The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-10-16
CHAPTER i.
CAPTAIN II

way 70 mass at Saint Louis cathedral
Sister Anastasia leading h sedate
procession with the larger girls, q
Sister Laure at the rear with the
smaller ones, Aureiie was the smallest
one OF all. She chung tightly TO Sister
Laure's skirts. for in the asylum, one
saw nothing like this. All Royal street.
was filed with bawling Mardi Gras
maskers ringing bells, footing horns
2 humping into the holy family as
though, on such q morning there
should not be such a thing as an or
phan in the whole round world. And
on the corne Aurelie, very frightened,
looked up into the eyes OF an old man
who stared down at her with crafty
n deliberate intent. and then,
sturnped after the procession on his
wooden e leg, bound round with Q
shiny brass band, as IL now the matter
was settled, and OF all the orphans.
big ones, middle sized ones and small
er ones. slight mixed" ozark mixed
and some almost black-there was Just
one he wanted. and that was the lit
TEST onesof all.
Many, many years after, d black
eyed and Yivacious young woman,
whom all the land had read about,
starting on her wedding journey,
threw her arms about a silvery headed.
one-iegged old rebel and kissing him,
said;
Nov, Uncle Michigan, before we say
goodhy. tell me the real reason you.
stole me"
The old rebel chuckled as he had
done q thousand times at this same
vexed question. well, o had on q
little blue wammus and the little blue
pants and / done reckoned you was o
boy. So i folIered you right up close
and when a lot OF them Mardy Graws
come along blowing horns and bumped
NntarN hnH atutnwu axrnrxz xorn NJ III
just grabbed you up and Stamped on,
for ! says, by mighty, this Is the one
Captain Tinkletoes'u w~ant-this little
one with the little blue pants SO OFF
TO b woods we went"
Then she dubbed with q fond e
proving laughter. Now. don't be silly.
That story Is awfully silly. But, Uncle
Mich, I'm glad you stole me-then is
when everything began to happen"
Well, let us see Aurelie on OF her
honeymoon, while we go back 20 q
to the morning when Uncle Michigan
seized her out Of the demoralized holy
family and stumped OFF to the French
market lugger landing in Old New
Orleans, where he put her on Etienne
Guillimets crab boat bound for Bara-
taria bay He gave her q praline to
suck lest she cry, and turned q crab
basket over her head, and not until
the Eaminada had wheezed some miles
up the yellow Mississippi and turned
off through a canal leading to the wild
Louisiana swamps did he take b
AureIIes stil sucked the praline un-
b~iinkingly Never such a feast with
the decorous holy family. Her first
taste OF the wicked world was good.
When the Cajun captain saw the
child he was amazed.
by damn, ole man-whose ees dat 2"
49, % --R 4-l
Ing q match eyasiyely on his wooden
leg. IA baby done goint down by it's
wimmin' folks-,way of past john
the-Fool and Africa and them camps.
It's u right lonesome country"
Blu II Captain Etienne and the ca.
jun crew had remembered they might
have known that, long before the lower
lakes were reached, a trapper's pi-1
rogue shot out fr1m the overhanginS
jungle. and Uncle Michigan handed
down the child to another old man
who sat 1t before him IN the tiny
canoe and stared at II with incredn.
lous alteration. The Caminala wheezed
on to the south. and all about the
mighty woods grew stnl with only
gloom under the moss-hung cypress.
The little old man still started at the
child who looked back ~expectant, yet
fearless.
Done comet he breathed In his
e~xuitation. Done comet"
He took her In his arms and held
her on. In his eyes the light OF the.
Bethlehem. And when Michigan pad
died on to where a great bar of the
sunset broke through the forest he
saw the child in q golden light and
laughed his happiness. "A little child
shall lead EN- Michigan, here be,
an old fool reb Off in the swamps with
the frogs and owls and snakes and
gators, waitin' for the child to come
TO lead 'em to occupy the land--and
here 1t be-" ~
But Michigan was silent. He had
made an awful discovery.
They went on past the evil spikes OF
b cypress lifting out OF the black
water where once a giant gar stirred
the depths; and once an alligator
crossed slowly before them: and once
a gray shark swan lithely in the salt
tide setting up from the gulf; and
n 0 far off an owl called, and from
a palmetto 5oyerhanging the canoe d
Copperhead snake fell by the child's
side, but she seemed without fear.
And In the last rosy light a snowy
egret sailed above them, and ON q
until the swampers' pirogue had
stolen on into the black, wet forest.
They came to a tiny garden at the
end OF a canal flied with purple hya-
cInth and all about the matched fence
the green cane grew. The lean hound
pups came to greet them from under
the palmetto hut, and the old man
lifted the child and set her there
among them.
"Yere's home" he said. 1And we're
you'll grow up to lead en-. LeeIl come
on his big white horse, and Stonewall
~a-chargin' and rarin': IA ole Jeb
Stuart and Colonel Maramaduke OF
my ole bat.ry. And up and up'll come
the old gray lines jest as it's done been
revealed to me, and this little child
shall lead EN- to occupy the land"
"Old man, o been drinkinI too
much o. that Cajun coffee since ! left.
Now yore ole head Is done buzzin'. Did
you feed them pupsT"
"Mush and pot liqueh. : every day
Michigan"
Done stretch them mink peits on
the ole China-tree?"
"Done stretch every pelt, Michigan!"
s.Done tote out that moss from the
deep swamp ~
Done tote every pound. Michiganl
Done set the traps and run the crab
line and tend the lily boom, and every
minute I says. 'Yere i be down In the
swamps where I never surrendered
49, 1900 "a