The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1918-12-06
Literary
Grandma's Story

Grandma'S Story
"A story, please, story, grandma,
begged little Mae and Jack, as they
climbed UP on their grandmother's
lap. "All right, kiddies, one story,
and then off to bed you must 60"
laughed grandma, delighted to sit by
the fireplace and tell stories Of her
girlhood days to these children, the
/ loved ones of her heart. Tonight
l am going to tell you story of a
day before Thanksgiving, when was
little girl, just one year older than
you are now, Jack.
"My mother was called away from
home the day before Thanksgiving to
our nearest neighbor's, whose wife
was very ill. Mother had no way to
travel except by horse those days,
and our neighbor lived ten miles
away. After helping mother to pack
a basket Of goodies for the poor
neighbor's children, and kissing her
and father goodbye, / ran out to the
drive, watching them until they were
out of sight. &
"What was I to do there all alone?
An Indian might come from out of
the wood in back Of our cabin and set
fire to it, taking me as prisoner.
One thing / had noticed was, no In
dian came to our house when father
was around. Only. when he left to
hunt or to cut fuel for the cabin, did
they come to demand food from moth
er. Brave little mother, never had
she told father of those visits. He
has enough to worry about, dear,
without my bringing in more trouble,
was her excuse to me, when begged
her to tell father to keep the Indians
away.
"Now that I was alone, the Indians
would come and take everything. At
any rate | was not one to be easily
frightened. So went about my work
with cheerful heart. No Indians
came in sight all morning, but while
! I was washing up my dinner dishes
= / happened to look out our small cabin
window, just in time to see an In
!. dian dodge out of the woods SaIe
si back again. What was I to do ? JUS
Z then bright idea came to me. rar
. !, up to the loft of our cabin and, hunt
:. ing thru fathers clothes, I selected
; an old home made suit Of his, an oil
: hat, and a pair of boots. then hur
j ried out to our wood pile and ther'
: | found four branches, two of whicl
= were shorter than the others. I thel
!. took small wooden bucket and ;
{ pillow, and soon had made good
? looking dummy. 1t sat my dummy il
Z chair close to the window, fixin,
him so that his hat and part Of hi
! ! back would show, then / ran out door
= to survey my work from the window
] and could hardly believe my eyes.
= / had not known that it was nothin
= more than a dummy would hav
y thought it real man.
= i, "As was ,going into the cabin,
j glanced across the field toward tn
: : wood and, coming straight for tn
! = cabin, were two Indians. Oh, how
= hoped that my plan would work.
Z ran into the cabin and hid myself !
\, y the loft, where I could not be seer
I, i but still I could get a good view .
q the Indians.
y "In a short time / saw thei
4 shadows on the lawn. Now, the leae
- er was looking in the window, h
y q stood there spellbound for what seen
T. Il. ed like hours to me, then calling hi
z companion, whom I believe was Scout
v ing around the cabin looking for dar
! ger. The leader pointed out m
u dummy, then they turned, and instea
q of coming into the cabin, hurried Q
~ to the wood.
= ''The next day was Thanksgiving
u and shortly after I had the dime
= on the table, mother and father can
in. 'Ho! Ho! What is this fellow
laughed my father when he caugl
sight of my dummy
jes IT just had to have some one wit
7 me- I stammered, SO made up th'
dummy
1I did not tell father about Il
or Indians, but told mother. You darlir
III little comrade,' said mother, huggir
as me to her and crying and laughing
en- the same time.
et- aWhen we sat down to eat o.
rst Thanksgiving dinner I found my fir
es- dollar under my plpate. That is f
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