Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rudyard Kipling
so I took to haunting round among the French emigres which out not to notice. His stirrup brished Red Jacket’s elbow, and
Philadelphia was full of. My French and my fiddling helped Red Jacket whispered up, “My brother knows it is not easy to
me there, d’ye see. They come over in shiploads from France, be a chief.” Big Hand shot just one look at him and nodded.
where, by what I made out, every one was killing every one Then there was a scuffle behind us over some one who wasn’t
else by any means, and they spread ‘emselves about the city— hooting at Washington loud enough to please the people. We
mostly in Drinker’s Alley and Elfrith’s Alley—and they did went away to be out of the fight. Indians won’t risk being
odd jobs till times should mend. But whatever they stooped hit.’
to, they were gentry and kept a cheerful countenance, and ‘What do they do if they are?’ Dan asked.
after an evening’s fiddling at one of their poor little proud ‘Kill, of course. That’s why they have such proper manners.
parties, the Brethren seemed old-fashioned. Pastor Meder and Well, then, coming home by Drinker’s Alley to get a new
Brother Adam Goos didn’t like my fiddling for hire, but Toby shirt which a French Vicomte’s lady was washing to take the
said it was lawful in me to earn my living by exercising my stiff out of (I’m always choice in my body-linen) a lame
talents. He never let me be put upon.
Frenchman pushes a paper of buttons at us. He hadn’t long
‘In February of ‘Ninety-four—No, March it must have landed in the United States, and please would we buy. He
been, because a new Ambassador called Faucher had come sure-ly was a pitiful scrattel—his coat half torn off, his face
from France, with no more manners than Genet the old one— cut, but his hands steady; so I knew it wasn’t drink. He said
in March, Red Jacket came in from the Reservation bringing his name was Peringuey, and he’d been knocked about in the
news of all kind friends there. I showed him round the city, crowd round the Stadt—Independence Hall. One thing lead-
and we saw General Washington riding through a crowd of ing to another we took him up to Toby’s rooms, same as Red
folk that shouted for war with England. They gave him quite Jacket had taken me the year before. The compliments he
rough music, but he looked ‘twixt his horse’s ears and made paid to Toby’s Madeira wine fairly conquered the old man,
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