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Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851

"Oak Openings"


"You will remember, Chippewa," he said, "that I told you nothing on
the subject of any woman. What I have told you, as yet, consarned
only the first MAN, who was made out of clay, into whom God breathed
the breath of life."
"Dat good--make warrior fuss. Juss right. When breat' in him, fit to
take scalp, eh?"
"Why, as to that, it is not easy to see whom he was to scalp, seeing
that he was quite alone in the world, until it pleased his Creator
to give him a woman for a companion."
"Tell 'bout dat," returned Pigeonswing, with interest--"tell how he
got squaw."
"Accordin' to the Bible, God caused this man to fall into a deep
sleep, when he took one of his ribs, and out of that he made a squaw
for him. Then he put them both to live together, in a most beautiful
garden, in which all things excellent and pleasant was to be found--
some such place as these openings, I reckon."
"Any bee dere?" asked the Indian, quite innocently. "Plenty honey,
eh?"
"That will I answer for! It could hardly be otherwise, when it was
the intention to make the first man and first woman perfectly happy.
I dare say, Chippewa, if the truth was known, it would be found that
bees was a sipping at every flower in that most delightful garden!"
"Why pale-face quit dat garden, eh? Why come here to drive poor
Injin 'way from game? Tell me dat, Bourdon, if he can? Why pale-face
ever leave DAT garden, when he so han'some, eh?"
"God turned him out of it, Chippewa--yes, he was turned OUT of it,
with shame on his face, for having disobeyed the commandments of his
Creator.


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