( I 'I * 1 „ " , T V' < 5 '
The Conservative * 11
stared and uodded. "The 24th of
November ? " Jacksou considered and
nodded again. "Well , then , " cried
the delighted traper , "it's THANKS
GIVING DAY ! "
"W'l I'll be damned , " said the
company man.
But like a good American , he rose
to the occasion , and the resources of
the two expeditious wore pooled to
make a feast. Batiste had plenty of
flour and lard , and even a private
store of delicacies ; loaf sugar , choco
late and some small cakes , together
with a bottle of choice brandy. ' The
mountain man had traded a "plew"
at Sarpy's the night before for some
of the treats ho remembered from his
boyhood raisins and figs , that had
wandered all this way to Captain
Peter's shelves ; wormy , but still figs ;
and some sticks of striped candy. Ba
tiste undertook a plum pudding , and
as the two Americans planne1 their
feast they chattered like two boys of
the great fire place , the turkey and
the pumpkin pie of New England , and
the Dutch oven , the 'possum and the
sweet potatoes of Kentucky. And
when. Paul went down to the uncontaminated -
taminated stream on the north for
water , and returned with his cap full
of hazelnuts , they shouted loud and
long into the empty air , and the
years of stern and bloody labor fell
from them , and they were boys again.
The feast was glorious. If they had
an unfulfilled wish , it might have
been for hump and marrow bones ,
with "boudins ; " but the feast , as it
was , was glorious. In the midst of it
they heard a voice say "How , " and
looking up they saw a single Indian ,
tall and motionless , standing watching
them from a short distance. Richard
son's rifle leaped to his arm like
a flash , but they all sat still
"How , " said the Indian again.
Jackson then hooked his two fore
fingers together and held his hands up
before him. The Indian smiled ,
clasped his extended hands , then
touched his breast with his right hand
and waved it toward the white men.
1' Kuggy how , ' ' he said.
' ' I heem ' ' Batiste
Ah , know , there
upon exclaimed ; "he is Otoe. " And
a dialog ensued between them , appar
ently in the Otoe language ; while
Jackson watched intently the workings
of the trapper's face , from which the
innocent gayety had vanished again ,
as he sat gazing wolflike at t the
unexpected guest.
The latter stood , wrapped in his
blanket , with an easy smile on his
heavy features , while his eyes ran
from one face to another , but for the
most part were fixed on the unusual
display that was spread between the
feasters on Batiste's apishamore.
' ' He says he is Otoe Chief , ' ' Batiste
remarked."He [ .is name White
Water. "
Richardson came to himself. ' ' Call
him up and feed him , ' ' ho said , and
gave the invitation himself with a
gesture. The chief approached , smil
ing and calm , and seated himself on
the vacant side of the saddle blanket.
What was given him ho ate , without
haste , but steadily as fate ; if nothing
was given him he sat and smiled. He
would not help himself , but what was
put in his hands he took with a polite
grunt , and directly it passed through
his greasy lips to the uufathomed mys
tery that an Indian carries within
him. "Why don't you eat ? " Jackson
asked of his neighbor ; but the trap
per made no reply.
Presently the brandy was produced
and circulated. When it came to
White Water ho put it-from him civil
ly and addressed his hosts briefly in
his own tongue. ' ' He says , ' ' Batiste
interpreted"he nevairo drink whisky.
Too many Otoe chief make big fool of
himself. ' ' Richardson drank with the
others , but sat in gloomy silence ; he
ate no more. When his friends had
eaten what they could they signified
to the chief that the remainder was
his ; and slowly , relentlessly , he con
sumed it. When everything was
gone , he was through ; not before.
Then ho drew back from the blanket ,
produced a red stone pipe , filled and
lighed it , blew a puff to the above-
person , one to the earth and one to
each of the four winds , and then
handed it to Richardson , who sat on
his left.
The trapper made no move to accept
it , but stared with set face at the fire.
The Indian still held out the pipe.
The trapper still ignored the offer.
The Indian sat patiently , humbly
extending the token of peace ; his un
graceful features took on a look of
sadness , almost of dignity. Suddenly
the trapper caught the pipe from him.
"I can't help it , " he said. "It's all
over. That cow-bell has spoiled me ,
and this gosh-danged dinner and all
the talk about the old home. Twenty
years of it is enough. The moun
tains are under , and I'll never see an
other grizzly nor taste buffalo-meat
again. I ain't Paul Richardson the
trapper any more , but a gosh-danged
Connecticut farmer , if live to get
that far. And I'll have to forget if I
ever knew what a scalp was , and I
might as well smoke with a polite
Otoo Indian as with any other white
man. So here's to you. " And he
proceeded to smoke to the above-per
son , to the earth and to the four
winds.
After they had smoked , they sat in
perfect friendliness and silence , by
the red fire , under the moon and the
stars , telling stories on their fingers
until well along in the pight , This
lapponed under the big tree in Grau-
ville Stevenson's barn-yard ; and many
an exciting tale of war and the buffalo
lunt did each of the four have to toll ,
with waving , pointing and chopping
of hands , punctuated with an occasion
al grunt. And when WhiteWater fin
ally rose to take his leave , Richardson
shook hands with him gravely , as be
fitted two warriors , and said "Good
night to you , Mr. Otoo chief , and good
luck. You have something to give
shanks for yourself , if you only knew
it. And I'll call in on you and your
wives and babies in the morning as
I go along down. ' ' A. T. R.
AGENTS WANTED. .
A speculation upon human folly is al
ways safe. Credulity and the profitable
industry of "catching suckers" are in
ternational. The latest success in that
line comes from Berlin , Germany. Not
very long ago "Christian Science"
crossed the ocean and found a home in
Berlin , but the particular brand of this
"science , " on tap in Germany's capital
is superior and an improvement on the
domestic article. A. benevolent genius
in the said town has also invented an
apparatus , called the "psychoscope , "
which is designed for the use of Chris
tian Scientists. The man who gazes in
the psychoscope is rewarded with a
wonderful revelation of certain psychic
forces , not visible to the naked human
eye. He discovers beautiful and edify
ing qualities of his own soul , heretofore
unknown to him , but extremely helpful
to conquer disease and death. The
psychoscope serves as a kind of spiritual
mirror , bringing out the occult and
mysterious powers of the soul , hauling
them , so to say , by the neok'out of } the
deepest recesses of the gazer's trans
cendental mentality. Of course the
Berlinese know a good thing when they
see it , therefore the psychoscope has a
tremendous sale for spot cash and no
discount. But if the benighted foreign
er can inspect his soul with this new ap
paratus , what is the matter with our
own Christian Scientists ? Should they
be deprived of the use of this beneficent
invention ? Is there no enterprising
man to take the agency for the United
States ? There are certainly thousands
of our own progressive "scientists" who
would like to practice "psychoscopy"
and take a look in the dark abyss of
their own souls , gaining thereby new
powers to drive out disease and death.
There are millions in it for the right
man.
By all means let us have a psycho-
scope. No happy family should be
without one. It chases away death ,
baffles disease and saves doctor-bills-
There is nothing like it ! Who will be
the agent ?