Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-05-08

ELK. *
Winter Tepee.
figures III a historical novel, if they col
a chance. The squaws were busy
They were at work. but l wouldn't
give them much credit as hOuSekeeperS
One whose missionary name is Fran
ceS was engaged in some dressmaking
The dress was calico. She sat fiat on
the ground and let the dress fall over
her lap onto the ground. But it was
clean ground. so she didn't mind. She
was sewing on a founce. and when
done it would be a fancy ball dress
worth, at the least six bits, and
fit like night shirt on a flag pole.
Another SQuaW was mending moe
casin. She had a shoemakers awl
airy depended on it. They nearly all
wear moccasins. Still another one
was preparing supper She had a COT
fee pot boiling, and it smelled mighty
tempting, but we were not invited to
stay. She was preparing to bake
some kind of a substitute for bread.
They had ten or a dozen sacks of flour
lying around in the wigwam, an indi-
cation that they were not starving.
and weren't without bread in the house
lover night She was using butch
er knife about her culinary opera lions,
nd tha
the shoemaker would borrow it to
shape her moccasin patches. Thus
they economic on tools, and it didn't
hurt the cooking a bit. They do lots
Of bead work which is very beautiful,
and would like to know where they
their bead belts and moccasins. 1t is
a study to know how they came by the
geometrical figures, which are alb
solutely accurate and beautiful.
They have some old buffalo hide
trunks that are invaluable, for the
days when buffaloes are to be OBJ
tanned have passed. They make some
beautiful mating from the weeds that
grow along the river. Other mating
and baskets are made Of the inner
bark of various trees. It is a study
and wonder to observe their skill in
many lines Of handy work.
A little papoose about as big as
/ a minute was sitting in the doorway,
busy trying to get some substance of
prune seed that was already picked
clean. He got prune juice and Iowa
River bottom real estate mixed and
spread over his face till it looked like
a weather map showing the isothermal
lines They did not seem to notice
the kid who was trying to get full of
prunes but when we called their at
tention to the little fellow, his mother
picked him up and wiped his face on
the bed clothes. He looked much sur
prised at the unusual proceeding. but
grinned and seemed to have as good q
time as ii he had been the scion of the
proudest Sons of the Revolution
There have been many efforts made
to Christianize the Musquakies, and
all with the same result. Every effort
ended in failure. fiat and uncompro.
missing. They are well satisfied as
they are now. The Presbyterians
maintained for years a mission on
the edge of the reservation. For
twenty years they spent money and
time there. trying to lead the Indian
in the ways of the Bible. with no
result, whatever. Cynics say it was
the fault of the missionaries who
came there and spent the money and
had a good time, allowing the Indians
to hustle for themselves I do not
think that is quite fair statement,
but about the result of their labor
there can be but one conclusion. One
may doubt the truth of the statement
of the announcement that there shall
that case there has been no harvest
reaped yet.
The sum total of the Presbyterian
missionary work at the reservation
amounts to the teaching, after fash
ion, Of one girl whom they called
Frances. She was the dressmaker, and
she has fallen from grace, 1 much fear.
for she had not washed her face nor
her ears for a fortnight, and didn't
seem to be thinking of attending to
that little duty anyways soon. She
was barefoot like the rest, and her
sunburnt feet looked like a good-sized
Jersey spring shoat. Frances could
talk q little English, but she talked in
short, jerky sentences. She Informed
us that the was going to the ghost
dance, over at McIntosh's, that night
which is the best evidence that she
does not take much stock in the Story
Of the Cross.
The government has a school Al
Toledo. A few of the children go K
school. l saw several who wore the
uniform peculiar to the government