Part 13 (1/2)

”Let me tell you a story now,” said Thomas Lincoln.

”Of course you will,” said Aunt Indiana. ”Thomas Lincoln never heard a story told without telling another one to match it; and Abe, here, is just like him. The thing that has been, is, as the Scriptur' says.”

_AN ASTONISHED INDIAN._

”Well,” said Thomas Lincoln, ”I hain't no faith at all, elder, in Injuns. I once knew of a woman in Kentuck, in my father's day, who knew enough for 'em, and the way that she cleared 'em out showed an amazin'

amount of spirit. Women was women in Daniel Boone's time, in old Kentuck. The Injuns found 'em up and doin', and they learned to sidle away pretty rapid-like when they met a sun-bonnet.

”Well, as I was sayin', this was in my father's time. The Injuns were prowlin' about pretty plenty then, and one day one of 'em came, all feathers and paint, and whoops and prancin's, to a house owned by a Mr.

Daviess, and found that the man of the house was gone.

”But the wimmin-folks were at home--Mrs. Daviess and the children. Well, the Injun came on like a champion, swingin' his tommyhawk and liftin'

his heels high. The only weapon that the good woman had was a bottle of whisky.

”Well, whisky is a good weapon sometimes--there's many a man that has found it a slow gunpowder. Well, this woman, as I was sayin', had her wits about her. What do you think that she did?

”Well, she just brought out the whisky-bottle, and held it up before him--_so_. It made his eyes sparkle, you may be sure of that!

”'Fire-water,' said she, 'mighty temptin'.

”'Ugh!' said the Indian, all humps and antics and eyes.

”Ugh! Did you ever hear an Injun say that--'Ugh?'

”'Have some?' said she.

”Have some? Of course he did.

”She got a gla.s.s and put it on the table, and then she uncorked the bottle and _handed_ it to him to pour out the whisky. He lost his wits at once.

”He set down his gun to pour out a dram, all giddy, when Mrs. Daviess seized the shooter and lifted it up quick as a flash and pointed to his head.

”'Set that down, or I'll fire! Set that bottle down!'

”The poor Injun's jaw dropped. He set down the bottle, looked wild, and begged for his life.

”'Set still,' said she; and he looked at the whisky-bottle and then slunk all up in a heap and remained silent as a dead man until Mr.

Daviess came home, when he was allowed to crawl away into the forest. He gave one parting look at the bottle, but he never wanted to see a white woman again, I'll be bound.”

”You ridicule the Indian for his love of whisky,” said the Tunker, ”but who taught him to love it? Woe unto the world because of offenses.”

”h.e.l.lo!” said John Hanks, starting up. ”Here comes Johnnie Kongapod again, from the Illinois. I like to see any one from Illinois, even if he is an Indian. I'm goin' there myself some day. I've a great opinion of that there prairie country--hain't you, elder?”

”Yes, it is a garden of wild flowers that seems as wide as the sky. It can all be turned into green, and it will be some day.”

Aunt Indiana greeted the Indian civilly, and the Tunker held out his hand to him.

”Elder,” said Aunt Indiana, ”I must tell you one of my own experiences, now that Johnnie Kongapod has come--the one that they bantered me about over to the smithy. Johnnie and I are old friends. I used to be a kind of travelin' preacher myself; I am now--I go to camp-meetin's, and I always do my duty.