Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 17, 1963, Winnipeg, Manitoba Wildlife notebook Chickadee Church accent on youth articles August 17, 1963 second Section pages. 19-28 they expected adventures with redskins and weren t disappointed from England Vij where the popular idea of the Canadian West fifty years ago was that White men and red men hunted each other for sunday dinners have some More White meat Mother nearly threw a fit when father bought a farm whose buildings were less than a mile from the Indian Reserve. Well All be scalped in our she declared. It fairly makes my hair stand on end to think of that will make it easier to Scalp you father observed. To Mother such levity was out of place when referring to indians. Their Road to town passed Only a Hundred Yards from the House and watching their dark faced blanketed forms driving by huddled in faded wagons drawn by Small swing gaited was sure they were secretly plan Ning a future attack. Week after we had settled on the farm the alarm came. We were All sitting talking around the Kitchen table bathed in the yellow glow of the Oil lamp when Mother went into the dark dining room with some dishes Andi uttered a stifled scream. Frank boys Quick Here come the indians after along the Crest of tie Hill men on horseback bobbed up and Down. Father got the guns. A True Story of Early Days by g. E. Valentine instead of Romance clamor girls now land ladies father and the two boys twelve and eleven hurried in and crouched beside her at the Only North window in the House. In the Bright Moonlight outside the Hill Back of the buildings loomed big and Black and along its Edge were the figures of men on horse Back. You could see their Heads and shoulders Bobbing up and Down with the slow Gallop of their mounts. Bless my soul we d better get the gasped father and he and Sidney hurried to get the old Shotgun and .22 Rise while George and the two girls searched cupboards and window Sills for spare ammunition. Bearded Man and beardless boy cautiously approached the window again. Careful they May be father warned. By Jove there s More coming Over the Sidney peering hard cried suddenly Why do they keep Riding in the same though they bobbed up and Down the figures kept their same positions. A closer look gave the answer. The clothes line outside just in line with the top of the and the charging indians were the old fashioned wooden clothes pins with knobbed Heads dancing up and Down in the evening Breeze v her every move while she bustled about the stove find herded the Little girls to safety in the next room. Neither their Gutte rals nor Mother s loud pleasantries were Intelli Gible to the other. Finally the bread was done six not too Roc like loaves. One Squaw indicated them and asked ten cents shouted Mother determined to sell her bread if not her life dearly and sure that anyone could understand English if it was loud enough. No Chunias i give said the Squaw and pulled a brass band set with bits of red Glass off her Finger. Mother accepted it thankful enough to see her visitors depart with the bread. Almost value less in itself the ring became one of Mother s most prize possessions because of the Story connected with it. Usually it was Indian men who came and peered around the Grey log barns seeking other men. They came to offer something a gun a horse Hay cutting rights for whatever they might Gei for they loved trading. After we got to know them better some came jus to visit us. A family favorite was the portly old fellow who Callec himself Tonapi soon trans formed in the family to fat and Happy and then to j us Plain fatty. He keenly enjoyed a joke laughing unti his eyes completely disappeared in the creases of fat Brown face. Only one All the Indian who visited us resembled the pictures in the Story books it to per Section. Tall lean Hawk used Black in braids in front of Lis shoulders no Savage chief Ould have looked More fierce r haughty Aid Mother was cared to death of him at first actually a Sioux was not a Hief and he was the most amiable of men before sum Mer was Over the boys were calling him old washed Oaks and getting him to help with he haying in return for but or and eggs. From him the other boys soon picked up a smattering of the Saulteaux dialect spoken on this Reserve. Nish Ishin w a s Kahwin was therefore Kahwin Nish Ishin was bad Monias was t h e the Man of the place. By fall the boys were trading food and old clothes for haying rights in the mar Shes of the Hilly forested re actually going up there and working with Indi ans and coming Back ii live Mother was so impressed that she allowed father to drive her up to the Reserve buggy one sunday afternoon and she was fascinated by the log Cabins White Canvas teepees on their Cones of poles the smell of smoke and drying meat and the sight of Indian families living much As they had lived for the past fifty years. After that she bargained away quite boldly with squaws who Cam to sell Little pails of will fruit raspberries purple Saskatoon shiny Black choke cherries. In the Winter the boys use to leave before Daylight wit 3am and sled to drive up to in Reserve Vand Cut Aspen Rees for returning late Ai the afternoon a Load f logs stories of whatever Indian they obtained utting rights from. Dealing Vith indians became part of our life at every season of the one time the boys invited quiet unassuming Dick nah Exi to eat with us just to How Mother How civilized he was. Dick smiled a lot said ittle ate politely and showed he thoughtfulness for others which is the heart of Good manners. As the meal pro Gressed Mother s tenseness relaxed her smile became More natural and she was pouring or. Nah Exi a Sec and cup of Tea quite approvingly when father in his Bluff Learty Way asked How Dick lost the fourth Finger on his right hand. Dick starting talking at first with deprecating smiles and plenty of stops to help us sort out his mixture of Saulteaux and English. Many years _ previously when White men were stil rare in the land several famil ies of indians had set of from their Home Hunting ground in what was now t h Reserve on one of the Wand ering summer camping trip they still loved in o u Day. Some forty Miles to the South they were jogging happily along wooded Trail on the Souris rive when suddenly., they Cam face to face with a mounted party of their hereditary ene Mies Sioux indians from t h United states. Both parties were armed. Juns crackled pealed Dut the Sioux kicked heir ponies into Canadian indians whipped heir horses to swing their ight wagons into the traditional Circle of defence. Then with the vehicles forming Joth Corral and barricade and he horses safely inside the indians themselves settled Down to fight for their lives. The Sioux warriors each with one foot hooked Over the Backbone of his running horse and his body on the far Side could shoot from Over their horses necks while present i g the smallest possible tar get. But their enemies were Lidden too behind Wagon boxes and wheels. Clouds of Black powder smoke made accurate aim from either Side Al most impossible and most bul lets went wild. Not All. A Squaw squat Ting behind her Wagon was nil squarely through the body and died where she sat. In her arms was a Papoose the bul let which killed his. Mother took off his Finger. One or two others were killed. Several were wounded. Then a bold by the Sioux broke through the ring of wagons and the neighing frightened horses inside were soon stampeded out. It was excuse enough to claim vie tory and break off hostilities after a cautious wait the Canadian indians sent of scouts found the enemy in deed gone and began to Helf their own wounded and to Scalp " any enemy bodies the could find. Then they stoically set out to walk the forty Miles Home wounded and. Al a fourteen year old girl Ca ried the baby with the mis ing Finger and saved die nah Exi for posterity. By the time the Middle age Dick in our dining room had finished his Story he had pushed Back his chair and was standing in the Middle of the floor eyes snapping demonstrating with wonderfully vivid gestures what the Langu age Barrier made impossible for words. Mother s eyes were popping her smile Frozen and the boys tried to get Dick to sit Down and finish his Tea. But he was aroused now and ived into another Story. By Jim Gibbins Hollywood s beauties want leading ladies Oday they want to be Lead no land ladies real estate ownership has become la. With actresses. They Are particularly anxious to buy blocks of Flats agents report. The glamorous land ladies include. Elizabeth. Taylor Kim Novak Audrey Hepburn Bette Davis Joan Collins and Joan Crawford. Now they have been joined by fiery Ava Gardner. And there Are signs that miss Gardner in tends to establish herself As the world s number one land lady. She has bought millions of dollars Worth of real estate in Madrid it was confirmed this week. Living up. To her reputation As film land s biggest has cascaded Cash into apartment houses the evening after the fore mentioned Battle an in Dian Man and honeymooners Ca Nie jogging along the River Trail in their buckboard and at dusk pitched their tee gee in the very Glade where the Battle had been ought As soon As their fire was started the wife according to he admirable Indian custom went out to gather Ler husband stayed in the e Teepee. In the darkness its Cone glowed a flickering Yel of with the firelight. Against that Bright backdrop the Squaw presently noticed the dark Silhouette of her Hus band backing against the tee pee Wall in an attitude of sex reme fear. She the tent. Jus inside the door a Sioux War rior who had been scalped both hands Cut. Lef for dead was sitting there waving his bloody Ward the flames and Gibber Dick acted out the. Dram with horrible realism. Risin to. His feet he said Indian and backed against the Wall in panic. Then he said "squaw1 swung up an imaginary axe and brought it Down on the scalped Skull. He grunted muttered Sioux an rolled Over Limp on the Mother gasped arid Hurrie out to the comforting Warmt of the Kitchen. We did n o again invite any Indian to a with us he would prof Abl lift up a Toupee and show u where he himself had Bee Ava Gardner new to the club and hotels. And it has All paid Iff. The woman whose judg ment in men has been so to tingly poor has made Many millions in real estate i was told by one Man. Who should mow. Nearly All her fee from her newest Days at Pek no much of which was filmed in Spain went into a group of apartment houses in Madrid. Some of her Money is relieved to be invested in bullfight Arenas. Bliss Gardner has t said so but Hollywood be Ives she is trying to outdo Kim Novak for California apartments other members of the real estate club whose holdings Range All the Way from Amer Ica to Afghanistan. Kim Novak owns half a dozen apartment buildings in Cal Audrey Hepburn collects rents from a string of Cha lets in Switzerland. Elizabeth Taylor has heavy real estate holdings in Britain and riot Long ago was reported to be negotiating for the Pur Chase of an apartment build ing on new York s exclusive Button place. Bette Davis is Vestor in a hotel and apart ment housed in Chicago and Joan is backing the Btu Ding of i ftotel1 in Afghanistan and also owns apart a Miami Beach. The club is Joan pollins who owns Only one apartment House in new Why the real estate rage it s a fad believe Hollywood observers. As one columnist put it one decade it s Oil Wells then it s ranches now it s apartment it also makes Good business sense economists report. World real estate prices have never been higher. But psychiatrists see a More Subtle significance. Audrey Hepburn likes Swiss chalets fab different was the first actual Indian visit to our House. Father was in town the boys in the Field and Mother was Busy with one of her Early attempts to bake bread when she looked up from the stove and saw an Indian standing in the Back doorway. He had padded silently in on his Moccas ined feet and now stood there dressed in old Tweed coat and with an engaging Grin on his Broad Brown face. Mother froze her eyes darted to the Butcher knife of the table. Asked the Indian pleasantly enough but Mother could not answer or move. After repeating his question twice the red Man thoughtfully turned and went out. On another bread baking Day two squaws in Gay red blankets appeared. They sat in the Kitchen frightening Mother horribly by watching the duty orderly s voice shattered the pre Dawn peace of our sleeping quarters. All out you Lucky lads. Saint Peter s waiting at the in the mess be fore we beardless youths classified As miscellaneous Avia Tor Royal flying corps at Camp Rathbun near Deseronto ont., tumbled out dressed gulped our Coffee our Way to wards the flight. Line. Our planes the famous jn4 cur tis better known As Jennies stood ready to accustom us to flying., i the first rays of the Morri Irig Sun crept Over the Hori Zon. A gentle Breeze sprang up and carried the smell of by Edward r. Green burned gasoline Oil and air Alane dope As we neared the line. Warming motors gob bled contentedly and sadistic instructors gathered around meekly handed. Of y e r our log books and stood silently awaiting then pleasure. Those of us instruction were motioned to one Side. We were the favored ones destined to Solo at any time. We should have been delirious with Joy at this Brigit Prospect but we weren t. These were not ers that can almost off and land themselves. With a Gross weight of pounds and a 43-foot Wing the top Wing their 90 horse Power motor had All it could do when you consider that about 25 horsepower was soaked up by struts and Landing gear and other clobber that in creased Airi resistance. Cont pared to today a sleek designs they were aerodynamically cockeyed arid the wonder of in is that they Ever flew at. But we were the ones who chose to m3t initial flight had t been auspicious. When cadets arrived at a training Camp continued Overleaf Elizabeth Taylor buys British real estate they talk of a. Desire for roots. A desire to offer themselves tangible evidence of their Success and their place in the one psychiatrist says it is a compensation for disappointments often of a romantic Well miss Gardner for. Example was reported to be stir mooning Over sex husband Frank Sinatra. Reported the new York Mirror in her Long and. Lonely night vigils she still plays they say every one of the recordings Olf Rankie Bette Davis was recently divorced from Gary Merrill and Elizabeth Taylor is to. Manically involved with Rich Ard Burton although re ports persist in the tvs. That he will return to his wife Sybil. Joan Crawford is widowed Kim Novak is reported to be about to marry journalist Rod Erick Mann. Joan. Collins was recently married to Tony newly y. And As the psychiatrist suggested some of them Are disappointed with they Are All doing nicely with rent ;