The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-09-02
CHAPTER I.

- REMEMBER poising naked upon
b a rock, ready to dive into Lake
g George. This memory stands at
the end of diminishing vista;
the extreme point of coherent recol-
lection. Ny body and muscular limbs
reflected in the water filed me with
savage pride.
knew, as the beast knows its herd,
that my mother Marianne was hanging
the pot over the fire pit in tie center
Of our lodge. The children were play
ing with other papooscSs and my father
was hunting down the lake. The hunt
ing and fishing were good, and we had
plenty Of meat Skencdonk, whom l
considered q person belonging to my
self, was stripping more slowly on the
rock behind me. We were heated with
wood ranging. Aboriginal life, prime
val end vigor giving, lay behind me
when plunged expecting to strike
out urder the delicious forest shadow.
When came up the sun had van
ished, the woods and their SHADOW
were gone. So We're the Indian chill
dren playing on the shore, and the
shore with them. My mother Marianne
might still be hanging her pot in the
lodge. But all the hunting lodges Of
our people were as completely lost as
if had entered another world.
My head was bandaged, as discov-
cred when I turned it to look around.
The walls were not the log walls Of our
lodge, chinked with moss and topped
by a bark roof. On the contrary, they
were grander than the inside Of st.
Regis church, where 1 took my first
communion, though that was built OF
stone. These walls were paneled, 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 evil
dent, 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 futtered at the
windows.
I had diyed early in the afternoon,
and It was night. Instead Of finding
myself still stripped for swimming, l
had a loose robe around me, and Gov
erlet crawn up to my armpits. The
couch under me was by no means OF
hemlock twigs and skins, like our
hunks at home, but soft and rich. I
wondered if I had died and gone to
heaven. And just then the Virgin
moved past my head and stood looking
down at me. T started to jump out Of
window, but felt so little power to
move that I only twitched and pre-
tended to be asleep and watched her
as we sighted game, with eyes nearly
shut. She had a poppet Of o child on
one arm that sat up instead Of leaning
against her shoulder, and looked at me,
too. The poppet had cap on its head
and was dressed in lace, and she wore
a. white dress that let her neck and
arms oct, but covered her to the
ground. This was remarkable, as the
Indian women covered their necks and
arms and wore their petticoats short.
could see this image breathe, which
was q marvel, and the color moving
under her white skin. Her eyes seemed
to 90 through you and search all the
veins, sending shiver Of pleasure
down your back
Now knew after the first start that
she was a living girl holding q living
baby, and when my father, Thomas
Williams, appeared at the door of the
room, it was certain I could not be in
heaven. It came over me in a fash
that I myself was changed. In spite
Of the bandages my head was as clear
as if all its faculties We're washed and
| newly arranged I could look back
into my life and perceive things that
had only sensed as dumb brute
a fish thawed out after being frozen
and terminated through every spar
king scale and tremulcus fin could moi
lave felt it's resurrection more keenly
My broken head gave me no trouble
at all.
The girl and baby disappeared as
soon as saw my father, which was
not surprising, for he could not be
called a prepossessing half breed. His
lower lip protruded and hung sullenly
He had heavy brows and a shaggy
thatch of hair. Our st. Regis lroQuoi<
kept to the buckskins, though they
often had hunting shirts Of fullec
flannel. And my fathers buckskin:
we're very dry.
4 little man, that did not know wa
in the room, shuf1ed across the fool
to keep my father from entering
Around the base Of his head he had
thin curtain Of hair scarcely reaching
his shoulders His nose pointed up
ward. It's tip was the shape Of
candle extinguisher. He wore hor1
spectacles and knee breeches, waist
coat and coat Of black like the inl
which fades to brown in drying lnl
horn. he put his hands together ant
took them apart uncertainty, and sho
out his lip and frowned, as if he hat
universal grudge and dared no
vent it.
he said something in language
did not understand, and my fathe
made no answer. Then he began
kind Of Anglo French, worse than tn
patois we used at St. Regis when W
did not speak IroQuois. I made ou
the talk between the two, understand
ing each without hesitation.
"Sir, who are your
''The chief, Thomas Williams" az
swered my father.
Pardon me, sir; but you are unmls
takably an Indian
'Iroquois chief" said my father
"Mohawk."
That being the case, what authorit,
have you for calling yourself Thoma
Williams:" challenged the little man.
Thomas Williams is my name.'
N1 l, n