In the 1880s, she started to perform in amateur theatre productions. These performances became especially important for income after the death of her father in 1884. In 1885, she published her first poem, My Little Jean. It was the first of many published poems for her. 🧵3/12

The next year, she published "A Cry From An Indian Wife", one of her most famous poems. She based it on the events of The Battle of Cut Knife that year. In the late-1880s, various publications published her work including The Globe, The Week and Saturday Night. 🧵4/12