The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-08-22
BABY'S MOCCASINS.

What are moccaelne! VI course, YOU
don't know. Moccasins are shoes such
as Indians wear. They are made of soft
leather, 30 that they are not stiff like
our shoes, NOR are they so heavy. No
pegs are used to put them together;
they are sewed with bone needle and
thread also made Of strips OF leather.
Usually only one piece of leather is used
for each moccasin. By pounding it and
stretching it over stone while it is wet,
with two cuts in it, one at the heel and
the other at the top, good Indian work.
man can give it the proper shape for the
foot. A few moccasins are made with
the fur inside for warmth. but ordinar-
| lily the fur is removed. Many Of them
are painted or adorned with beads or
pieces of colored bone. The moccasins
about which I am going to tell you
were very small, only about four inches
long, There were made to measure, too.
and made in one day.
Away back near the year 1745 wo-
man was getting dinner one day. Her
kitchen was a room in log cabin, and
it was also the dining-room. parlor. and
even bedroom sometimes. She had no
stove. All her cooking was done in the
fireplace. A pot hung on the crane;
piece OF bears meat was ready for the
spit. OF course, when she baked wheat
bread she used the clay oven outside,
but the corn bread was baked in the hot
ashes of the fire place in the kitchen.
This autumn day she was hurrying to
have dinner ready for her husband when
he should come in from the field where
he was husking corn. While she
worked, her baby boy was rolling over
the floor, kicking his chubby bare legs
and feet about, shaking his dumping
fists at the rafters and watching
chicken near the door, beyond which he
could see the stump-dotted clearing and
the tinted forest. Shortly before dinner
shadow darkened the door. The baby
laughed at an Indian who stepped
quietly in, with grunt which meant
good morning. He was friend y In
dian to whom the baby's father had
once done a kindness, and so Wakenah
THAT was his name) came often to the
cabin about dinner time. Soon the ia.
Their came in with hearty backwoods
greeting for the dusky friend who
shared their dinner.
After the father had gone back to his
corn-huskipg Wakenab sat on the chest
by the door watching the baby on the
floor. Before long he took the boy in
his arms, held up his tiny bare feet be
fore his mother and said, mo moceasir,
baby?"
NO" said the mother "baby has no
moccaeins."
Hing" grunted Wakenah, "me make
moccasin baby"
He strobe out of the door with the
baby under his arm, carrying him as il
he we're a bundle, the baby chuckling
and laughing. The mother was too
much occupied with her work to under
stand what Wakenah was doing. She
noticed by the shadows on the floor that
it was only little after twelve o'clock
when the Indian carried her baby away
Three O'clock came quickly to the busy
woman, and when she went to look for
them in the yard neither baby nor In.
dian was to be seen. She called but
there was no answer. and then she ran
to the field to tell her husband that the
savage had run off with their only child.
The father hardly knew what to do. |
wonder what your father would do in
such case. Would he do as the baby's
father decided to do? That was-what?
Well, nothing; yes. indeed. OF course
the mother thought he ought to go after
the baby and bring him home. But the
father said that Wakenah must be
trusted. II they believed in him, he
would still be their friend. He would
bring the baby back soon. If he had
not come back by evening, the father
5dlu Ao WOuiet ~ w w uhOAdA hut dhSt
get the baby. He would not let the mo-
Their go either. So they waited. Give
o'clock" said the shadow on the floor. but
no baby came. But about half past five
Wakenah came through the woods and
across the clearing, carrying very tired
and very dirty baby in his arms. On
the little feet were two little moccasins.
with fringes around them and figures of
beads all over them. OF course they
thanked Wakenah for his kindness. but
the mother hardly thought pair of
moccasins paid for her anxiety. Yet once
long after that. when the baby had be-
come young man, one of those mecca
casins saved his life. He had been cap
tured by party of Indians who were
going to kill him, but he had one of his
baby shoes with him and showed it to
the Indians, who did not know him.
But Wakenah was among the Indians,
and he remem bered the dinners of bears
meat and beans and the white mans
faith in him. and he sent home the cap
tive with his moccasin. The young man
kept those moccasins for many years,
and gave them to his son; but they were
burned up in the fire that destroyed the
stone house which had been built near
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