Injun and Whitey to the Rescue

sett, Buck Higgins, and Shorty Palmer; all old friends and true, who could dispute and quarrel with

all I don't know 'bout 'em you c'd w

ave no finger-nails,"

d Bill. "But you c'd writ

s, no hummin'-bird ain't goin' t' stay stil

independent as a hog on ice,' or 'dead as a door nail.' Ev'body knows them things ain't independent or

reed. "You ain't in no ways hampered by facts.

was about t' d'rect th' conversation in them chan

"Don't pertend that Shorty, nor th' whole United

n' gone, you know, Mr. Sherwood writes me that Injun an' Whitey is t' go to school over to th' Forks. So on my way back from drivin' John t' th' Junction I sto

matrimoney to Sid Gilman till one day they was ridin' t'gether, an' Sid's cayuse slips into a gopher

u c'n talk you'd be a mighty poor risk for a insurance comp'ny. Nev' mind this

sponds? That there ain't nothin' doin' with Injun. That Whitey, bein' a paleface, is entitled t' absorb all th' knowledge he c'n hold, but that Injun, be

hem words?" demand

she knew 'em by heart. Must 'a' bin some ci

n' him bein' allowed t' learn folks in some Eastern high school, an' that there Jennie Adams, what don't

said. "Th' reason for it is that th' cemetery o' learnin' where John's goin' t' teach is a private i

arkiss?" inte

od as th' scholards at Jennie's emporium. Take that potato-faced brother Jim of hers, f'r instance, that's a

ut it sounded impressive, and served to vent his feelings against a law which affected

both the bad and the good in the red men, and the bad and the good in the white men of that day and that country, the reasons were not founded o

ms? He knows 'tain't right, same as we do, an' he thinks to himself, 'Here's another thing I got t' put up with, an' if I rare up an' make a row 'bout it, I'll get th' wuss of it, as my people always has. So what

e. "Well, Injun may think that," he said. "But whatever he thinks you

st us folks," Bill Jordan said. "But with th

iggins. "Who ever heard

pow-wows they're reg'lar orators. Ev'body knows that what's had a lot t' do with 'em, same as me. John

a great advantage it would be to John Big Moose

inued Bill. "He's rather jerky now 'count of his not knowin' our langwidge very well, for one thing, an'

ething the other fellow couldn't answer; and if he couldn't do that, to go away before the other could think of an answer. We all have known boys or men of this sort, and, being human, we don't like t

h' idee of gettin' us t' think you're a pretty wise feller. Now, all this you've bin tellin' us 'bout Injuns

s appealed to,

e it?" asked Bill, thu

rmore I'll betcha a can of peaches or a apple pie for eac

g of apple pies, and Bill considered the matter. Moreover, his reputation was at stake, and th

aid, "but there's two condi

a name," s

at Injun's gotta

iends," Charlie s

F'r instance, if I asks him what he thinks 'bout bein' barred out o' that there school, I don't promise he'll tell me right out. He may spr

s," Charlie agreed,

house that night, the night of the last day of Whitey's freedom from school. As it was early, no doubt the boys would soon app

er night, which was still and very dark. Presently a faint light flickered across

mountains," vo

the reflection of the northern lightning. The former rumble was succeeded by a more distinc

min' this way,"

at shamed the oil lamps, and, so fast that it almost might be said to trip on the

s sure comes downhil

vivid, bluish-green flashes to which the thunder responded in an almost constant cannonading. The door opened, and Injun and Whitey

s," said Bill, when the door was closed. "Seems t' back

anyway," gasped Whitey

ring torrent sounded on the walls and roof and hiss

he gale's force, fell straight in a steady tattoo on the roof. Then it passed, and a slighter coolness of the

lks' money; comes hard and g

uicker's more like it,"

horty. "Not that I have t' tell yo

rlie's wager, with the object of it, Injun, sitting on a cracker box and gazing solemnly at nothing in particular. The other men all

-morrow, Whitey?" Bill bega

tey replie

o' disappointin', their barrin

a grin as he ever showed to the world.

him fail to make Injun talk, and this didn't make Bill any more easy in his mind. It may have been pleasing to him to have worked up a reputation for knowing more than the others, but this reputation

nce. "Tell us a story

you an' Injun come, an' how they is apt t' be unjust, 'specially in th' way o' makin' la

is for one body of people to understand and sympathize with another, and about that sayin', 'Ma

ill. "My father was a

cksmith, wa'n't he, Bil

ur

way o' sense if he'd talked 'bout man's u

, 'cause they ain't never bin rightly in tune with each other, an' that's another way o' sayin' they ain't bin in symp'thy. An' th' only way they could get that way would be t' tell, outspoke, what they thinks o'

, that could be heard distinctly by everybody. "Bill's like one o' them big express trains you see at

hat was supposed to be an expression of brotherly frankness on his face. "Just

h," he grunted. "Mebbe so

bad 'mongst 'em, but I mean t' stack 'em

Mebbe some good,

onest," he said, "don't you think your people are underdogs in these here conditions th

Him see straight," Inj

had been treated very fairly by Mr. Sherwood, Whitey's father. That largely through the influence of Mr. Sherwood, aided and abetted by John Big Moose, the educated

stice to his kind. It was something induced by the stillness of the night, following the storm. Thoughts of another night, when Injun was not in a long, narrow bunk-house room, surrounded by boot

s of others. Bill might talk and talk of justice and injustice, or about cows or cartridges; Injun's mind

r line of argument that would induce Injun to speak at length. Whitey, who knew Injun better than any one else, was l

m clock that was Wong's special property, on which he relied to give him his three a.m. call to get the

when everything quick is in hole; when Great Spirit he make sign and everybody him sleep-then I hear my papa tell story about my mamma's

lk Indian talk, just like Sioux. My mamma's brother friend him work for army; him wat

y White Chief he no tell what he see. My mamma's brother he say no: White Chief, with much ribbon on clothes, have crooked tong

e face of his father, a great story-teller of a race of great story-tellers; a survivor of the age-old days when the deeds and legends of all men were made history by the voice alon

chiefs of the tribe assembled in conclave in their council tent. And before these chiefs, who sat as a sort of jury, appeared the young men of the tribe. And each youn

pole hung a number of rawhide thongs. Through the breast or back of each young brave two slits were cut, and a stick or skewer was passed through them, and a thong tied to each end of the skewer. Then the braves danced around the pole, leaning back and supporting their weight on the skewer, an

other he tell how him ride on prairie and see two white men. Him ride to them quick to show him friend. White men say Injun bad. White men shoot at my mamma's bro

amma's brother friend him say to White Chief, 'You see now why you no

say, 'No, Injun

o back

ar light, slaty gray that have a staring effect; apparently no depth to them. These, with heavy overhanging brows and an inclination

on my way back from th' Junction. Th' railroad hands got paid, to-day, an

ll Jordan murmured to him

e of the feeling. It was characteristic of him, for one thing, that he had no nickname. In a country where almost every one's nam

hake off the moisture that clung to his boots,

m Walker. "You was just at

k calmly. Then he returned, sat down and looked straight ahead of him. There was a pai

he said. "We're al

nothing. Bill Jordan began to show signs of

t' eat, Henr

at th' Cut," replied Dorgan, who, how

chen, an' rustle yourself

f I monkey with his

. G'wan, you don't want

an' coffee," Dorgan allo

iled, it seemed now to occur to everybody that it probably would be better to let him alone until he got in the mood again. Presently Whitey sa

ef do when he went back

im face looking at pony tail. My mamma's brother him lose much blood where stick break through chest. Him almost died

he hide his hands all the time, fingers so much bleed. Then when dark and no moon, him dig ou

r people, 'Now, we figh

dering and about to utter judgment. "Wh

luded. He rose and wal

n thunder d'ye s'pose that White Chief was?" he demand

Lonesome Charlie Reynolds, th' greatest scout what ever lived, was a great friend of th' Injuns, an' spoke their langwidge, an' seein' as how he was scout for General Terry, up at old Fort Bufor

rgument was leading, then went on excitedly: "We only have t' reason deflectively t' put ou

an' two hundred an' sixty-one o' their men was all wiped out. An' them Injuns kep' right on fightin' till '81, when John Gall, th' big Sioux Chief

chers get th' real cause o' th' whole rumpus, which them Washington folks has bin figurin' out for y

and the chain of circumstances which had led up to them. Then, as the impression made on Bill Jordan b

talk, an' do we get them

cornfully. "All you did was t' make

s start him thinkin' 'bout that bad White Chief hombre? An' didn't I get rid o' He

lieve none o' you made him talk," sa

Bill interrupted. "No feller c'

o its end I should have to write another book.