184 BENNY’S

nificent figures he had seen in front of the cigar
stores in New Haven. Where were all her feathers

and things—her red and yellow tunic, her gorgeous _

‘moccasins, her earrings and noserings and bracelets
‘and armlets and beads? Why, she was ju-u-u-ust as
- ragged and dirty!

All this and more Benny’s tone expressed when he
said: “ Why, you ain’t an /zjun, be you?”

“Well, I was. I ain’t nothing at all now. I ain’t
even a squaw, and they said they was going to make
a Christian on me. I was a Chetonquin.”

 

WIGWAM.

I hid behind a big tree and watched it. When
I saw my father shot I started to go to him and a
shot struck me. See there!” said she, pushing up
her coarse gray locks: and showing a deeper, wider
seam than the creases and wrinkles on her face.
“A bullet grazed me hard and I was stunned and
blinded with the blood, and couldn’t run, but my
people had to. They didn’t any on ’em see or know
about me, I s’pose, and I laid there and sorter went
to sleep. Colonel Hammerton took a notion to pick
me up when he rode over the ground he had soaked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEY ENCOUNTER THE WITCH.

“Oh, yes,” said Benny, looking at her now with
the interest attaching to one who Aad worn the feath-
ers, and beads, and moccasins, and-rings. “ Well,
what did you do when the colonel told you to go
West?”

“ We had a fight.”

That was satisfactory to Benny. ‘ Which whip-
ped?” he asked, with his own native briskness, as if
this, now, was common ground, and he was ready to
talk at his ease.

“ Which a’most always whips > It was a hard fight.

with the blood of my people — ground that belonged ta
my people,” shrieked the woman, straightening herself
up and shaking her fists in the air. - =

Benny liked that. Even Fanny gazed at the strange
creature with fascination, And when the Indian’s
excitement abated and she ceased to mutter and chat-
ter to herself and sunk her face into her palms again,
gazing absently on the ground, Fanny pulled Benny’s
sleeve and whispered, “ Ask her what he did then,
after he picked her up.”

“ What did he do with you then?” ventured Benny.