THE GRASSHOPPER TRUST.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12849, 6 July 1907, Page 6

THE GRASSHOPPER TRUST.

Br Wkurrat Scott Habhu.. Doad-Snake-Come-to-Life transferred tho piece of Government tripe from the tin plate to his mouth, and, with a few preliminary jaw contortions, did the ewallowing act. After which he rubbed hie stomach with a contented grunt, and regarded the agent who had just entered, with a complacent stare inviting speech. "I have come " began the Agent. "Sit!" said Dead-Snake-Come-to-Life pointing to a wooden bench in the corner of the room. The Agent accepted this mark if food breeding and deposited hie two undred pounds of avoirdupois in the middle of the long bench —he always took the middle of everything, when Eβ could get it. "I have come," resumed the Agent, "to settle up that little land affair. You say you will take five acres of improved land and sign the papers? I will give you five acres providing you will accept any piece in the reservation that I cnoose to allot. Here are the papers, now eign if you want to make tho trade." Tho old Indian hitched his pants end looked thoughtful for a moment. He had just dined and the world seemed good to him, he waen't particular about terms so long as he had a piece of land on which to erect his tepee, do a little truck farming, and provide for his 6guaw and papooses. That wae better than hie interest in an unimproved section, and ho accepted the Agent's terms and made hie cross in the presence of witnesses. The Agent smiled, folded and pocketed tho paper, flien walked away. Dead-Snake-C'onie-to-Life watched the white man until ho disappeared around the corner of a neighbouring shack near tho depot where the puffing engine was backing freight cars into a switch. Then Che Indian leisurely arose and walked out to view his la to acquired possessions. Ho knew the north, couth, and west boundary lines, for the agent had explained it to him, and also that the land extended east to a red stake driven in the ground. He rubbed hie stomach in anticipation as he walked toward the west line, but hie countenance fell when he foun dthe corner stakes, one on each eido of a fence. Hie land wae all long, and no wide; and the improvements were the fence which ran tho entire length. His land wae juet one foot wide, six inches on each side of tho fence, a wire fence at that. "Ugh! white man lioap cheat!" muttered the old Indian as he gazr- , -<ofully at the situation. He ■ 1 dazed, and at a Ices to find r words in any language that gui .c----prcssrd his feeling*. Hβ finally roGorted to silence, and meditations of revenge. Tho next day when Dead-Snake-Como-to-Lifo met the agent in their casual dealings, his demeanour was stiff politeness. Nothinc more, but in the left corner of his drooping eye thero was an occasional flash ac of a tiny spark; just as a volcano will throw out little shoots as i preliminary to something of more consequence. The eeason wore on, the fall cam©, and with it tho great Railroad striko, in which all the roads were tied tip. There were no supplies for the Indian camp, and they were already on short rations. What was to be done, or how Mion the strike would end, nobody knew. One thing was certain, they must havo something to ©at. Up to this, tho Indians had fared bettor than the few white men at the reservation; for the Indians could eat locusts, of which there was a eupply. In fact, grasshoppers seemed about the only crop that the lend produced, and it was overrun with them. Dead-Snake-Come-to-Life viewed the situation. He heard the Agent say: "No more Government supplies until the strike is over." He figured out that locusts would be in demand, and decided to lay in a eupply. He did. He also mac a discovery. Hie fence, a fine wire affair, wae a locust-caiteher. All he had to do was to drive them np against the fence where they got tangled; and then he would bag them. He thought it just as well to do this all by himself, he and his subordinates, and did not take tho white men into his confidence. It leaked out, however, and the Apent knew that old was laying in supplies of locusts on the quiet. He has reason to believe that this wan a wise precaution, and that the Indian's intuition wae. at times, almost infallible. In fact tne Agent felt very uneasy, for ho, himself wae redncod to eating locjste. They wasn't bad, the way the Indians fixed them, and they sometimes ate them raw; but «till they were grasshoppers, and it was humiliating to say the least. The drought came along with the strike, and the grasshoppers died, there were no more to be had, except what the wire fence had caught, and that wae a secret. When the agent put <>n a long face, old Dead-Snake-Cbme-to-Life rubbed hie satisfied stomach and smiled. He knew. One day the chief had a visitor in hie cabin. It was the Agent. ' I hear that yon have a eupply of locuste cached somewhere around here. I want them," began the latter with a braggadocio air that he didn't feel. "Urn! locuste good,' , commented the chief, eyeing hie gu«rt. "Can I have some? If you don't give them up you 11 be made to, you know." Dead !-»Snake-Oome-to-Life knew very trell that there were more than 100 Indians ready to take up the tomahawk at the word, and only about a dozen white men, and the Agent knew that the Indian knew. "Of course," said the Agent, witn a eiokly hue tattling over his rotund face, "the Government will pay well for your locusts. How much do yon want for, cay. tw-enty-fivo large ones?" 'Eighteen dollars, , peremptorily do-

manded the chief, -with a ely rub at hie abdomen* . , » "Eighteen dollars!" fairly •oreaxnad the Agent, ac he realised to what ixt«nt he wu 'up againet it." "Eighteen dollars is too much. I'll pay you two dollars and a half—" The red man didn't more an eyeueb at the offer; he simply grinned, an exasperating iVe-got-you-now sort of grin. It maddened the white man, and he would hare liked to do things, but. as it was, ho smothered hie wrath, and —paid the eighteen dollars and took twenty-fire fat graa&hoppere." It eervud to keep life in the Reservation Orereeers until the next day. Then hunger drore the Agent back to the plutocrat chief with his corner on grasahoppers. "Say, look a here, chief. "We got to hare some more graashoppere and what , ll you take for a bushel. The strike is liable to be over any time. I think the train will be through by tomorrow or next day at the latest. I've telegraphed for supplies, you knowP And when the supplies come, and the Government soldiers—why, there'll be plenty." » "Not much plenty now!" grunted the chief twisting in his seat and showing tho whites of his eyes. "Gra>»hoppore' riz. One thousand dollars bushel—heap good." "Dam I I mean—well, ain't you a little steep P I'll pay you anything reasonable, say—" "Nothin' doin',' 6aid the Indian airing his knowledge of acquired slang, and looking extremely pleased about something. The Agent took out his wallet and paid the money without a word of protest further. Dead~Snake-Come-to-Life lifted a flag from the floor of the cabin and took from his oache one bnehel of the meat supply and turned it over to his purchaser. The Agent went away inwardly cuesing. Three days passed, during which tho wires were kept hot with messages to the East from the locust-fed Agent, demanding immediate supplies—starring, was one of tho words that tho Morse code spelled out. The inevitable reply was, "Strike still on—road tied up. Will send first chance." The bushel of locuste was consumed, and the whito men went without food for one day, for the sake of their dignity. Nature was too pressing, and at last the Agent stole softly to the wigwam of old Dcad-Snake-Come-to-Lifo. When commanded to "sit," the Agont did not take the usual "middle-of-the-bench." Hβ eat on the extreme end. "I have come," eaid the Agent, as he etroked the little moustache on hie emaciated face, "to—to—get—a—few— locusts. I want, say, a bushel and a half. I think the train will be in by to-morrow afternoon cure." "Locusts riz," answered the chief, shaking his belly and looking happy and mirthful. "How much? ,, "Fire thousand dollars a bushel." "By hell, this is too much! I ewear! Oh, cay, chief, don't be a hog—l—l — 111 give you—" "Lociista heap good," commented the chief, emacking his lips to accompany his remarks. "Say, chief, I haven't got the money. I couldn't give you so much—but 111 tell you what I'll do. I'll give yon a auartor section of land, ana make out tie papers now." The ohiefs eyes spaTkled, and he could not resist a ely rub at his stomach, which seemed to be laughing all within iteelf. Little waves of mirth ro6e up from somewhere in h"'e anatomy, and tickled his palato immensely. "Good!" said the chief. "Mc take quarter section." The right of deed was made out and signed and the locusts delivered from a big cache juet back of the tepee. The land in question included that on which all the Government buildings were built, for there was no other land at the Agent's command. Dead-Snake-Come-to-Life in a moment of generosity assured the Agent that he could r»cctipy hie present quarters until further notice, but that.he, the Indian woiild doubtless make some changes in the near future, necessitating a removal of the white man's buildinp*. The Agent turned away in aadnen of heart and contriteness of spirit. Aβ he approached the station, a long whistle sounded, and a heavy train came rolling in laden with provisions. The agonising grasshopper-eating period was past. The Agent resumed his swagger, and familiar cuss words. Ho tried to make trouble for the ohiof, but the lawyer who pled hie case wasn't as good as the Government lawyer who looked after the Indian's affaire. It was made to appear to Uncle Sam that the Agent mndo a bona fide bargain in trading off the quarter section, and that it belonged to tho Indian fair and square, that graeehoppere were really worth that amount under stress of starvation. The wily Agent soon after got hie discharge from Government service, and there were those who said, "Gcrved him right." Dead-Snake-Oome-to-Life ie rum en« joying hi* one hundred and third year, and often tells with much rubbing or his stomach, how ho got even with the tricky Agent by instituting a Gratahoppor Trust.