LXXXVII. THE MOTHER'S TRIAL. pa-cif'-ic, peaceful; friedlich. in-tro-duce', to make known; vorstellen. in'-ter-view, a conference; Unterredung. im-pres ́-sion, an effect; Eindruck. am'-i-ty, friendship; harmony; Freundschaft. de-cep'-tion, deceit; fraud; cheat; Täuschung; Betrug. He 1. One of the first settlers in Western New York was Judge White, who established himself at Whitestown, about four miles from Utica, now nearly a century ago. brought with him his family, among whom was a widowed daughter, with an only child—a fine boy five years of age. 2. The country round was an unbroken forest, and still possessed by the savage tribes. Judge White felt the necessity of keeping on good terms with the Indians; for, as he was nearly alone, he was completely in their power. Accordingly, he took every opportunity to assure them of his kindly feelings, and to secure their good-will in return. 3. Several of the chiefs came to see him, and all appeared to entertain pacific intentions. But one thing gave him uneasiness. An aged and influential chief, or sachem, of the Seneca tribe, who resided at the distance of six miles, had not yet been to see him; nor had Judge White been able to ascertain the views and feelings of this important personage in respect to his settlement in that region. At last he sent the chief a message, and the answer was that the chief would visit him on the morrow. 4. True to his appointment the sachem came. Judge White received him with marks of respect, and introduced his wife, his daughter, and her little boy. The interview that followed was deeply interesting. Upon its result the Judge conceived that his security might depend; and he was therefore exceedingly anxious to make a favorable impression upon the distinguished chief. 5. He expressed to him his desire to settle in the country, to live on terms of amity and good understanding with the Indians, and to be useful to them by introducing among them the arts of civilization, and promised that his own conduct should be governed by the most exact good faith and the strictest honor. 6. The chief heard him out, and then said, Brother, you ask much, and you promise much. What pledge can you give me of your good faith?" "The honor of a man that never knew deception," was the reply. 7. "The white man's word may be good to the white man, yet it is but wind when spoken to the Indian," said the sachem. "I have put my life into your hands,” said the Judge. "Is not this an evidence of my good intentions? I have placed confidence in the Indian, and I will not believe that he will abuse or betray the trust that is thus reposed." 8. "So much is well," replied the chief. "The Indian will repay confidence with confidence. If you will trust him, he will trust you. But I must have a pledge. Let this boy go with me to my wigwam. I will bring him back in three days with my answer.” 9. If an arrow had pierced the bosom of the mother, she could not have felt a keener pang than went to her heart as the Indian made this proposal. She sprang from her seat, and rushing to her boy, who stood at the side of the sachem, looking into his face with pleased wonder and admiration, she encircled him in her arms, and, pressing him close to her bosom, was about to fly from the room. 10. A gloomy and ominous frown came over the sachem's brow, but he did not speak. But not so with Judge White. He knew that the success of their enterprise, the very lives of his family, depended upon the decision of the moment. 11. "Stay, stay, my daughter," said he; "bring back the boy, I beseech you; he is not more dear to you than to me; I would not risk the hair of his head. But, my child, he must go with the chief. God will watch over him. He will be as safe in the sachem's wigwam as beneath our roof and in your arms." 12. The agonized mother hesitated for a moment; she then slowly returned, placed the boy on the knee of the chief, and, kneeling at his feet, burst into a flood of tears. The gloom passed from the sachem's brow, but he said not a word. He arose, took the boy in his arms, and departed. 13. It is impossible to describe the agony of the mother for the three ensuing days. She was agitated by contending hopes and fears. In the night she awoke from sleep, seeming to hear the screams of her child calling upon his mother for help. 14. But time wore away, and the third day came. How slowly did the hours pass! The morning of the appointed day came and passed. Noon arrived; the afternoon was now far advanced; yet the sachem came not. The 15. There was gloom over the whole household. mother was pale and silent, as if despair was settling round her heart. Judge White walked to and fro, going every few minutes to the door, and looking through the opening into the forest toward the sachem's abode. 16. At last, as the rays of the setting sun were thrown upon the tops of the trees around, the eagle-feathers of the chieftain were seen in the distance, dancing above the bushes. He advanced rapidly, and the little boy was at his side. 17. The little boy was gayly attired as a young chief, his feet being dressed in moccasins; a fine beaver-skin was over his shoulders, and eagles' feathers were stuck into his hair. He was in excellent spirits; and so proud was he of his honors that he seemed two inches taller than before. He was soon in his mother's arms, and in that brief minute she seemed to pass from death to life. It was a happy meeting too happy to be described. 18. "The white man has conquered!" said the sachem. "Hereafter let us be friends. You have trusted the Indian ; he will repay you with confidence and friendship." He was as good as his word; and Judge White lived for many years in peace with the Indian tribes, and succeeded in laying the foundation of a flourishing and prosperous community. 19. A modern traveler, whose experience embraces almost all countries and all nations, has declared, that he has every-where found kind treatment and friendly assistance, and that the secret of his universal success was found in the motto,if you would have others trust you, begin by trusting them. Selected. LXXXVIII. COPPER. re-mote', far; fern. rub'-bish, waste; Schutt. a'-re-a, any plane surface; Fläche. trench, a ditch; Graben. in-va'-sion, attack on the territory of rights of others; Einfall. ab-rupt', sudden; unexpected; jäh; plöglich. ox'-ide, a compound of oxygen and a metal; Dryd. ver-di-gris, the rust of copper; Grünspan. pig-ment, paint; Farbestoff; Farbe. al-loy', to mix any metal with another; legieren; vermischen. 1. The state of Michigan can boast of the richest copper mines to be met with on the surface of the globe. The valuable metal is found in the three northwesternmost counties of the state; Houghton, Ontonagon, and Keweenaw, which are bordering the Lake Superior. 2. Like most metals, copper is generally found mixed with other substances, but in some locations it will also appear pure. It has been known from the remotest times, and made use of for many purposes before man was able to obtain iron. 3. It was in the year 1847 that attention was first directed to traces of ancient mining operations in the copper regions of Lake Superior. The discoverer, detecting signs of artificial excavation, proceeded to clear out the accumulated soil, and not only exposed to view a vein of copper, but found in the rubbish numerous stone mauls, or hammers, of the ancient workmen. 4. Subsequent observation brought to light ancient excavations of great extent, frequently from twenty-five to thirty feet deep, and scattered over an area of several miles. The rubbish taken from these is piled up in mounds alongside, while the trenches have been gradually refilled with the soil and decaying vegetable matter gathered through the long centuries since their desertion; and over all, the giants of the forest have grown, withered, and fallen to decay. 5. It seems most probable that the labors of this ancient mining population came to an abrupt end by the invasion of a barbarian race, very likely the Indians, who were ignorant of all the arts of the old mound-builders of the Mississippi, and of the miners of Lake Superior. 6. The color of copper is a dull red, but when polished, it becomes bright and shiny. It possesses great malleability, by which is meant, that it can be hammered into thin sheets, which are extensively used for covering the bottom of wooden ships. Kettles, boilers, pipes, and a great variety of other articles are also made of it. 7. When the oxygen of the air connects with copper, a green oxide is formed, called verdigris, which is used by painters as a pigment. The verdigris is a deadly poison; hence, copper vessels which are to be used in the kitchen should be lined with a coating of tin or porcelain. Food |