Wilderness Days Read Online Free Page A

tillicums
or
Boston people
, as the first American ships to arrive on the bay were from Boston.
    I discovered Sootie finally behind one of the lodges with two boys, ensconced in a game. The little girl had often turned to me for comfort in the weeks following her mother’s death, but now I found that our roles were reversed. From the grin on Sootie’s face, it was clear to see she was holding her own with the two lads, who, I should say, looked particularly annoyed.
    One of the boys stood up and walked away in disgust. He was followed a moment later by the other boy, who had a rather dejected expression on his face.
    “You won, Sootie?” I asked.
    A bright smile wreathed her face. “Boston Jane!”
    “What did you win?” I crouched down next to her, surveying the small pile of treasures.
    Sootie held up pretty smooth stones, glass beads, and a glossy black feather. I admired them dutifully and couldn’t help but notice that her face had the same satisfied look that her mother’s had had when she’d made a good trade. The Chinooks were great traders, and wealth was a sign of status. The
tyee
, or chief, was generally the wealthiest person.
    She displayed a piece of purple velvet that she had also won. “Will you make me a new dress for dolly?” Sootie asked, tugging at the blue calico fabric of my dress. “Like your Boston dress?”
    I nodded. “I believe I can do that.”
    Sootie pointed to my collar with a critical eye. “With that, too.”
    “Very well.”
    “And this,” she added, touching the scallop of lace at my wrist.
    I laughed. “You should be a fashion editor for
Godey’s Lady’s Book.”
    “What is that?” she asked.
    “That is a lady who thinks about dresses all day!”
    “Oh yes!” she said happily.
    I stood up, extending my hand. “Shall we go back to your lodge and get started on this new wardrobe?”
    She gathered her treasures into her skirt, then she put her small, trusting hand in mine, and together we walked to her lodge.
    The cedar lodge was quite large, and we entered it by slipping through an opening near the ground. Firepits lined the center of the lodge, and cedar planks that could be shifted to allow smoke to escape served as the roof. The Chinooks often laid salmon on a grid of poles beneath the ceiling in order to smoke the fish—a very clever idea in my opinion.
    Huge bunklike structures, platforms really, were built along the interior walls, and it was upon these that families lived. Rush mats lined the floors, which proved very handy in keeping the dust down. I had adopted the Chinook method of using mats in the cabin, and though the dust was less of a problem, the men still helpfully tromped in huge bootfuls of caked mud. It was fair to say that Chief Toke’s tidy lodge was a vast improvement on Mr. Russell’s cabin.
    It was nearly suppertime, and there were men gathered around the fire roasting salmon. The sight of men preparing supper for their families still surprised me after all these months, although it was quite usual for the Chinooks.
    I was startled to see Mr. Russell conferring with Chief Toke on a platform at the other end of the lodge. The kindly chief very much reminded me of a judge in Philadelphia who had been friends with Papa.
    “Thought you were supposed to be fixing supper, gal,” Mr. Russell said loudly.
    I opened my mouth to say I had no intention of fixing supper for such a disagreeable man when Sootie piped up in a clear voice.
    “Boston Jane is making a dress for my dolly.”
    “Well, hurry it up,” Mr. Russell said. “I want supper ready before sundown.”
    Sootie took a protective step in front of me and marched right up to Mr. Russell, utterly fearless, and waved the piece of velvet in his face. “You make supper,” Sootie said with a firm little shake of her head.
    Mr. Russell looked taken aback.
    I stifled a laugh, and Chief Toke’s dark eyes filled with mirth at his brave little daughter, so very like his late wife.
    Mr.