out in it."
Hurrying to the door she called shril-
ly: .-.. - ....s.... ..
Bob! Liza! March your boots in
here quicker'n lightning!''
Receiving no reply she muttered
angrily: .
I. "Upstairs rumagin', most likely.
Seems with all my work they might
quit their didoes for awhile"
But when a sharp call up the stairs
7 failed to elicit response she began to
look anxious. Throwing a shawl over
her head she went out into the yard.
The snow was now whirling past in
binding sheets, and the keen wind cut
one like knife. Already white drifts
were forming in the fence corners and
sheltered places. Objects a dozen yards
away were becoming indistinct.
A thorough search Of the yard failed to
show any trace of the children and she
returned to the house to decide on her
next move. She could not determine
the direction the childish feet had taken
and once out of sight of the house she
knew there was little probability of
their finding their way back by them.
selves. There was no danger of their
being lost unless they wandered away
from the village, but Liza had scarcely
recovered from the measles and Mrs.
Barten had all the mothers horror of
wet feet and colds.
A smell of burning bread drew her
attention to the stove. When she re-
turned to the door she saw a bent figure
coming up the path. A moment later
and the old woman stood before her,
but now the ragged shawl was closely
wrapped around one child, while
another chung to her skirts, sobbing
bitterly. The strangers face was full
of wistful tenderness, but Mrs. Bar
ten did not see it. Assured of the
children's safety, her feelings under
went quick change. Her child in the
arms of dreaded ''furriner. In a
moment she had hurried the little ones
to the fire and was removing their outer
garments. What contamination and
disease might not Turk in the ragged
shawl and draggled skirts!
The dogs eaten by these people are
quite different from the dogs of which
they, like civilized peoples, make
friends and companions. They have
square, box-lile bodies and heads, and
scarcely any tails. They seem to fat
ten as readily as pigs. A small tepee
near the family tepee is put up for the
dog family. The flesh of these dogs is
looked on as dainty, and is eaten with
ceremony, and the women bring little
tin cups to take some of it to the chill
dren ut home. For one of the weekly
dances in camp, one dog is considered
sufficient, but as many as forty are
killed for Il great feast. The odor of
the stewed dog is very unpleasant and we
had to throw open the windows, even
in severe weather, after the school
children had been RECALLED on that dish.
The Indian school at the agency was
kept by the agents pretty daughter.
She had often observed one of these
dogs that seemed to have more sagacity
than his fellows. He came every day
to school with the child who owned
him. and during the exercises he sat
beside her on the platform and joined
with the children in the games at
recess. She said to the dogs master
one day: "Your dog is very fat
Yes" was the boys answer; 1--WE will
eat him next week.
One day there was knock at our
camp schoolhouse door. One of the
children, little Amos Black-bull had
brought his dog, one of the edible vari-
ETY., as a present to us, and had tied
him to the step. OF course Amos was
thanked but his present was not ac-
ccpted. -:.~.t>..
I1he Indian children, like white chill
dren. initiate life in their play. The
girls carry their dolls on their backs,
secured by the shawl-for the smallest
maid~1ikes little shawl round her
shoulders, or thrown over her head.
When the dolly is supposed to be fret
full. the small mother shakes herself
from side to side, as she has seen her
4 l. Ill NJ.