The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-11-06
CHAPTER ID.

"Capfain ROl:o Il is n question / Tciu
"a dHSlnCr."
The northwest winds that had finally
banked up the southern clouds and
equeezed down a dismal driZzle the
night Of Miss Guthrie's departure now
veered and whisked away the moist and
rlashing veil. and the afternoon sun
shine of the dav that followed streamed
across the broad mesa IN flood OF CRATE
full warmth and radiance. The colonel
ordered ont the entire command - the
inter CONSERVATION Of Miss Ninlfred
Rerrien ana the supreme disgust Of some
half a dozen junior officers, who, conut-
inc on the weather indications at nine
4. m. had eagerly accepted Mfs. Ber-
rien's suggestion that they spend Their
rainy afternoon at the majors hosplta-
ble quarters. by wav Of making it pleas
ant for two Young da,nsels from town
and three or four from the fort itself,
all Of whom were supposed 70 be deeply
interested and engaged in the embroidery
of certain altar cloths. lecturn and Pui-
gqit adornments. with which TO rejoice
the ewes Of their amiable chaplain ~
Christlnastide Here il was well along
IN November. and beyond a vast amount
Of chatter and conjecture over the pros
pective pleasure Of the reverend dominic.
nothing had been done.
True. the colonel had astonished every
body by ordering out the eiitiTe regi-
ment. al least the eight companies there
Of present at the post, to parade for in
spection and review, equipped for field
service. at nine-thirIy that morning. and
only reluctantly recalled the order whe-I
the pe-si5tent FLASHING Of tie ram
warned him that it would take day or
two Of sunshine to dry out the clothing
and equipments subjected 10 such
downpour. And then if anything should
happan and they should be suddenly
called upon to bundle everything right
into the waiting train But. pshaw.
the thing wasn't possible; the idea could
not be entertained OF course matters
were looking squally, very squally. up
there in the Dakotas, and everybody
from Missouri to the mountains and
slorth Of the Platte was already ont in
the field, and in little detachments from
the scattered posts even far away ii
Montana. even far in southern WyOm
Ing. the soldiery We're coRYerging to-
ward those swarming agencies where
thousands OF truculent warriors Of the
great Dakota nation were drawing IA
1ions for every man, woman. child and
pap9sO0Se they possessed. Be it known
10 the reader that paternalism Is ram
pant In the land-that while peace So
cieties and Indian rights associations
and prayerful congregations away al
the Atlantic seabcaT,i are deluging the
press with diatribes upon the wrongs Of
the red man and the criminal neglect of
the nation, and declaring that
Mans inhumanity 10 10
Makes countless Indians mourn.
IN this last century Of dishonor~ Uncle
Sam las disbursed millions upon mil
lions IL the desperately hopeless task Of
filling the aboriginal stomach, and ia
striving by means of honest census to re
siuce the number OF the countless 50
pathetically referred to. Indians would
make splendid ward politicians, and how
IL is that the sachems of Tammany have
not long since possessed themselves OF
- available means Of swelling their
ranks passeth all understanding. After
the Indian had had himself, several
wives and his blooming olive branches.
.'oksheelah. wicincha,7 BOYS and girls.
ana Sacn paIpooses as his better halves
lad ~ the back (either Of home produc-
tion or borrowed for the moment from
the tepee Of Two-B.icks-in-his-Ha Hat. duly
enumerated. would he not swell the cen
sUs Of his tribe by judicious distribution
of ali his wives relations among those
tepees not already checked of: Oh. il
the truth c0Eld ever reach the ears q
1he general public what tales of Indian
saSacity might not yet be ii store for
them, What annals might not be mn
folded. Dealing with his Own. his white
children. who are nonvoters. Uncle Sam
serves Cut one ration a day to each en-
sisted soldier.
The wife and tine lads and lasses that
1umbled about the married mems guar
tiers II the queer old days Were ali 10 IL
fed from that one ration, unless, per
chance. mamma was a l1undress. Bat
s-hen dealing with the wsCnged and III
JGred red man be could not lie too mag
Eanimous. Every head counted. The
Inum5ling old belda;a. great-crand-
mother of countless thousands. braced
up from the edge Of the grave for the
occasion. The big beliied little fOur-
ycGr-olds. reyeling IN the dirt about tie
rocking shambles, the tiay hour-old
VapoOse. even many = puppy, blanket
swathed and slung squaw back, passing
for wee baby, anything he could show
as possessing spark Of Indian life was
duly credited TO the warrior lord IF the
lodge for another ration, a full one.
Cattle might and did shrink, but to the
Indian there Is more meat in a lean cow
than in the stall fed OK 20 the white. fc-
the reason that everything goes
Horns and hOofs are the only things the
Indian doesn't eat
Agents might and did cheat and steal,
but 80 did the Indian, and many a re-
Jolcing old sinner has been credited with
family OF twelve when his sole avail
able domestic assets consisted of two
squaws and three children. the papooses
having been borrowed or personated
b. bundled up doggies, the grandmother
---ts, liNas'-AN Atr~A lfsisEfNN sAAthiAA ltA
the occasion; the others pickaninnies
painted so Is 10 look entirely unlike the
grinning uTchins counted in the flock of
brother Siab-in-the-Dark. whose people
had Just been enumerated. There were
agents who lent themselves To that sort
Of thing because the more Indians they
could show as their especial wards. the
more barrels and boxes and bales were
lnvoiced TO that agency and deftly
'raked OF en- route. There was a time
when the man who wouldn't make hav
when such a sun shone was looked
upOn as an Improbable servant who
couldn't contribute to campaign funds.
What the devil do YOU suppose we had
you made agent way up at Gallatin
for:" asked an irste political boss of a
depOsed and crestfallen late incumben;
who came home superseded.
why, 1t was you and our congress
man who exposed the sfealings of nv
predecessor and had him fired. snrl
posed yen wouldn't stand that sort OF
thing. supposed you wanted me TO b.
perfectly honest"
-'Of course we did: but, damn if. vou
don't seem 10 understand; he was paving
% the other rartY."