Reminiscences: Chapter 5

Reminiscences of Early Peoria
by Odillon B. Slane

Chapter 5
page 17

THE INDIAN AND THE BABY GIRL

ALL boys love to hear Indian stories and they love to play Indian, too. Why this is so I do not know, unless it is that the child mind trends to primitive conditions. Many an Indian story have I heard my father tell as I sat by the old home fireside. This one in particular always thrilled me. The Indians never knocked at the door of the white settler's home. They had not been taught such a custom. One day when the rest of the family was away, a sick woman lay in one of the little cabins on the river bank, and suddenly an Indian entered. He seemed to be partially intoxicated, and he demanded whiskey. The sick woman told him there was no whiskey in the house, but he still demanded whiskey and approached the bed in a threatening manner, reaching for the knife in his belt. The woman turned back the covers of the bed and showed him a tiny new baby only a few days old, sleeping by her side. The Indian looked down in wonder; "white papoose!" he exclaimed, and motioning to her to cover it up again, he tiptoed to the door and was gone. I know that this story is true, because that woman was my grandmother and the babe was my Aunt Jane Root, who died in Nebraska some years ago.

Chapter 4 Chapter 6

Any contributions, corrections, or suggestions would be deeply appreciated!