The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-03
BOOK

Nv -
BOOK I !
AMAZING.
Chapter !.
I remember poising naked upon a rock, |
ready ITO dive into Lake George. This
memory stands at the end OF q diminish
ing vista; the extreme point of coherent
recollection. My body and muscular limbs
reflected in the water filled me with saw
age pride.
knew, as the beast knows its herd, that
my mother Marianne was hanging the pot
over the fire pit in the center Of our lodge;
the children were playing with other pa-
posses; and my father was hunting down
the lake. The hunting and fishing were
good, and we had plenty of meat. Skene-
donk, whom I considered a person be-
longing to myself, was stripping more
slowly on the rock behind me. We were
heated with wood ranging. Aboriginal
life, primeval vigor-giving, lay behind me
when plunged expecting to strike out
under the delicious forest shadow.
When T came up, the sun had vanished,
the woods and their shadow were gone.
So were the Indian children playing on
the shore, and the shore with them MY
mother Marianne might still be hanging
her pot In the lodge. But all the hunt
ing lodges of our people were completely
lost as If had entered another world.
NV head was bandaged, as discovered
when turned it to look around. The walls
were not the log walls of orr lodge,
chinked with moss and topped by bark
roof. On the contrary, they were grander
than the inside of st. Regis church, where
I took my first communion, though that
was built of stone These walls were pam
eled as learned afterward to call that
noble finishing, and Ornamented with pic
lures and crystal sockets for candles. The
use of the crystal sockets was evident,
for one shaded wax light burned near me-
The ceiling was not composed OF wooden
beams, like some Canadian houses, but
| divided itself into panels also, rejecting
the light with dark rosy shining. Lace
work finer than a priests white garments
huttered at the windows
I had dived early in the afternoon, and
| it was night. Instead Of finding myself
still stripped for swimming, had loose
| robe around me, and1a coverlet" drawn up
| to my armpits. The couch under me was
by no means Of hem1ock twigs and skins.
like our hunks at home; but soft and rich.
| I wondered if had died and gone to
heaven; and just then the Virgin moved
| past my head and stood looking down at
me. I started to jump out of a. window,
but felt so little power to move that
| only twitched, and pretended to be asleep,
| and watched her as we sighted game.
with eyes nearly shut. She had a poppet
of child on one arm that sat up instead
| of leaning against her shoulder, and looked
at me, too The poppet had a cap
On its head and was dressed IN
lace and she wore white dress
r that let her neck and arms out. but
covered her to the ground. This was
remarkable, as the Indian women covered
their necks and arms, and wore their pet
ticoats short. could see this image
breathe, which was a marvel, and the
color moving under her white skin. Hel
eyes seemed to go through YOU and search
/ all the veins, sending a shiver Of pleasure
down your back.
Now knew after the first start that she
was a living girl holding living baby
and when my father, Thomas Williams
appeared at the door of the room. !,
was certain could not be in. heaven. Il
: came over me in a flash that myself wa.
changed. In spite of the bandages my
: head was as clear as If all its faculties
. were washed and newly arranged. !
could look back into my life and perceive
things that had only sensed as a dunk
brute. A fish thawed out after being fro
zen, and terminated through every spark
ling scale and trenulous fin, could no
" have felt it's resurrection more keenly. M,
; broken head gave me no trouble at ALL
The girl and baby disappeared as 500,
, as saw my father; which was not sur
prising, for he could not be called pre-
truded and hung sullenly. He had heav.
@ brows and a shaggy thatch of hair. Gu
st. Regis Iroquois kept to the buckskins
though they often had hunting shirts o
, fulled flannel; and my fathers buckskin
were very dirty.
= A. little man, that I did not know wa
in the room, shuff1ed across the floor t.
:. r. " father from entering. Aroun'
q = !, Of his head he had a thin curtain
OF .lr scarcely reaching his shoulders
o His nose pointed upward. e Its tip was tn
Il shape of candle extinguisher. He wor
n horn spectacles; and knee breaches, waist
= coat and coat Of black like the ink which
), fades to brown In a drying ink-horn. HI
e put his hands together and took then
n apart uncertainty, and shot out his lii
e and frowned, as If he had a. universe
9 grudge and dared not vent 1t. H. ~
=. He said something in a language I di,
!: not understand and my father. made n
: answer. Then he began a kind Of Anglo
French, worse than the patois we USE
$ at ST. Regis when we did not speak Iro
=, quois. I made out the talk between tn
q two, understanding each without f1esita
- ton. ~
g "sE, who are you?" tss
Il 1.-THE chief, Thomas Williams" ans
wered my father.
: Pardon me, sir; but you are unmis
takably an Indian So n H.
r, "Iroquois chief" said my father. mo
~ hawk"
"That being the case, what authorit
: have you for calling yourself Thomas VIII
Ia 1iams?" challenged the little man.
q Thomas Williams is my NAME
Impossible. sir! Skenedonk, the Onei
da, does not assume SO much. He lays n
It claim to William Jones or John, Smith, Q
J. some other honest British name"
The chief maintained silent dignity.
It Come, sir, let me have your India
A. name! I can hear It i cannot repeat it..
It Silently contemptuous. my father turne
toward me.