Big and Little Sisters: A Story of an Indian Mission School
Page 6
CHAPTER VI.
Cordelia Running Bid held her clothes about her with one hand, steeringwith her feet, and reached the flats in safety. She arose and stoodstill and looked toward the river to a space of open water on the nearside of a sandbar, half way over.
She took a few steps forward rather slowly, then her pace quickened moreand more, till she was running breathlessly, as if in fear of losing herresolve to carry out some plan she was intent upon.
In rushing through a hollow lined with willow trees she slipped andalmost lost her footing, and in struggling to regain it she released herhold upon a well-filled gingham bag which she had hid beneath her coatand dropped it on the ground. She picked it up and hung it by thedraw-string on her arm, but with this interruption of her headlongcourse there came a corresponding halt of purpose. So she turned asideand walked a few yards down the hollow, where she found a log on whichto seat herself.
Presently she murmured in the passive monotone of a despairing Indiangirl: "Just like I have to stop and think before I do it. If I drownthe blue dress and the black shoes and stockings and the red dress andthe brown shoes and stockings, I can write to Hannah Straight Tree, forshe will not let me speak to her: 'Now you see I truly am not vain, forI have put the Christmas clothes for Susie in my workbag, and a stone,so it would sink, and I have drowned them in the airhole in the middleof the river.'
"But again that would be bragging," was her puzzled afterthought. "Justlike Jesus is not helping me one bit, for very fast I went and boughtthe brown shoes and stockings after I had prayed to stop being vain.And the teachers looked so sorry, and I was ashamed to tell the whitemother. Everything I say and do is vain and bragging, and I cannotthink hard enough to help it. My tongue bragged about Dolly andLucinda's hair ribbons to the little girls, and my feet bragged aboutthe issue shoes, I stuck them out so far. And when the girls made funof me I did not pull the shoes back, for I wanted them to think I wasnot scared, but sorry. I was truly trying to try hard, but I was tryingthe wrong way. Now my pencil will be bragging if it tells HannahStraight Tree I have drowned the things."
Cordelia sat in troubled thought while the pink and golden colors of thesunset faded from the sky above the bluffs and the wind sighed throughthe hollow.
"The white mother says it is not right to even waste a pin, and manynice things that have cost much money would be wasted if I drowned them.I shall look at them and think again what I can do."
She drew the contents from the bag and spread them on her lap. Firstshe gave attention to the little blue dress she had helped to make atthe expense of many play hours.
She drew the contents from her bag and spread them onher lap.]
"Emma Two Bears made the waist so nice and said she would not take onething for pay, but I made her take a shell necklace that was verypretty; but I did not care for it myself, it was so Indian-minded. Emmais so generous. I wish I could be generous. If I should give the bluedress to Dolly, and the black shoes and stockings, just like I should besome generous. What if I should truly do it?" with a sudden interest inher tone. "She would look as pretty as the little schoolgirls then, andshe could motion Jack Frost, and Hannah and the others could not saySusie did not need the red dress and the brown shoes and stockings. Iam 'most sure Jessie Turning Heart will help me make the red dress, if Ibring the playroom wood for her, till we change work next month. Shehates to bring wood, for her foot gets cold, and then the sore bunchpinches her much worse. She is very fast and stylish making dresses,and she feather-stitches; and she says she is not cross at me. She saidone time she liked to sew so much, just like she would be getting up andsewing in her sleep. So I shall ask her to trade work.
"But Hannah Straight Tree says she hates light blue, for it makes acopper-colored Indian look much blacker; and she hates one tuck, andthere would have to be one, for the blue dress is too long for Dolly.And it smuts some, too, and is not soft and fine. Hannah would not wantit. She would say Susie looked much nicer in the red dress, and Dollyshould not motion Jack Frost in the blue one."
Cordelia put the blue dress and the black shoes and stockings back intothe bag, and spread the red cashmere across her lap and smoothed itlovingly.
"It feels so soft I like to rub it. Just the color of the one rose onthe white mother's window bush." She held it up, luxuriating in its warmred glow. "Ver-ry sw-e-et and pretty--and the brown shoes andstockings, too. I shall put them on the clean snow and look at them."
She spread the things on the hard white crust and viewed them withincreasing admiration. Suddenly she caught them up and hid them in herapron, for the sight of them was far too tempting; then she locked herhands together in her lap and sat so still a wood-mouse dared to leavehis hole beneath the log and frisk about her feet.
"The baby was so cross I could not play one bit the whole four weeks,"she said at length, in supplicating tones. "Just like I earned thedress so hard. I thought I did not care much for the Indian doll, butmy grandmother cannot make another, for she now has par-a-lay-sis in herhands--the doctor says it is. And I sold the Indian doll to get thebrown shoes and stockings. Dolly has a round face, and her eyes arepretty. Susie has a thin face, and she is a very little cross-eyed, soshe needs a prettier dress to look as nice as Dolly.
"But Lucinda cannot come to school if Dolly cannot, and she feels sosad. If Dolly's father saw her looking very pretty in a red dress and abrown shoes and stockings, just like he would feel so happier he wouldlet her come to school. Then Lucinda would be glad, and she would learnthe neat way, and they would grow Dolly more white-minded. The verse Iread yesterday was a King's Daughters' verse. Helen marked it--Annie,too.
"What if Annie should be looking down from up there,"--pointing to anewly glimmering star--"and speaking just like this: 'Dear Cordelia,these words I tell you--" It is more blessed to give than to receive."I would give the red dress and the brown shoes and stockings to thelittle girl named Dolly Straight Tree.'"
Cordelia looked another minute at the star.
"Of course Annie cannot speak those words up there, but she would liketo have me do it, and my father and my mother would not care, for Ishould tell them just like Annie thought I ought to; and they always letme do a thing I want to, anyhow.
"If an Indian likes another Indian very much he will give him a bigpresent. My father told an Indian man one time, 'I am your friend, so Ishall give you a pony.' And he did. And the Indian man told my father,'I am your friend, so I shall give you a steer.' And a white manlaughed and said it was a good trade. But the Indians did not laugh.They said my father and the other Indian were very generous.
"Now I have found the right way, and it makes me very happier, and Ishall not change my thoughts." in firm relief. "I shall do this kind:Till Dolly and Lucinda come I shall not say one word to any girl, oreven tell the white mother. Then Susie's best things I shall give toHannah Straight Tree in a way that will surprise her. Tokee! there ringsthe half-hour bell till supper, and I am down here, and it ismoonlight."
Cordelia hastily replaced the best things in the bag and scampered home.