Part 8 (1/2)
At this there was a great laugh, for Sah it were an ordeal of great solemnity There was a lot of fun and pleasantry for the next hour or so a people, while the older ones were busy looking afterto the feast Frank and Alec entertained the young ladies' friends with the latest news that had come in by the Christmas packet Sam, with Wenonah and Roderick, played all sorts of pranks all over the house
When later arrivals caravely kissed, not only the elderly ladies of the party, but also the beautiful young maidens, Alec and Frank's faces were studies that very ht it was going to be pistols and coffee for four, and may I be there to see the fun”
As the tender passion had not yet struck him, he could thus afford to be amused at the ebullitions of jealousy that rolled so o hearts of the chums ”Black as thunderclouds were their faces,”
he said, ”as they saw these sweet young ladies, whom they in their callow affections would already whollythe day”
”How do you like 'O-jimmy-catch-the-cow' day, or whatever you call it?”
he said to Frank, as he saw hi at a Hudson Bay officer who had just kissed his sweetheart
”I don't like it at all,” Frank replied, with gritted teeth
”You mean you don't like it for other folks,” replied Saood judge, especially when you so lovingly displayed your osculatory skill on the sweet lips of peerless Rachel, who of a Hudson Bay Coht him,” said Frank, and his hot breath and clinched lists showed that he would have loved to pitch in just then
”No, you will not,” said Sah you are, you are too yhter But, Frank, I will give you a bit of coave you her sweet lips to kiss, she only turned her rosy cheek to all the other fellows, lish, 'I'll punch your 'ead for you'”
Here Sam's advice, helpful and needed as it was, abruptly ended, as everybody was sureat feast Frank was happy once again, as he was selected to take in his sweet Rachel, while Alec had her younger sister, Winnie, as his partner Much to his delight, Sam came in with Wenonah and Roderick Indeed, they were alreat feast and hoas enjoyed by all we have written in other volumes Suffice to say that there was abundance for all In addition, great bundles of food, with packages of tea and sugar, were sent to every sick or aged or feeble person, with loving good wishes of all The feast was pronounced a great success At the evening athered, with the chief in the chair, and where many speeches were delivered by the eloquent ones of the village, it was observed that aratitude to their kind, loving missionary and his family, and to the other white friends, in every address
It was also noticed that hts, saw in all these blessings that had coood hand of the Great Spirit, their heavenly Father, and so to hirateful prayers ascended, and the ”
Winter Adventures of Three Boys--by Egerton R Young
CHAPTER NINE
THE INDIAN SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS--THE PRIZES--nobLE INDIAN BOYS--THE SKATES TO KEPASTICK--THE VARIOUS SPORTS--FOOT RACES--THE SKATING RACE-- TRICKY CLERK OUTWITTED--FRANK AND KEPASTICK TIE AS WINNERS--FOOTBALL-- HOCKEY
The day for the examinations and sports at the mission school arrived in due tih it was rees below zero But nobody now s, or mists, or damps, and the dry, steady cold is always eable weather in any land Everybody invited was present, and so the day's full program ell carried out
Mr McTavish, a chief factor in the Hudson Bay Company's service and the chief officer at the Norway House trading post, presided at the school exaan promptly at nine o'clock The schoolhouse was packed with the children and their friends, except the large platform at the upper end of the schoolrooasta-weekee and the trading posts and mission
The children were first exalish In their own language they used the syllabic characters, invented and perfected by the Reverend James Evans, the founder of this mission These syllabics, as their name indicates, each represent a syllable The result is there is no spelling, and just as soon as a pupil, young or old, has once ins to read Three weeks or a month is considered quite sufficient tience to read fluently
Mr Evans was several years in perfecting this invention He begged from the traders the sheet lead that is found around the tea in tea chests Then,little bars of this lead, he carved out his first type His first paper was made out of birch bark His first press he made hieon oil Many were his difficulties and discouragements, but he triumphed over the in their own language the word of God
The whole Bible, with soriress_,” ”_The Path of Life_,” and others, have been translated and printed in these syllabic characters The old Indians prize the to note that, just as soon as the younger Indians understand English and get to be able to read in it, they prefer it to their own language and books
The exaraphy were rather limited It could not have been otherwise in such a place All were, however, delighted with the splendid exah in Bible history The Indians have wonderful hted all with their knowledge of events from the creation down, and the accuracy hich they could quote long portions of the sacred book The writing also won a great many complimentary remarks fro white people could havethat they were uttered in a foreign tongue The singing was delightful The children sang in the two languages, and the soft, sweet, liquid Cree did not suffer in pathos and beauty in colish Of course, a nuiven A beautiful incident occurred when the prizes for the best recitations of the fourteenth chapter of Saint John's gospel were being distributed A the competitors was a poor lad hen a babe, had been so bitten in the hand and arm by a wolf that the ar with hiht boys The chief prize was a splendid pair of new skates, which Frank had generously given for this competition So even had been the boys, or rather so perfect were they in reciting, that the judges hesitated about selecting the winner of the first prize When the boys ell, and unmaimed, observed this there was a short, quiet consultation between the Mr Mctavish, said that the boys who had two hands, as well as two feet, hadsport and fun than Kepastick, who had only one hand, and so they asked hies decide that Kepastick should have the skates noble fellows! but that is just like young Christian Indian boys The white people present were much moved by this beautiful incident of quiet unselfishness, and soon arranged that those kind-hearted lads should not go unrewarded
By twelve o'clock the most successful examination of the school, up to that time, was over The prizes were distributed, and while all the white people, as was customary, accepted the e, the Indians sped away hoain, to compete in or to witness the sports