Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter

the forest

the berri

s we'll ch

kets are spark

pectable landed property. Arthur made an indulgent, good husband, and Martha soon became too much confined by the cares of a rising family, for any practice of the teasing coquetry which had characterized her girlhood. She seconded her husband in all

dded something to her husband's possessions. Several hundred acres of cleared land were purchased beside that which he inherited from his fathe

e, though a great deal stouter than when a girl, and the mother of six children, had lost none of

y belonged to some one of her younger children. A cheese-press, with a rich heavy mass of curd compressed between the screws, occupied one side of the porch; and against it stood a small double flax-wheel, unbanded, and with a day's work yet unreeled

rass for awhile, shading her eyes with her hand and looking toward the woods, she at last returned to the porch, laid down her work, and entering the kitchen, filled the tea-kettle and began to make preparations for supper. She had drawn a long pine-table to the middle of the floor, and

nd a cloud of smoke was curling beautifully up from the roof among the trees. We could not tell what to make of it, and were afraid to look in at first; but finally I peeped through an opening in the logs, and as true as you are here, mother, there sat an Indian woman reading-reading, mother! did you know that Indians could read? The inside of the wigwam was hung with straw matting, an

d harmless; so I made an excuse to go

stood on a little bench by the trunk of an oak-tree, close by. I must have made some noise, for the Indian woman was looking toward the door when I opened it, as if she were a

in my face, as if she would have looked me through; at last she sat down on the grass by the spring, and asked me to sit down by her and tell her my name. When I tol

acelet to you, before you were married to my father.

r face; great tears were rolling one by one down her cheeks, her hands were locked in her lap, and her eyes were fixed upon my face with a stran

full of turf, huddled together, and staring at the poor woman as if they had never seen a person c

" inquired Mrs. Jones who had become i

more sweet and mournful than it had been, and her eyes looked heavy and troubled. She

s hand. They were of neatly dressed deer-skin, co

hat the poor creature and her child were lost in the Highlands-that they died of hunger? Well, Sarah," she added, turning to her

ld me to com

dy through the porch, flourishing their straw hats and swinging their

w do you do, Miss Jones? Oh, mother, I wish you could a see

augh that rang through the house, lik

nothing but tease and make fun of me all the

pulling his sister's sleeve, and looking with eyes full of saucy mi

ll off!" exclaimed the mother, with a slight motion of the hand, wh

ng his hands to his ears and running off to a corner, where he

s, making a step forward and doing her utmost to get up a frown,

ght to cuff her ears for not answerin

culprit. Mrs. Jones bit her lips and turned away, leaving the boy as usual, victor of the field. "He isn't worth mindin

e alone, Mrs. Jones sat down and

lking about you to-day. You are almost sixteen, and can spin your day's work with any girl in the settlement. You

ms round her mother's neck and kissing her yet handsome mouth with joy at the information it

, it will be as much as we expect. Eighteen is quite young enough.

l run down to the store and thank him. But, mother," she added, turning back from the door, "was there really any harm in talking

silly you are to let t

see her again

o supper; run out and cut the bread. You mu

grounds about her father's house. If a day or two passed in which illness or some other cause prevented her usual visit, she was sure to receive some token of remembrance from the lone Indian woman. Now, it reached her in the form of a basket of ripe fruit, or a bu

he inhabitant of the wigwam, even though she did not

ted baskets for sale, her manner was apprehensive and timid as that of a child. She never sat down, and seldom entered any dwelling, preferring to sell her merchandise in the open air, and using as few words as possible in the transaction. She was never seen to be angry, and a sweet patient smile always hovered about her lips when she spoke. In her face there was more th

ther was a kind-hearted worldly woman, strongly attached to her family, but utterly devoid of those fine susceptibilities which make at once the happiness and the misery of so many human beings. But all the elements of an intellectual, delicate, and high-so

tle except mere accomplishments for her to learn. Her mind had become vigorous by a constant intercourse with the beautiful things of nature. All the latent properti

ows in the train of civilization, had trod with her the wild-beautiful scenery of the neighborhood. They had breathed the pure air of the mountain together, and wa

life, had imbibed creeds and shackled her spirit down with the opinions and traditions of other minds, nor dreamed that the love of God may sometimes kindle in the human heart, like fire flashing up from an altar-stone; and again, may expand gradually to the influe

xceeding beauty, and to cultivate those qualities that struck her as so worthy in her wild-wood friend. Thus Sarah attained a refinement of the soul which no school could have given her, and no superficial gloss could ever conceal or d