The Cabin on the Prairie Part 10

"Yes; Mr. Payson, the missionary, saw one the other morning as he was going from Root River settlement to Slough Creek. He was pa.s.sing the Norwegian's cabin, near the grove, when suddenly a Sioux galloped by on his pony, giving a loud whoop as he rode out of sight. And Mrs.

Pingry had a great scare. Her husband was away after supplies, and she was alone about her work, when the door opened and an Indian stalked in and took a seat. Pretty soon a second came, and did the same, and then another; until a dozen sat round the room, silently smoking their pipes. She says she knew by their manner and the way they were painted that they intended mischief. She determined, however, not to appear frightened, and went on with her work. Soon one of them got up and broke open her husband's trunk, and then the rest fell to rummaging the house, helping themselves to whatever they wished; and she was expecting they would next a.s.sault her, when, to her relief, she heard the barking of a dog, and the rumbling of wheels, at which the savages took alarm, and in a moment were gone."

"And what," asked Mrs. Jones, "do the settlers think of this?"

"O, they only laugh about it. They don't expect any serious trouble.

They say that the chiefs have had a grand talk with the government agent, and declare that they wish to be on good terms with us. But some of our people do all they can to provoke the Indians, and say they would like to have a brush with the red-skins!"

"But what's that?" he exclaimed, as loud shouts and the barking of dogs broke on their ears. Mrs. Jones and Tom hurried to the door, and saw some men and boys chasing a large animal across the prairie.

"A bear! a bear!" cried a neighbor, rushing breathlessly up to Tom, saying, "Is your father at home? Tell him to come on, and we'll pepper his carca.s.s!" and without waiting for an answer, or explaining whose carca.s.s he meant, he hastened after the others.

The creature that they were pursuing was so fat that he did not run very swiftly, and the dogs gained on him; aware of which, he was making desperate efforts to gain the shelter of a small grove not far off, while stringing along for quite a distance behind were his pursuers. Some were hatless, a few had guns, but most were armed with pitchforks or clubs; and one man, in his zeal, carried a piece of rusty stove-pipe, although what use he proposed to put it to in capturing Bruin, it was difficult to imagine, unless he intended, should Bear gain the grove, to _smoke him out_ with it. The truth is, he was putting up a stove in his cabin when the cry of "Bear, bear,"

interrupted his labors, and he joined the chase, forgetting that he held anything in his hand. He was wiry, lank, and long-legged, with sandy hair that came down straight and thin upon his shoulders, and being without his coat, with pants that reached only half way between his knees and ankles, he cut a ludicrous figure as he straddled on, followed by a short, dumpy man, who, waddle as ambitiously as he might, swiftly fell behind, without, however, seeming in the least discouraged.

"There, they are surrounding the grove," said Tom, as the men and boys spread out from the centre till they had encompa.s.sed Bruin's leafy retreat.

Soon there was the report of guns, and not long after, the hunters returned, looking tired and disappointed.

"The bear must have got away," said Mrs. Jones.

But Charley came rushing towards her, and, throwing up his cap, cried,--

"O, isn't it fun! It wasn't a bear, mother; it was only Mr. Abbott's black hog that he lost last fall, and thought was dead. He had run wild, feeding on roots and acorns, and was awful fat. But they didn't know 'twas a hog till they shot him, the dogs kept up such a yelping, and the gra.s.s and bushes hid him so. They've gone after a wagon to take him home."

But Tom was at work making an opening in the fence nearest the woods; seeing which, Charley called out,--

"What you doing that for, Tom?"

"I've been thinking," answered Tom, pleasantly, "that we shall want some wood near the cabin next winter, instead of digging it out of the snow, and I'm fixing a place to drag it through."

"Yes, children," added the mother, "Tom and I have been talking it over. Suppose you take hold together and see how big a pile you can get up. It will be so nice to have plenty of wood to cook the corn-cakes with, and keep us comfortable when it's freezing weather!"

The project pleased the youngsters, even to Bub, and, headed by Tom, they began at once to put it into execution.

It is customary in new countries for the first comers to help themselves freely to the trees on government land, for logs with which to construct their cabins, and to rive into shingles and saw into boards; and many a sinewy oak had fallen before the frontiersman's axe in the woods near the Joneses, leaving the brawny limbs upon the ground. There were also many dead trees still standing, and from these sources dry, hard wood of the best quality could always be obtained.

Tom directed operations. The limbs and small dead trees were thrown or dragged in piles a certain distance towards the field; from there another took them to the opening in the fence, and from thence others of the youngsters pulled them up to the house. The girls and boys had a merry time of it, Sarah making the woods ring with her bird-like voice as she sang at her task, while many a joke was exchanged by the lively little company. But no one of them entered on the labor with more zeal, and a higher appreciation of his own services, than Bub.

"That child is always under foot," said Eliza, as she stumbled over him while tugging along a scrawny limb.

"You ought to go into the house," said Tom; "I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

"No, I won't," answered the child, "tause I dot to tarry in the wood;"

and seizing a long branch under one dimpled arm, and a short, heavy one under the other, to make good his words, with the will of an older head, he started for the cabin.

Out from under his arm would be wrenched the long one by some bush beside the path, and Bub would pick it up and pull at it until it had cleared itself, when down would go the big piece from the other arm.

Then he would bravely lift it again, his baby frock going up with it; and thus dropping his load and picking it up, with an occasional tumble, which he would not cry about, he reached the house, dragging his load in through the door, to the imminent danger of knocking over the old stove. He now rested from his labors to eat a cold potato and a piece of his mother's much-loved corn-cake, which, while disposing of, he dropped asleep, his rosy cheeks crammed to their utmost capacity.

"Pooh!" cried Charley, coming noisily in to see if dinner was most ready, "why didn't you keep to work, like the rest of us?"

Bub resumed eating, and replied, dignifiedly,--

"Tause I found out that it wasn't fun."

The unexpected effect of his answer on Charley, who received it with uproarious laughter, highly offended the child; and when Charley was out of sight, he said to his mother,--

"I isn't never going to work no more."

"Ah, why not?" she inquired.

"Tause I don't like to work."

"Then," said she, "you'll never make a man."

"Do men have to work?" he asked.

"Certainly," she replied.

"Then I won't be a man," he answered, decidedly.

"Won't!" exclaimed his mother; "what, then, will you be?"

"I sail be a missernary, and walk wound, and wear dold dla.s.ses!"

CHAPTER IX.

A SURPRISE.

"Can you tell me, sir, if I can find a conveyance for myself and children to L----, Minnesota?" inquired a lady of the attentive clerk at a hotel in the thriving young town of Dacotah, Iowa.

"There is no stage running to that point," he replied; "but we can send a team with you, if you wish to go to so much expense."

"I would like," answered the lady, smiling, "to get there with as little cost as I can. My husband is a missionary. I am on my way to join him."

"I will see what I can do for you," returned the clerk, bowing respectfully; and, stepping into the bar-room, he asked,--

"Is there any one here going to L---- to-day?"

"I shall go half way there," said a short, sharp-nosed, black-eyed man, who sat reading an eastern paper.

"Could you take a pa.s.senger or two?"

"I'm pretty well loaded," he answered; "but I always find room for one more, seeing it pays."