Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 112: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

454 ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. One day she had been amused when an ‘Indian youth of, perhaps, sixteen years had brought her a half-frozen, live rabbit with a wounded foot. She did not want the creature, but realized that since she must give the trader something she might as well take the animal. She did so, and cooped up the creature in the big room down-stairs. That night it disappeared. Imagine her surprise when the next day the same Indian returned with the same rabbit and unblushingly offered it to her again. She at first thought that the boy had found it and was returning her prop- erty, but she was soon undeceived. He had stolen it. Polly swore that she had seen him sneak it away, late in the afternoon, when Mary Ann had been off on one of her frequent visits to the Carring- tons. Mary Ann refused to repurchase the rab- bit; but, as the Indian looked cold, she poured out a glass of home-made wine and offered it to him. He refused, and, know- ing the savages’ weakness for liquor in any form, she was surprised. She attempted by signs to induce the boy to drink it, but he shrank from her and crouched in a cor- ner, glaring at her and at the tiny glass ’ with its dark-red contents. “Weil, you are a funny boy,” she mur- mured, although she knew that the Indian could not understand a word. She raised the glass to her own lips, not wishing.to see the wine wasted. Instantly the youth sprang upon her and, snatching the glass from her fingers, he drained it, and then, with a grunt, dashed for the door, taking his rabbit with him. Mary Ann at once grasped the signifi- cance of the episode: the youth had be- lieved that the wine was poisoned, and it had not.been until she tasted it that he was reassured. Suddenly it broke over her why the In- dians so hated the whites, and why they attacked them for no apparent reason ex- cept just because they were whites! It had taken a great amount of deceitful dealing and treachery on the part of the white man to make such simple creatures as this boy believe that a glass of wine, hospitably of- fered to him, was poison.. On another occasion she had been over at the home of the Rogers boys, where she and Polly had gone to aid in the making of some soap. This was considerably later —in the spring. While the big pot of soap was boiling, an old Indian and his son, a youth of perhaps twenty, had_ silently watched the proceedings. Finally, after some few words grunted among themselves, the boy, who was a magnificent specimen of youthful strength and grace, came for- ward and made it evident that they wanted some of the stuff that was cooking in the pot. They wished to eat it! Mary Ann attempted to convey the in- formation that the boiling substance was not intended for food. The Indian, how- ever, seemed to think ‘that she was trying to tell him that it was not to be eaten while it was hot. ; She was inclined to laugh at the whole thing, but the young fellow was insistent, and made every effort to inform her that the much-desired delicacy was not for himself, but for the old man, his father. She attempted ‘to. divert him by offering other things—things that were really good to eat; but the youth would have nothing. He grew more vehement in his demands. He was now thoroughly convinced that the whites would not part with the soap be- cause it was so wonderfully desirable. Finally, Steve Rogers, who had just come out of the house, learning of the-commo- tion, cried: “Let the fools have some! It will do them good to learn that they should listen to us whites when we say no.” “But Tm afraid that when the old man tastes it, he will be very angry, and that may make trouble,” Mary Ann demurred. “Let me catch them making any trouble around here!” Steve announced pugna- ciously. He went over and dipped out some of the boiling soap, and, filling a bowl with it, was about to hand it to the Indian. But the boy was quicker than he, and snatched the bowl from Steve and ran with it to the old man. Then began a period of blowing and grunting. among the Indians. Meanwhile the whites looked on with interest. Final- i “} Conmicoool<S.comnn