Chapter 3

I had arrived in my home county after catching a ride from a teamster travelling north from where I’d been attending the Benton School in St. Louis, I had been called into the headmasters and was told they hadn’t received my tuition for the coming semester or any correspondence from my parents.

“We’re sorry to see you go, you’ve been an exemplary student during your time with us. I realize that things were a bit ‘rocky’ for you when you enrolled, coming from the ‘frontier’ and your lack of formal education, I want you to know that I have been pleasantly surprised at how you have excelled and grown as a person.”

“We at the Benton school have the greatest admiration for your achievements here and have written a letter of recommendation should you wish to pursue furthering your education.”

With a letter of recommendation, a $10 gold piece, and my belongings in the same framed pack I had arrived with, I was politely ‘shown the door’.

That framed pack was the start of my early troubles at the school, most of the students lived locally, but several of us came from other areas. I was given my pack frame by the Osage tribe that were friendly to my family, I had grown up with the kids of the tribe, and my father was on good terms with their Chief.

I’m pretty sure Pa helped the tribe with their trading, everyone knew the tribes paid a lot more for their goods than the white man did, and Pa was always a ‘fair’ man, I think it always rankled him to see folks taken advantage of, even the ‘Redskins’.

When Ma and Pa told me they were sending all the way to St. Louis for school, to say I was unhappy would be an understatement, as a matter of fact I packed a few things and ran away that night. Two days later I was cooking a fish when my father sat down across the fire from me. He looked at me with a slight grin and asked, “have you calmed down enough for us to talk about this?”

I sullenly looked across at him, “yes sir, but how did you find me so fast, I used all of the things I’d been taught to not leave a trail.”

He got a big grin on his face, “I didn’t find you, he did.” And he looked to his left and leaning against the tree next to me was one of my Osage friend’s dad. He tapped me on the arm with his ‘coup stick’.

My father explained that as I had passed through the edge of Osage lands a sentry had seen me and had sent a messenger to my father and they had been watching over me.

After a long talk, I was going to school in St. Louis or else, it was a pledge he’d made to my mother that if she’d move with him to the ‘frontier’, he promised their children would get a formal education, and Benton School was the closest that accepted full time with room and board. So, 3 days later Pa and I set out for school.

Before we left, I went to say goodbye to my Kaw friends, when I arrived in their camp I was taken to their Chief. He sat in front of his Osage bark house, and he was in his formal regalia. I had never spoken to the Chief, and I was very nervous, he bade me to sit across from him, and had one of the warriors translate.

“You and your family have been friends to the Osage tribe, it is good that you leave to learn in the White Man’s school, remember the things you have learned playing, hunting, fishing with the children of our tribe, and always remember that you are welcome in our camps, as we would welcome our brothers.”

He then looked at his wife who nodded and brought out a travel pack, which was packed pretty full.

“May the Great Spirit guide you, and we will meet again when your task is done.”

That travel pack was obviously Indian made, it had beadwork, fringes, and had been sealed to wick the moisture. When we arrived at the school Pa took me in to meet the headmaster, he paid my fees and after unloading my horse, he gave me a handshake and mounted up to ride away. He looked down at me and must’ve seen the expression on my face, he got back off his horse, walked over to me and grabbed me in his arms, “I thought if I was hard and curt with you, it would make us parting ‘easier’, I’m proud of you son, and I know that you’ll make us proud of the job you do here.” At that he got back on his horse and rode away.