Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-10
10, THE BRAVE INDIAN

Five or six rather stout and very chatty
matrona had the entire half OF . 14th street
car corraiIed unto themselves ard their
skirts one afternoon last week.
There WAS plenty OF room on their side
OF the car for five or six more fusi-grown
human beings of either sex. But had this
room been taken up by other occupants OF
seats the chatty matrons wouldn't have
had skirt room enough. This seemed to
be the simple, unsetffsh calculation Of the
stout matrons. and they were getting away
with the calculation with the greatest irnag-
Unable compIaIsance.
Two men got In. cast humble chances at
the ample manner with which all OF the
vacant space was ornamented with brocad-
ed and plain skirts. and then clutched
straps resignedly.
The matrons looked at the two strap
-clutchfng men haughtily. with nary a move
over on the part of any of them. 1t was
plain that they considered that standing
up was good for men. In that 1t probably
made them grow, or something
At the corner OF L street three more men
got on the car. One OF these was q
white man and the other two were Indians
one blanketed and in war paint, the other
In plain black store clothes.
The Write man in charge of the two
Indians had the humility of the white in
such cases made and provided, and only
glanced hopelessiy at the large amount OF
superfiuous room taken up by the matrons
before he did the Inevitable thing namely,
clutch a strap and grin.
The Indian In store clothes glanced with
a bit more keenness at the huge quantities
OF extra room being absorbed by the chatty
matrons and their skirts, but then he, too.
Eot hold of Strap-only his heavy Jaw
came down pretty hard, and he seemed TO
have TO gulp hit over It. as was natural
enough. Plenty of white men have gulped
over such things. only they generally ie-
1t go at gulping.
But the blanketed and war-painted Indian
apparently didn't belong to a tribe that
merely gulped over things and then let
them go at gulpfng.
He was tall. straight. very f1ne-looking
red man, about thirty years old. and his
countenance was full of character. He was
about as nifty looking buck as has been
seen on the Washington streets for some
time.
He examined the matrons' side Of the car
carefully. and with an obvious eye to meas
G1ement- Then he examined each one or
the matrons in turn. They all looked
triffe nervous under his careful scrutiny.
which had touch of austerity in 1t. too.
But they didn't make any offer to move UP
and give anybody chance for his white
tew marble.
The blanketed Indian was waiting for
them to do just this thing. When he per-
ceived that there wasn't going to be any
move in them he picked out a space be-
tween two especially stout and aggressive
looking holders of two or three normal
seats each, and he pointed with long,
bony, determined finger at what ought to
have been the vacant space. Then he made
simple gesture with his open hand held
horizontally. The gesture said as plain as
words: Divide up there. you. I'm going
to sit down there and take little rest for
myself"
The two stout matrons divided in a hurry.
and gathered together their skirts and then
all of them followed suit, not without hard
stares at the ornate1y blanketed Indian.
When they had moved moderately close
together there was plenty of room on their
side of the car for the four men still stand
ing up.
The four men sat down and looked deep
thankfulness in the direction of the fine
protiled Indian in the blanket