New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-13
HE BEARS KIT CARSON'S NAME
SON OF THE FAMOUS SCOUT AT
HOME.

HUME
AN ADOBE CABIN IN THE SHADE OF A SPREADING
OAK SHELTERS HIM AND HIS INDIAN WIFE
THEIR LIFE IN a SANTA MONICA
CANON.
When old Kit Carson died, fun OF years and
Indian fights. he left son. who, resting content
with the name which his father had won. betook
himself far from the strife OF this world and built
him a home under the suns OF Southern California.
Far up in one OF the cahons of Santa Monica he cut
down few sturdy cedars and built his shelter'
Then he covered 1t with the mud which he dug
from the bed of the mountain torrent. flowing
noisiv at the bottom OF the canon. His house was
on the hillside overlooking the stream. and was
shaded by huge live-oak. which spread its
branches this way and that for his hafIndian chill
dren 10 sit and swing upon
This was the home of Sam Carson. and Just
before he built his adobe he had taken to wife
q comey Indian woman whose tribe for centuries
had lived in the foothills OF the Sicrras Santa
Monica whence they could look out upon the blue
Pacific with Santa Catalina rising a blue hump In
the ocean thirty miles away. wanderer up the
canon green under the warm February sun found
Nine. Carson sitting piacidiy on a stump IN an
onion field. mending her lords jeans. she was
Indian. and Indan-like. was wrlnkled ana worn
and bent though her eyes were stiH bright ana
sparkling. She looked at least sixty years old as
She sat there, EianClHB cdiliH9 a. ~ ""@ 49,
pointing out the ravages which storm and fire mad
made in past years.
She put her sewing down on her Knee ana IN
broken English. mixed with Mexican Spanish. and
frequent expressive little grunts. she tod me al.
their troubles Of the past When he built It Sam
had thought that his domcile was free from al
danger for the life In Southern California X dreamy
and ianguorous and there are no wild beasts roam
ing I'D and down the caEons. But dozen years
ago after he had rounded out decade In the adobe
with his wife and thriving dark-halred youngsters.
| the caiI0n rivuet turned into wide ana roaring
river The rainy season had been unusually long
| and severe and big oaks Of the mountains were
| carried down through the gorges and were swept
! past the little home. Sam saw all his precious bee
| hives which had been In narrow meadow up the
| CANON drift swiftly by the stream, which was
tearing up trees by their and hurrying them
out TO sea. The waters crept far up the hillside
and finally Tapped the walls OF the adobe. licking
away the burnt clay and stinened mud. II looked
as II the hut would crumble and sink to the ground
But the torrent subsldel quickly as 1t came.
leaving the adobe almost stout as ever. though
there was a line which showed how far the water
had arisen and honeycombed the mud.
TIE freshet also left great quantities OF drift
wood piled high on the hillside, and in the next July.
when no rain had fallen for months. It caught Are
and the flames swept herceiy up and down the
canon The big llye-oak. with It's thick green
foliage was the only thing that saved the little
house from destruction. and It's branches on III"
further side all blackened and burned by The
baze.
The old Indian woman pointed out the traces o.
these catastrophcs she spoke. and then she sud
denly turned to watch three little dark browed chill
dren that were chasing another along the hii's
crest their chubby bodies silhouetted against the
blue sky beyond.
"Mine-all mine" she said proudly-"Sam's and
mine have had seven children four Grown three
little See?" and she pointed her wrinked niger
at the youngsters now rolling gleetuily down inc
hillside. ,,.. 49,. ...., .o,.ra,,r,..
Ike the warm earth the sunny hills, and come
out and sting sometimes lltte ehll'ren dead sne
explained. and then she started sewing again. leav-
Ing the youngsteB and the tarantuas 10 their own
devices. o., ,so .,.,o. vo,,,ro,
The old woman dug thoughtfully into The dirt
with Of her brown toes hen Snd drew rev II BACK lex
mountains. Maybe forty-nine." she said with
"Ob' no. not 30 much as that"
she thought again for long time watching the
Pacific cleaning. in the sunlight, Mei. maybe
The ocean breeze blew up the canon bringing
one e' could hear the crack Of a rifle. which the
old Indian woman never failed to gance up quickly
Her sewing was almost do9e b wneh hc sam GarS3 b
canon and stalked lazily across the held gun In
wife arose quickly and Sam sat down on the smooth
stump He as brown as his Indian wife. his
SPOKE sa1j In iow-toned deliberate fashion as most
peooie who do who live long under semtropc
DO you see that little cur?' he said; That
darned little dog has just killed wildcat" and The
son Of the old scout wiped his brow and prepared
10 tell the rest OF his story. lie had reputation
for thrilling and Impossible tales.
Me and Baldy-I named him after the old
mountain over there-me and Badly, we was a
sym through the underbrush: thought ia shoot
some gophers Just for luck Well. sir. stand
In in front OF a big ve-oak. way up the canon
there where It gets narrer. All OF a suddin l
heard a whirrin' noise In the air. | looked up ana
bless me IL there wasn't a big wildcat flying right
down on me. | gave one jump but expected the
cat would have me the next lick-oh. she was big
'un. I'm teliin' you.
But Badly was there, He Just sailed into that
caresslngiy SHE'D lump OF dirt at the dlminutlye
ours nose 1t would have been objectionable insult
10 suggest that any wildcat would have made two
mouthfuls OF little Badly
Ibid Badly kill herr?
"As dead as a snail" said Sam.
well where Is the skin OF the cat anyway i
asked. -
''Baidy chewed him all up" said Sam thought
fully; "chewed him all up. 'Twasn't worth brlngin'
home" and, handing his rifle to his wife to carry,
sam walked slowly back among the onion sprouts
and disappeared with her In the little cabin under
the big oak.