The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-10-23
Goddess Of Crimps.


"Chidren are alike the world over" Is
an oft heard remark. So Is woman say l,
when it comes to longing for the beauti-
full, for what she considers personal adorn-
ment. In recalling my early married life,
away back in the sixties, spent in the
heart of an Indian country, hundreds of
miles from the nearest railroad, comicai
scene comes before my vision. My hus-
band, an army officer, took me, bride,
from comfortable, well appointed Michi-
gan home out to a tumblo down, forlorn
little one company post in the wilds of
New Mexico. Shall L ever forget the day
of my arrival after n long days ride in
q rickcty old stage through scorching sand
beds and miles of "buffalo grass" and
sagebrush, with a dry, hot wind blowing
every step of the way and fairly boiling
the very water in our cantecns?
The sun was setting when my husband
exclaimed, "There is Fort st. AnnicP' L
saw by the aid of a strong fleldgass a tat
tered "Old Glory" which the wind threat
ened to soon sever from it's long, slender
pole, and under its folds sentry on his
beat. I looked and strained my eyes for
the houses, which / saw not and said so,
whereupon Captain J. pointed to the right
and said, "There is our house" Ye Next
cansl That upheaval on the side of the
bank from which rusty, cracked stove
pipe peepedP That tour house?'
But I was bride then, and many happy
days We're spent in the "dugout house,
and l was not at all idle, though my house
hold duties were light in that humble
abode, consisting of one room or an apol-
otry for two, for l partitioned 1t off with
% large gray government blanket, behind
which was the bedchamber. | cut small
! hulo unbcknown in the blanket by the
| bed, through which often peeped into the
| drawing room at the late callers and If on
| sufficiently intimate terms carried on con-
| versation at my end of tho line reclining
in state, CHANGING from my observatory
now and then to see the effect of my re-
marks upon our callers seated there with
my good captain on the upholstered can
die boxes and the three legged stool-the
stool that l found on the prairie bedded
deep in some sand and sagebrush, relic
of some camping outfit gone to no one
knows where.
This small post was in the center Of ar
Indian reservation, and the post trader
| did a large business with the braves ana
their consorts |, being the only white
woman in that vicinity, was naturally q
never failing source of amusement and
keen interest to the squaws of the COM
munity, and my comical recollection, pre-
viously mentioned, is connected with these
wild eyed, wondering women.
In the day of the crmpng pin / was
standing before cracked hand mirror,
others having been conflscated by the In
dians who were pleased as monkeys over
them, twisting my long brown hair in and
out of the crimping pin. My maid, q
buXOm, dumpy squaw, stood gazing at
me, giving vent to an occasional grunt ard
protruding her upper lip. She also hap.
pened to see me take down my crimps
when she fairly shook with delight and
admiration and made excited gesticula-
tions, which amused me greatly, as l dis
covered she .,nted her hair done in like
manner. To braid horses mane and
have it wave nicely Is an act, but nothing
when compared to coaXing crimp into In
dian hair. An hours work saw the task
done however, and my Indian maid wait
ed in fcvcrish impatienCe for the morrow s
dawn, before which Imade her understand
those pins were not to be taken down ii
she wished her hair like mine
The morrow came at snail pace to her,
and with it Singing Bird, smiling and ex-
pectant The ecstasy of that poor, simple,
lately captured Indian squaw as one pin
after another was unfastened and the blue
black masses of wavy hair fell over her
head and shoulders was worth an artist 5
brush l admired and praised her, but not
more than she did herself. No court beauty
was ever more bewitched by herself than
she. Crimps or no crimps, the breakfast
had to be prepared but no other labor
would Singing Bird do that morning not
until she had gone to the Indian camp
and sutler store and shown herself. What
was the verdict of her lady friendsY They
all, each and every dusky, horsehaired
squaw of each and every tepee on that arid
plain, returned with my vain Bird, asking
that their hair be made cheap good" like
white squaw's and Singing Birds
l had heard of fashions spreading rapid
ly, but never like unto this, and the au-
thor of it tool Horrors, those 80 or more
heads to pull and twist | saw no way
out of the appalling dilemma, and calling
the source of all my trouble / sent her to
the post traders with note begging him
to send me post haste all the hairpins he
had in stock The labor was great, and
the heads were many, but Singing Bird
soon acquired the art and was of great as
sistance, as she put up nearly ms many
heads rs l, and such n lot of frizzly heads
as there We're in that agency the next day
for many days, in fact No matter what
their dcprivations might be- their heads
were wavy IL matterod little if the moe
casins of their lords and masters were
worn out and beads dropping off for want
Of diligent wifely attention, that wife,
hair went in pins every night
l shall ever remain ms being set apart
the goddess of crimps In the minds of tho
squaws of that section, but l fear mo am
remembered as Il teacher of evil ways by
| hannS inf thnSp n