A Timid Brave; The Story of an Indian Uprising

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE PUBLIC COUNCIL. To be sure, there was one recourse. The Government provided a physician for the tribe. He had his headquarters up at the Agency, and was usually very willing to prescribe for patients brought to his office. He had, however, shown himself very reluctant to visit the sick in distant parts of the reservation. Money could overcome this reluctance, but with this powerful inducement the members of the tribe were poorly provided. Would he ride all the way to Noah's home to see little Wattena ? It would do no harm to ask him; and evidently something must be done immediately, or the little babe would die. I must milk the cow first, Noah said, laying little Wattena tenderly into his wife's arms. Hear her bellow ! It would not do to let the poor thing suffer. Then, too, Wattena may want milk before I am back. I will send the doctor to you immediately. He shall hiive the bay pony, if he will not come otherwise. I cannot be back to you until after the council. I pray Wakanda that our little babe may be spared to us. He stooped and kissed the fevered cheeks, and laid his hand gently on his wife's head, and then went out. Iie took a melancholy pleasure in placing a pail full of milk in the little kitchen, that it might be handy if the child needed it; and then, mounting his fresh pony, he started up to the Agency. There was one consideration upon which Noah placed much weight. Both he and the doctor were members of the church. With the Indian this profession was made in real earnestness. He knew very little of the intricacies of theology, and would have been completely puzzled if he had been required to define his faith; but, in his simplicity of heart, he was trusting to the mercy of the great Wakanda, as shown in the death of His Son. He...