Wild Western Scenes: A Narrative of Adventures in the Western Wilderness, Wherein the Exploits of Daniel Boone, the Great American Pioneer are Particularly DescribedJones, J. B. (John Beauchamp)
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Wild Western Scenes: A Narrative of Adventures in the Western Wilderness, Wherein the Exploits of Daniel Boone, the Great American Pioneer are Particularly Described
Jones, J. B. (John Beauchamp)
Boone, Daniel, 1734-1820 -- Fiction; Western stories; Wilderness areas -- Fiction
“Silence!” said Glenn, sternly. For many minutes not a word was spoken.
At length Mary, who had been sobbing, raised her head and looked
tenderly in the face of her brother. Still he regarded her with
indifference. She then seized the toy-drum, which with the other
articles had been thrust out of view, and placed them before him. When
his eyes rested upon them; the severe and wild expressions of his
features again relaxed. The young war-chief was a child again. He
abandoned his seat and sat down on the floor beside his sister. Looking
her guilelessly in the face, an innocent and boyish smile played upon
his lips.
“You won’t go away again and leave your poor sister; will you,
William?” said Mary.
“No, indeed. And when the Indians come we’ll run away and go to mother,
won’t we, Mary?” said the youth, in a complete abandonment of time and
condition.
“He _is_ restored—restored at last!” exclaimed Roughgrove, walking
across the room to where the brother and sister sat. The youth sprang
to his feet, and darted a look of defiance at him. “Oh! wretched man
that I am! the murderous savages have converted the gentle lamb into a
wolf!” Roughgrove then repeated his words to the youth in the Osage
language. The youth replied in the same language, his eyes flashing
indignantly. He said it was not true; that the red man was great and
noble, and the pale face was a beast—and added that he had another
tomahawk and bows and arrows in his own country, and might see the day
when this insult would be terribly resented. The old man sank down on
his rude seat, and gave way to excruciating grief.
“Brother William!” cried Mary, tapping the drum. The youth cast down
his eyes to where she sat, and their fierceness vanished in a
twinkling. She placed the toy in his possession, and rose to bring some
other plaything she remembered.
“Sister, don’t go—I’ll tell mother!” cried the youth, in infantile
earnestness.
“I’ll come back presently, brother,” said Mary, tripping across the
room and searching a trunk.
“Make haste—but I’m not afraid—I’ll frighten all the Indians away.”
Saying this, he rattled the drum as rapidly as possible.
“See what I’ve got, brother,” said Mary, returning with a juvenile
book, and sitting down close at his side. He thrust the drum away, and,
laughing heartily, placed his arm round his sister and said: “Mother’s
got _my_ book; but you’ll let me look at yours, won’t you, sister?”
“Yes that I will, brother—see, this is the little old woman, and
there’s her dog—”
“Yes, and there’s the peddler,” cried the youth, pointing at the
picture.
“Now can’t you read it, brother?”
“To be sure I can—let me read:
“‘There was a little woman
As I have heard tell,
She went to market
Her eggs for to sell.’
“See! there she goes, with a basket on her arm and a cane in her hand.”
“Yes, and here she is again on this side, fast asleep, and her basket
of eggs sitting by her,” said Mary; “now let me read the next:
“‘She went to market,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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