The sun., 1918-10-13

sage brush and look, and when ] was abi' 10 get
about | 10 look al other things, and by and by
I got to know when and where looking was most
worth while Then got so full of looking that !
had to write to get rid of of it to make room
for more / was only two months writing Land
of Little Roin but spent u years peeking and
prying before began it. After while will write
book about my brother the coyote which will make
you sit up mean that is the way feel about it.
81 have considered long while, to sec if have
any interesting excentricties such as make people
want to buy the books of the people who have them
but think not You are to figure to yourself
small plain, brown woman with too much hair
always little sick, and always busy about the
fields and the mesas In manner, so they say In
the village as if should like to see anybody try
to stop me.
Years ago l was good shot, but as grew more
acquainted with the ways Of wild folks / found it
lie heavy on my conscience, and so latterly have
given it up | have house by the rill of Pine
Greek, looking toward Kearsarge, and the sage
brush grows up to the door. As for the villagers
they have accepted me on the same basis as the
weather. an institution which there is use trying
to account for. Two years ago l delivered the
Fourth of July Grafton here and if, when there is
no minister of any sort here frequently happens,
60 and ring the church bell, they will come in to
near me IN the most natural MANNER.
Stage Coach and Indians.
''When go out of this valley (Owens) to attend
or to talk to large educational gatherings ride 100
miles in the stage the desert to MOjave and
the driver lets hold the lines. Once when he
said the water of Mojave made him sick, put him
inside and took the stage in from Red Rock to
Coyote Holes The other passengers, who were
barber with a wooden leg, and Londoner, head Of
a mining syndicate, took Of my baby. You
see was the only one who knew how to drive four
horses.
For long time before came to Independence,
] lived in Lone Pine, where the population is two
thirds Mexican and there gained the knowledge Of
their character which informs many of my stories.
l should say that my husband who is Register of
the U. S. Land Office, is also botanst and much of
my outdoor life is by way of assisting his field work
Now for my work-the best is A Land of Little
RAIN and the child verse in the st. Nicholas. I
think the best and worst of it is that am little
too near to my material Where | seem to skimp
a little, | can understand now that the book is
cold it was only that l prcsupposed a greater
knowledge in the reader. During the last six months
have discovered that the same thing is happening
to me that | complained of in Jimvle.-the desert
has struck in But | shall do better work, and
still better. pleased to learn through some OF
my editor friends that my verse is rather better
paid for and more widely copied than the average
product of verse makers and l conceive it possible
that this might be traced to the influence of Piute
and Shoshone medicine men and Dancers who are
the only poets / personally know. For consider
how get nearer to the root of the poetic impulse
among these singlehearted savages than any other
where But if / write at length upon this point
you will say with my friend KERN RIVER JIM, This
all blame foolishnesS. And this brings me to my
work among the Indians in which l am somewhat
generally misrepresented. If 1 deny what is COM
monty reported that the Indians regard me wor-
shpfully for the good do, then is the denial taken
for modesty which it is not, but merely truth They
tell me things because ] am really interested and
little for the sake of small favors but mostly because
give them no rest until they do. Says my friend
KERN RIVER jim, What for you learn them Injun
songs? You can't sing UNI, You 60 learn songs in
book, that's good enough for you Nevertheless
/ have been able TO do them nearly much good as
they have done me.
''This is the best can do for you in this way