Beadle's Dime Library, No. 13 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

i. te the next day, and you couldn’t find a piece bigger’n your finger, nor two that could be put together ag’in as they ‘Tiginally b’longed. t looked as if it had rained Ingins there for more’n a week. But the little chunks wasn’t quiet by no means; each individooal one quiverin’ as though life depended on’t. I’m ’ware that this don’t ‘pear natril, and I don’t insist on your b’lievin’ it verbattim et seatter- atim, which, by the way, is all the Latin I haven’t forgot, though Doctor Whiffles can reel it off to ye by the yard. Ah. sich a man as the doctor was for a speech! Speeches a’n’t of much ‘count up here, but at Selkirk and other clearin’s they carry all afore ’em, He was captain of a fire company, my brother was-—that was afore he received his degree ; and ’twasn’t afore, neither ; for come to think on’t, I b’lieve he never got a diplomy, though he’d oughter, by mighty' On the ’casion I refer to, he presented a tin trumpet to the former captam. He come on with his speech all writ, and full o’ confidence, though his ints shook like p’ison. I wasn’t there, but e talked beautiful, barrin’ losin’ lis place a few times, which ruther took him off his pins, as ‘twere. He wasn’t a critter to be put down, not’stannin’ his condemned mem’ry, which would on'y hold a sartin number of syllables at a time. We talked of danger, ines, and water, then of water, flames, and danger, which give it a interestin’ variety. Then the way he handled burnin’ houses was prodigious, rushin’ through walls o’ solid laze, scatterin’ firebrands right and left, res- suin’ sleepin’ families, and tossin’ babies from the garret winders to be ketched by the mul- titude below. What a effort that would a been if his thumb hadn’t slipped at some o’ the most startlin’ p’ints! Oh Lord, yes!” “No doubt,” said Pathaway, absently, for during Nick’s episode he had been studying the features of Andrew Jeanjean. “ What do you think we had better do ?’’ he added, ab- .. icholas glanced significantly at the Indian y: “T don’t think that it’s a good plan to dis- cuss matters of this kind afore strangers.” “T’ll answer for his fidelity !” replied Path- away. ° ’a more'n I'll do!” returned Nick, dryly. _ “ An Indian! an Indian!’ exclaimed Sebas- tian, pointing. Nick looked up and saw Multnomah, the Shoshoné, standing at the door. “Come in, Ingin—come in! There’s allers room at my table for one more, though I ha’n’t got fairly to housekeepin’. Flop down and take your chance with us. Sonny”—to Sebastian—“ can’t you sew off another slice, and don’t be so keerful about s‘ilin’ your fin- gers. “No stay—no eat,” answered the Shoshoné, vely. “ Multnomah would speak to Dou- gs “ He hears ye, Ingin; speak Any si of a diffikilty, eh os “pie gap “The Shoshoné has hunted and trapped with Doubledark. He is his friend and brother.” “True, true! And barrin’ the color your skin, which isn’t ’cordin’ to natur—my natur, leastwise—you're as honest a human—Ingins in course is human—as can be diskivered atween here and the Big Red, 1 know you've ot a weakness for skulps, but the best on us as failin’s.” Nicholas regarded the Shoshoné with friend- ly eyes—eyes that iy, ey far more than what he was saying. hen to Pathaway : “There’s them that. wowd not trest that In- gin sause he isn’t what he isn’t, which is a white man; but, Lord bless ye, that skin o’ his’n isn’t thicker nor a sheet o’ paper; and arter you git inside on’t you can’t te | the dif. ference. Take that Ingin and skin him, aud I'll defy anybody to tell whut race he b’lungs to.”’ “ Xt is not the skin that makes Jngin, Ingin inside. Nick Jove one thing, Multnomab an. other. The prafrie wolf is not like the bufalo, nor the panther like the antelope,” saic the Bboshoné. “Tt may be so; we won't dispute abou, it; bet the inside of one watch is a good ’ea) like the inside of another, though some’ll run fister nor others. There's clocks, too, but the watch principle is in clocks, I allow.” « Brother, I did not come to talk of the way in whieh the Great Spirit has made us. Have you seen no clouds in the sky? W.ll it be fuir to-morrow ?” eee — Pathaway. en —_— ——— Nick and the Shoshoné looked at each other. “Ingin, the heavens are not clear; thers are dark places up aloft; there are signs in the east,” said the hates “Tam glad that Doubledark is not blind. If he sees, why is he here? Why does he not fly to a covert like the birds of the air?” “The birds leave no trail,” muttered Nick, musingly,. “The birds are wise. Not to man alone is wisdom given. Even the snake knows wher his enemy is near, and creeps into its hole.” While the Shoshoné stood grave and digni- fied, his eyes might oonsore be detected resting upon Sebastian and Indian Joe; but his stoical face told no tales of his thoughts. “ Shoshoné,” said Pathaway, addressing the Indian, “speak plainly and not in the lan. guage of figures.” “IT speak according to my nature,” answer- ed Multnomah, proudly, and with a slight frown. ‘“ The Master of Life never speaks to his children but in signs. He does not say : ‘There will be a storm ;’ but He makes the air heavy and puts a cloud inthesky. He does not say : ‘ It will be fair to-morrow,’ but makes the sun set red, as if it went down in a battle-field.” “Where will the sky be clear?” asked Nick. “Tt will not be clear, but Multnomah would f° to the North. I have noticed that some irds build their nests high among the rocks in the clefts and crevices.” “ Birds are not fools,” quoth Nick. “We learn from the meanest things,” re- sponded the chief. “But man, being gifted with speeehs. said Pathaway, * should use it intelligibly.” “My talk is to those that can understand me. Those that do not take my meanin when I speak as Nature has taught me, woul not be profited if I spoke in the language of the pale faces.” Then to Nick: “ Double derk, you have heard me; you can read the book of the sky and the earth ?” “T can, and I thank ycu, Ingin, for your friendly visit. I hope it'll be a long time afore you strike the trail to the happy huntin’ rounds ; but when you do, may the journey Ge pleasant. and the Jand o’ souls to your lik- in’. That's the worst wish I wish you or your tribe, though there’s them ’mong white men as has different feelin’s.” “ Doubledark, I have said, and I go.” Multcomah turned and stalked rapid] away “An Ingin is an Ingin,” muttered Nick, “and allers will be !” “T can seareely desire them different,” ob- served Pathaway. “I find much in the char- acter of the true type of Indian to admire. Their method of communication is borrowed from Nature. The earth and the sky are in- deed their books.” “Books I've studied a good ’eal myself. I've often locked up when layin’ caaipless on the prairie, and even the book of the heavens opentd wide afore me; every star tellin’ me which way to go to find a certain lake or river, mountain or valley.” “JT have read that page, and experienced a deep pleasure in the solitary companionship of Nature,” replied the hunter. “] never was much of a ’stronomer, and don’t know one cousternation—” “ Constellation !” whispered Sebastian. “Tt makes no odds,” quoth Nick. “It’s writ both ways, though the way you speak it may be the peoparest in a grammatical pint. As I was say.n’, i never Knew one constellation from another by name as laid down in the books, thouzh I've named ’em to suit myseif. One I eall tae Buffaler, another the Catam ount, a third the Wolf, a fourth the Sarpent, and so on. Individooal stars I giner'ly names arter my -hosses—favorite one, leastwise ; sich as Suggestion, Firebug, ete. It’s a mighty savin’ o’ study, and ‘cordin’ to Natur, too, which is a good schoolmaster, and ’bout the on’y one I ever had; for I never went to school but a eouple o’ days in my life. The master called me «zp, and sez he: ‘What's that? sez he, p'intin’ to the letter A. * Don't know,’ sez I. ‘Don't know, do you?’ sez he, givin’ me a cut across the leys with astick. ‘Try and find out,’ sez he. ‘It’s no use,’ blubbered J, ea- perin’ about the room. ‘ We'll see to that,’ sez he. ‘What did your pairents send you here for? Look right at that, sir!’ I sidled up to the schoolmaster, a rubbin’ the ealf of one leg, then of the other, openin’ my eyes as wide as never T could, ‘It lyoks like a harrer,’ sez 25 ——— I. ‘Qh! it looks like a barrer, does it? Now | what does it look like » and whack, whack went the stick over my head and ears. ‘Come here to make mischief, didn’t ye ? sez he ; ‘to set a bad example afore the risin’ gineration, and to p'ison the minds of the vest o’ the scholars!’ With that 1 looked round, and seed jest three melancholy little varminte | resent. The fact on’t was, the marster was ina. "cause his institootion wasn’t patronised ux vetter. I don’t care nothin’ bout the risin’ gineratwp nor you nother!’ sez I, fairly vorkal up with pein and anger. And with that, I throwed a ead inkstand at his head, and run home fast as my legs could carry me. My mother wanted me to go ag’in the next day, but 1 wouldn’t. ‘Boys and gals allers has to be licked,’ sez she, ‘ when they’re l’arnin’ to read. It’s impossible to git the larnin’ into ’em "thout wallopin,’ and the harder they’re beat the quicker they'll git their eddication.’ “T pulled up my tattered trowsers, and showed her the great welts on my legs. ‘I know it’ sez she, shakin’ her head sadly, ‘ but it has to be did. It’s jest like whoopin’- cough and measles, and we can’t help it; but you can hide ahind the hedge, and throw stones at the marster when he goes home in the ar- ternoon.’ My legs didn't smart much arter that, and the marster didn’t stay long in the neighborhood.” “Uncle Nick, haye you forgotten the grizzly bear and the Shoshoné ?” whispered Sebas- tian. ‘Forgot ?” repeated Nick. “ Not a tall! But what’s the «se bein’ miser’ble long’s we can be t’otherwis#? Depend on’t, Nick Whif- files don’t lose his mem'ry for trifles. When, as that Ingin said, there’s signs in the airth and sky, I’m on hand to look at ’em, and be guided by ’em. To-night we'll sleep at Black Rock.” Sebastian recoiled, as if Nicholas had pushed him backward. “ Black Rock!” he repeated. “Surely you will not take me—that is, you will not go to such a dismal spot. dark stream, and those frowning rocks, togeth er with—”’ “T know,” interposed Nick, hastily, “ that it’s a dull, pokerish-lookin’ place ; but it may sarve us for a refuge for a night. Boys o’ your age onghtn’t to be afeard of ghosts and things.” Then, to Pathaway : ‘It’s reported, you see, that a murder was committed there, and this sparrer-legged boy has got the notion into his head that murdered folks come back.” “T think you once informed me that you witnessed a tragedy there ?” said Pathaway. “Almost — not quite. The loveliest, the pootiest, and the best! O Lord, yes!” The last words seemed to be addressed more to himself than anybody else. “You returned her to her friends. if I re member rightly ?” “ Whatever I tole ye, so it ’twas. Yes, I sent her home, though ‘twas hard parting’ with one so interestin’, and so handsome; one ’thont knowin’ it, that had insensibly twined herself round my ‘fections.” “You loved her ?” queried Pathaway. “The ground she walked on!” said Nick * And ’twasn’t none o’ your moonshiny, wishy- washy, sentimental stuff, nuther; bat the real, airnest, substantial, stick-to-ye principle that never gits tired, and never wears out.” Indian Joe and Sebastian glanced at each other; then the eyes of the latter sought the earth, finally wandering back to Nick. “We'll go to Black Rock, Nicholas,” he said, “J ponte like to see the epot where you performed so brave an action.” Indian Joe walked from the hut, Nick watch- ing him as he went out. “Keep sight o’ that critter, colonel. I don’t like the looks of him too well. I think *twould be a good plan to put him under some restraint, sich as tyin’ his ie and Jashin’ him to asaplin’. Fust thing we know, he'll be off, Likely as any way, he’s come ‘mong us a sort o’ spy ; if I thought he had, I'd go out and enoke him, by mighty !_ I seed the Shoshoné lookin’ at him right smart, and I’s glad he’s bright enough not speak out no plainer.” “J am confident that he may be trusted ,. though, placed as we are, we should observe every reasonable caution,” said Pathaway. “ oT g° out and cross-examine him, as ‘twere ; for I thonght the conversation inter- ested him rayther too much, seein’ he’s clear Ingin, and we haven't nothin’ in common.” Nick arose and followed Joe, who had pro- ceeded toward the spot where the Lorscs were EGOMGIOOKS The remembrance of that - (E@)