The Log School-House on the Columbia

n upon a bench of split log and leaned upon his desk, which consisted of two split logs in a rough frame. A curious sch

bowery halls of old Cambridge; and this prophecy, which had come to him on the ba

ene and scholarly manner as he would

mstances," was one of his views of a well-clothed character; and this mor

at is always the best which will do the most good; all else is inferior. I shall first teach you to obey your sense of right in all th

things. I would impress these truths on your minds, and teach them at the beginning. I have become willing to be poor, and to walk life's ways alone. The pilot of the Argo never returned

t of the pupils could not comprehend all that he said any more than they had understood the allusion to the pilot of the Argo; but his manner was so

on you," he said, "and you are born to a higher de

the Argo, it was poetic mystery to them; and yet it filled them with a noble curiosity to know much and a desire to study hard, and t

not know half that he was saying; but it made me feel that I might be somebody, a

thing in this world. It is all like a lot of feathers thrown against the wind. Nevertheless it makes one happier to ha

e sides of the building were logs and sods, and the roof was constructed of logs and pine boughs. All of the childr

had grown cheerful again, but the bitter expression on the young Indian's face seemed to deepen in intensity. Mr. Mann saw it. To qu

nd English?"

I can tal

gon in Chinook is chick-chick, a clock is ding-ding, a crow is kaw-kaw, a duck, quack-quack, a laugh, tee-hee; the heart is tum-tum, and a talk or speech or sermon, wah-wah. The language was of English invention; it took

?" asked Mr. Mann, pointing t

x-t

is the l

o you

at the story of Cadmus to this druid of the forest or make a learned ta

nders

s the l

r be. Old woman no good; me punish he

turn that the young Indian's mind

I will teach

Boston tilicum, we will be brothers-you

t is

p wah-wah, bu

Try to remember them, and I will

wah

nn, doubtful of th

wah

es

wah-wah. She no good. Potlatch come; d

The hints of the evil intention of the Potlatch troubled him, but his fai

lish language. Her musical education had been received from a German uncle, who had been instructed by Herr Wieck, the father of Clara Schumann. He had been a great lover of Schumann's dreamy and spiritual music, and had taught her the young composer's pieces for children, and among them Romance and the Traumerei. He had taught

and Schiller delighted her. She had loved to read the strange stories of Hoffman, and the imaginative works of Baron Fouqué. She used to aspire to be an author or poe

or sleep, and the day was made for work. I haven't much to be proud of in this world. I've always been a terror to lazy people and to Inj

ssacre. She talked bravely and acted bravely according to her view of moral courage, but with a fearful heart. She dreaded the app

ol-house the next morning. Mr. Mann saw it, and instinctively felt the dark and mysteri

to me this morning

sympathetic eye of th

n music make me happy; you make me happy; night come, and I think of her-she hate Indian-shade. Me will have my revenge-pil-pil. She say I have no righ

friend to y

ilicum, we wil

be noble-like a king. You fel

oston t

the musi

oston t

r; that will make her feel g

ul look into the y

od to me. She say I no right here. The land belong to Umatilla. She m

be good; it ma

I think I will punish her not. Then dark thoughts come back again; clouds come again; hawks fly. What me do? Me am two selves; one self when

min. Be kind to her; mak

an hesitated,

nd. I'll do as I feel when the

ver the Rhine. The rhythm of the music picturing the heroic cavalry enchanted Benjamin, and he said: "Play it over again." After the music came a foot-race among

is calm mood fled. He l

again. She say I no business here;

n the boy's shoulder kindl

. "I will not speak till my good sel

at immovable. He was a noble picture of a struggle

Mrs. Woods cast a glance toward Benjamin, and said to the master in an undertone: "He's tame now-quiet as a purring cat. The cat don't lick cream when the folks are around. But

him to the quick. His black eye sparkled and his cheek burned. The scholars all seemed to be sorry at the impression th

anting sun and the dreamy afternoon glories of the glaciers, then moved silently out of the

my boy?" he said to the mas

trying to be good here," pointing to his hear

th his eye. In the departing forms he saw a picture of the disappearing race. He knew history well, and how it would repeat itself on the

he Hudson Bay Company established its posts on the west of the mountains, and Astoria had been planted on the great river, and settlers had gathered in the mountain-domed valley of the Willamette. Wherever

on. He was asking the Indian to be better than his opponent

simple doctrine of following only one's better self that he had taught to the young prince. But he well knew that she had not a teac

r spiritual progress and development. She often said that she felt "called to set things right, and not let two or three pe

silent and sullen, and the master went

d. "She suffer for it. She wah-wa

e a better

some

s good self never does evil. You are

silent for a time. He

know w

at, Be

r suffer

ho

Indian who wil

et him. You are

y. I no wa

until they tumbled off. He seemed perfectly happy when he was making the others happy, and nothing so delighted him as to be commended. He longed to be popular, not from any selfish reason, b

ittle black bear ventured down the trail toward the open door, stopping at times and lifting up its head curiously

he boys, a recent emigran

said the Indian boy

harmless kind so well known in the Northwest, and the bear turned and ran, while the Indian followed it to

return; and the spirit of the incident was go

ged the world to him. His father was a forest philosopher; the boy caught

olin so much?" said the

thing longed for-the

what i

w-something better-yonder-the thing we long for, but d

at something beyond his self of which he could only now have a dim conception, and about whic

. Mr. Mann found that he was giving more than the allotted time to him. To meet the case, he appointed

ss of the violin, and she was as pleased with the honor of such monitorial duties to the son of

fter school he caused it to be brought to the school-house, and, setting Gretchen upon it, he led it by the mane up the trail toward her home, a number of the pupils following th

u? That's what you are doing. Girl, get off that horse and come with me! That is the kind of propriety that they teach out in these parts, is it? and the master came from Harvard College, t

ointed, and looked more hurt than ever before. On the way he met his old father, who

pen door. Mr. Woods was at the block-house at Walla Walla, and the cabin was unprotected. The light was fading in the tall pines of the valleys, and there was a deep silence everywhere, undisturbed b

ing that disturbed her. She sat peering into a tract of trees which were some three hundre

are Injuns in t

ked out, but

dows de

g from tree to tree and hiding.

of the pines appeared and d

y would not hide. Gretc

down the rifle from the side of the room, and l

re coming toward the house, passing from one tree to another. They mean

more and more excited became Mrs. Woods's apprehensions. Gretchen began to cry, through nervou

drew the bow across the strings, making them shriek as with p

shadow of death? I don't know but

rain quivered, rose and descended,

It is growing darker. Play on. It does seem as though t

, and the moon rose. Then she l

rm. It is Benjamin. He is coming alone. Wha

which had belonged to her old German home. She had tuned them early in the evening by pouring water into them, as she

ods are all

aid Mrs. Woods. "He

mbling nerves of Gretchen's fingers gave a spirit of pathetic pleading to the old German for

oving back toward the pines. He has changed his

hile the other slept, by turns, during the night. But no footstep was heard. The midsummer sun blazed over the pines in the early mo

there. He met her

hear music-violin; he be pleased-evil hawks fly out of him. Good Indian come back. One is tied to the other. One no let the other g

ng. No devil dance. Say, I have been good; no harm old wah-wah. Will

ace congress. Gretchen saw the plan in part, but did not fully comprehend it. She could only see that his life h