The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-03-16

pointed OUT TO MIN, STOOD and looked
| at 1t smiling, without attempting to
| enter.
The Indian and his adopted daughter
were not seen abroad during that day,
though both of them were accustomed
| to live outdoors at all seasons. Shicll-
shack said he loved to see the deer
| galloping in the bottoms, or to watch
them as they gathered in herds, the
sun shining in their eyes.
| New Salem was single long and
winding street on high ridge, which
sloped SO suddenly on both sides that
all the gardens ran down hill. Seen
| from the schoolhouse, it looked like
huge wave of earth riding against
| the northern horizon. The school
house, standing at the base of another
| ridge, was divided from the village by
a deep ravine, through which ran a
small stream called Rock creek.
The schoolhouse was the only meet
ing place. Its log stack and white clay
chimney represented church, town hall
and theater-if so goddess place as a
theater had been allowed-in, New
Salem. 1t was headquarters on mus
ter days, and the arena of those wordy
wars which the pioneers called de-
bates. Eager to hear any strange, new
| thing, the whole town flocked across
Rock creek as soon as candles began
to bloom like primroses at dusk in
boot-shaped sconces on the schoolhouse
walls. 1t might be that the cousin of
Shlckshacks girl had not as much to
say as he had given out that he had.
| But New Salem would hear him and
judge. Minter Grayham's pupils-par-
ticularly the smaller ones-were lined
up on front benches, which their own
long use had worn to the smoothness
of glass. The stranger had advertised
through their schoolmaster that he
would give the prize of book to any
boy or girl who could, at the close of
| the lecture, stand up and spell cor
rectly the word Ompompanoosuck!
Unusual war had ragged on the play
ground at both recesses and noon con-
cerning the spelling of this word.
Camps divided to play Indian or horse
thief met to wrangle over combina-
| lions of letters. Some SLY ones who
thought they were going to get the
prize retired to puzzle alone. Minter
Grayham, who thought a modest
amount of spelling, the Testament, the
English Reader and the Rule of Three
in arithmetic to advanced scholars,
was in honor obliged to look as igno-
rant as he felt in this great matter.
Some women saw with CONSERVATION
that the boys from Clarys grove were
gathered on the back seats, couple of
dozen young Williams, whose leader.
Redmond Clary, was the most desper-
ate rider in the Sangamon country.
The gravest charge brought against
these uncurbed youths was their deter
mlnation to govern the community.
IN them the life of the frontier found
Its widest expression. When one of
them had colt to break he sum
moned the others, and they forced it
into the Sangamon river. One sat on
It's back, another hung to it's tail and
the rest chung about and hampered it
IN every way. The untamed thing.
obliged to swim for it's life carrying
weight, finally came out of the water
a subdued beast. They were ready to
deal in like manner with anything
that antagonized them. Each man had
brought an egg carefully bestowed OH
his person, and at concerted signal
he expected to throw it at the lecturer.
Tor the mere sport of seeing an unin-
terestlng foreigner smeared from head
to foot. But he caught their fancy.
PLAIN men and women of New Salem,
told them he was travelling through
the states to urge everywhere the
annexation of Cuba. He described the
tropical luXuriance OF Cuba, and it's
relative position to the continent; and
some of his hearers learned for the
first time that there wes such d place.
He told how planters were made to
suffer in estate BY unjust tyranny of
dominating European power. Some
like himself had even been driven into
exile, with only a remnant of their once
large fortunes. So bad was the gov
eminent that people had starved there
in the midst of abundance. He begged
to have Cuba admitted into the union.
Such a novel plea had never been
urged before upon men who were
struggling to get a living out Of the
scarcely upturned sod of new state.
Some older men smiled at each
other, thinking the United States had
all She could do at that time to take
care of her own territory. But it was
tiattering to have a rich island, repre-
sented by an elegant man of the world
dressed in the best clothes which
money could buy, appealing to them
for protection; and they helped their
neighbcrs stamp vigorous applause
every time he rounded one of his glow
ing periods with-"If Cuba may only
be annexed to America!'
Still there was hard-headed ele-
ment that held out against the stranger.
They would give him fair play, but
they would test his arguments.
Look at Abe Lincoln" one Carolina
settler whispered to another during
the stir which followed the conclusion.
I'D like to hear what he thinks. He
can beat this fellow all hollow making