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
All on a market day,
And she fell asleep
On the king’s highway.”
Now do you read about the peddler, brother. Mother used to say there
was a naughty word in it.”
“I will,” cried the youth, eagerly; but he paused and looked
steadfastly at the picture before him.
“Why don’t you read?” asked Mary, endeavouring to confine his thoughts
to the childish employment.
“That’s a pretty _skin_, ain’t it?” said he, pointing to the red shawl
painted on the picture.
“_Skin_!” said Mary; “why, that’s her shawl, brother.”
“I’ll steal one for my squaw,” said he.
“_Steal_, brother!” said the trembling girl.
“No I won’t, either, sister—don’t you know mother says we must never
steal, nor tell stories, nor say bad words.”
“That’s right, brother. But you haven’t got an ugly _squaw_, have you?”
“No indeed, sister, that I haven’t!”
“I thought you wouldn’t have any thing to do with the ugly squaws.”
“That I wouldn’t—mine’s a pretty one.”
“Oh, heaven!” cried the weeping girl, throwing herself on her brother’s
bosom. He kissed her, and strove to comfort her, and turned to the book
and continued to turn over the leaves, while Mary sat by in sadness,
but ever and anon replying to his childish questions, and still
striving to keep him thus diverted.
“Have you any of the clothes you wore when he was a child?” asked
Glenn, addressing Roughgrove.
“Yes,” replied the old man; and seizing upon the thought, he unlocked
the trunk that contained them, and put them on.
“Where’s mother?” suddenly asked the young chief.
“Oh, she’s dead!” said Mary.
“Dead? I know better!” said he, emphatically.
“Indeed she is, brother,” repeated Mary, in tears.
“When did she die?” he continued, in a musing attitude.
“A long time ago—when you were away,” said she.
“I wasn’t gone away long, was I?” he asked, with much simplicity.
“Oh, very long—we thought you were dead.”
“He was a very bad Indian to steal me away without asking mother. But
where’s father? Is he dead, too?” he continued, lifting his eyes and
beholding Roughgrove attired in a suit of velvet, and wearing broad
silver knee buckles. “Father! father!” he cried, eagerly clasping the
old man in his arms.
“My poor boy, I will be your father still!” said Roughgrove.
“I know you will,” said the youth, “for you always loved me a great
deal, and now that my poor mother’s dead, I’m sure you will love sister
and me more than ever.”
“Indeed I will, poor child! But you must not go back to the naughty
savages any more.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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