Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-05-20

song is being sung, tune "Red,
White and Blue"
"Oklahoma, the gem OF the nation,
Dear land OF the blue western sky;
when wrapped in the grand dcsolation,
The words that thy acres were free.
Brought the slnew and nerve OF the nation
In crowds 10 thy sheltering lea,
OF thou bountiful riches thou gavest
To thy sons aud the world near and far.
But those count the truest and bravest.
who honor thy temperance star"
When we came to Cross, near
the end Of our journey by rail, and
made famous through an article in
the Youths Companion as being
the cemetery Of Ponoa City one
mile away, we looked out of the
car windows and saw no sign Of
graveyard but a deserted saloon
leaning over ready to fall and the
huge glass painted on it filled with
liquor would have been emptied of
its contents had it been real. Ire.
marked "if this is what they bury
out here isn't it glorious? II is the
first graveyard that ever made me
laugh" D."
Ponca is a beautiful city about
the size of Vinita with a magnif-
cent public school building ofstone,
and if it and Cross should unite
and get on friendly terms they
would make a great town.
The first place Of interest visited
after we arrived at my brothers.
was to see the prairie dogs in their
native home, which was very ro-
mantle, and to make it more "wild
west. like" large jack rabbit ran
within a few feet of us. We found
later that they are no rare sight,
for they play about like kittens.
Boy John said "they wouldn't cut
around like that if the Crockett
boys and their grey hounds were
out here awhile" [ must spoil
the picture by telling it was in the
pasture only a few hundred yards
from the house with the lazy cattle
brousing around looking at us won
deringly.
And now more about the Tenn
perance Star. | find that it is hon
ored out here in spite of few sa-
looms.
The next day after we arrived
was Sunday and quarterly meeting
and, of course communion services.
| being a stranger, and not anx-
ious to break the pledge, asked the
minister in very low tone of
voice that might disturb no one,
if the wine were unfermented; he
answered so all the congregation
could hear him, Eyes ma'am" and
that he would use no other kind,
and never did but one time and if
any other kind were brought to
him again he would throw il out
Of the window. The name of this
level-headed minister deserves
mention; it is Rev. e. C. Harper,
Of the NJ. e. church, pastor of
Ponca City and also pastor of this
neighborhood, called Excelsior.
/ cannot complete this article
without paying a tribute to the
frogs or toads as they call them
here. Unlike the frogs Of Pha-
raoh's time, they came as delivers
last year. When the chinch bugs
were deyouring the crops, they
came to the rescue aud ate them
as fast as they came. heard one
farmer say they did not come to
his farm and he sent out teams one
evening and gathered up seventeen
hundred and set them in rows
where the chinch bugs were com
ing and they saved his crop. We
were so interested in their story we
drove down among them and lis
tened to the "frog chorus, "for they
have hours Of song; it was simply
deafening. Hundreds Of them
turned their heads 10 look at ui
with their large innocent eyes and
kept on singing, making their mu
sic with large blubber-like trans
parent lining it throws out Of il
mouth, looking for all the world
like they held glass balls in theil
mouths, from the size Of a marbl,
TO goose egg.
One brothers. claim Is on the olC
Captain Payne townsite, wher.
twice II has been laid off N lott