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Zitkala-Sa was the pen-name of an extraordinarily talented and educated Native American Woman, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. She found her first day as a bitter cold one. The snow still covered the ground, and the trees were bare. A large bell rang for breakfast.
There was clatter of shoes on bare floors and it seemed to her a noisy place within which she was securely tied. A pale-faced woman, with white hair, came up after the girls who were marching into the dinning room. These were Red Indian girls, in stiff shoes and dresses which were closely sticking to their bodies. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and their hair was cut close to the head.
Then a small bell was tapped, and each of the pupils drew a chair from under the table. Zitkala-Sa pulled out her chair and at once slipped into it from one side. But when she turned her head, she found that she was the only one seated. Just as she began to rise, a second bell was sounded. All were seated at last, and she had to crawl back into her chair again. Then a third bell was tapped and everybody picked up his knife and fork and began eating. But she began to cry because by this time she was afraid to undertake any more risk.