﻿FLETCHEK-I.A 
  PLESC1IE] 
  SOCIAL 
  LIFE 
  327 
  

  

  One 
  can 
  sometimes 
  judge 
  of 
  the 
  light 
  by 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  shadow 
  

   cast. 
  An 
  old 
  Omaha 
  man 
  stood 
  beside 
  a 
  husband 
  whose 
  wife 
  lay 
  

   dead. 
  The 
  mourner 
  sat 
  wailing, 
  holding 
  the 
  woman's 
  cold 
  hand 
  and 
  

   calling 
  her 
  by 
  the 
  endearing 
  terms 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  uttered 
  to 
  the 
  living. 
  

   "Where 
  shall 
  I 
  go, 
  now 
  you 
  are 
  gone?" 
  he 
  cried. 
  "My 
  grandson," 
  

   said 
  the 
  old 
  man, 
  "It 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  lose 
  one's 
  mother, 
  to 
  see 
  one's 
  children 
  

   die, 
  but 
  the 
  sorest 
  trial 
  that 
  can 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  is 
  to 
  see 
  his 
  wife 
  lie 
  

   dead. 
  My 
  grandson, 
  before 
  she 
  came 
  to 
  you 
  no 
  one 
  was 
  more 
  willing 
  

   to 
  bring 
  water 
  for 
  you 
  ; 
  now 
  that 
  she 
  has 
  gone 
  you 
  will 
  miss 
  her 
  care. 
  

   If 
  you 
  have 
  ever 
  spoken 
  harshly 
  to 
  her 
  the 
  words 
  will 
  come 
  back 
  to 
  

   you 
  and 
  bring 
  you 
  tears. 
  The 
  old 
  men 
  who 
  are 
  gone 
  have 
  taught 
  

   us 
  that 
  no 
  one 
  is 
  so 
  near, 
  no 
  one 
  can 
  ever 
  be 
  so 
  dear, 
  as 
  a 
  wife; 
  when 
  

   she 
  dies 
  her 
  husband's 
  joy 
  dies 
  with 
  her. 
  I 
  am 
  old; 
  I 
  have 
  felt 
  these 
  

   things; 
  I 
  know 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  what 
  I 
  say." 
  

  

  Care 
  and 
  Training 
  of 
  Children 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Omaha 
  family 
  the 
  children 
  bore 
  an 
  important 
  part; 
  they 
  

   were 
  greatly 
  desired 
  and 
  loved. 
  Mention 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  belief 
  

   that 
  women 
  who 
  bore 
  the 
  "mark 
  of 
  honor" 
  would 
  become 
  mothers 
  

   of 
  many 
  children 
  who 
  would 
  live 
  to 
  grow 
  up. 
  The 
  baby 
  was 
  its 
  

   mother's 
  constant 
  companion, 
  although 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  

   often 
  helped 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  it. 
  (Fig. 
  66.) 
  More 
  than 
  one 
  instance 
  

   is 
  recalled 
  where 
  the 
  father 
  took 
  considerable 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  ones 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  an 
  uncommon 
  sight 
  to 
  see 
  a 
  father 
  or 
  grandfather 
  

   sooth 
  or 
  amuse 
  a 
  fretful 
  child. 
  Soon 
  after 
  birth 
  the 
  baby 
  was 
  

   laid 
  in 
  its 
  own 
  little 
  bed. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  board 
  about 
  12 
  or 
  14 
  inches 
  

   wide 
  and 
  3 
  feet 
  long. 
  On 
  this 
  was 
  laid 
  a 
  pillow 
  stuffed 
  with 
  feathers 
  

   or 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  the 
  deer, 
  over 
  which 
  were 
  spread 
  layers 
  of 
  soft 
  skins. 
  

   On 
  this 
  bed 
  the 
  baby 
  was 
  fastened 
  by 
  broad 
  bands 
  of 
  soft 
  skin, 
  which 
  

   in 
  recent 
  years 
  were 
  replaced 
  by 
  similar 
  bands 
  of 
  calico 
  or 
  flannel. 
  

   There 
  was 
  no 
  headboard 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  cradle-board 
  but 
  the 
  skins 
  that 
  

   were 
  laid 
  over 
  the 
  pillow 
  were 
  so 
  arranged 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  shelter 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  for 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  baby's 
  head. 
  While 
  the 
  child 
  slept 
  its 
  arms 
  

   were 
  bound 
  under 
  the 
  cover 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  awoke 
  they 
  were 
  released. 
  

   The 
  cradle-board 
  (u'thuhe) 
  was 
  principally 
  used 
  in 
  carrying 
  the 
  baby 
  

   around 
  and 
  it 
  served 
  as 
  a 
  bed 
  when 
  the 
  little 
  one 
  was 
  asleep. 
  A 
  good 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  baby 
  lay 
  on 
  a 
  soft 
  skin 
  in 
  a 
  safe 
  warm 
  place 
  

   where 
  it 
  could 
  kick 
  and 
  crow, 
  while 
  the 
  mother 
  sat 
  by 
  with 
  her 
  sewing 
  

   or 
  at 
  some 
  other 
  employment. 
  If 
  the 
  mother's 
  duties 
  took 
  her 
  out 
  of 
  

   doors 
  the 
  baby 
  might 
  be 
  laced 
  on 
  its 
  cradle 
  and 
  hung 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  

   of 
  a 
  tree; 
  or, 
  if 
  the 
  mother 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  going 
  away 
  on 
  horseback 
  

   the 
  baby 
  in 
  its 
  cradle 
  was 
  hung 
  at 
  her 
  saddle, 
  where 
  it 
  rode 
  safely 
  

   and 
  comfortably. 
  When 
  the 
  child 
  was 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  cling 
  to 
  its 
  

   mother 
  it 
  was 
  thrown 
  over 
  her 
  shoulder, 
  where 
  it 
  hugged 
  her 
  tightly 
  

   around 
  the 
  neck 
  while 
  she 
  adjusted 
  her 
  robe 
  or 
  blanket. 
  The 
  robe 
  

  

  