The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-05-05

bound, and they could not close their
ears to the horrid yells of pain which is.
sued from each withering lip.
1t did not last long, though. One by
one they staggered out into the open air,
and fell down upon the snow and died.
The silence that followed their de-
parture was awful 10 the captives. 1t was
the weird hour Of the night, and to their
excited brains every Pickering shadow
which the fire light cast upon the wall.
seemed phantom from the land of death.
My God r. cried Ed1onds ct last,
while great drops stood upon his brow.
"must we bear this ! o, if I could only
loosen my hands !"
"Don't fret yourself, Nick. I'll soon
free you."
"Who speaks ?" he exclaimed, while
the perspiration started anew and trickled
down his face in heavy beads.
l should think you were pretty consid-
erably frightened, Nick, not to know old
grandmother Smiths voice." said the
old lady, gently, as she emerged from
the cellar. These red varmints are all
dead, l reckon, by this time. 1 thought
it would fix them out. thought I could
send them to their heavenly hunting
grounds, if l tried pretty hard. owed
them grudge, the bloodthirsty heathens.
I've never forgotten how they used me
and my pretty first baby. lean remem-
Der as long as any Indian"
While she was talking thus she was at
the same time busy IN severing the bands
of the three captives, and when that was
finished, she bade Nick go into the Gel
lar and lift out the half-dead Mary
White and trembling as though in the
hour Of death. lay the poor creature in
his arms, while her resolute mother, un.
dismayed by the destruction around her,
went hurriedly about to fix up bed
Luckily their soft, snow-white blankets
with their bright ribbon bindings, and
their gay chintz quilts had struck the
fancy Of the Indians, and been laid aside,
From these Mrs. Smith soon formed a
neat and comfortable couch, and placing
the faintipg woman upon it, she made
her drink the rest of the wine, and then
put on the tea-kettle, and soon had hot
cup of coffee for them all.
They've done up the job for you.
hav'nt they ?"she said, addressing Nick,
as they gathered about the hearth.
Eyes, grandmother. My little home
is gone, and my barn and stacks of hay
and wheat, and my corn crib-all !"
and he bowed his head and covered his
face with his hands.
YES" said his wife piteously, and
all that we had in the house-the linen
sheets and towels, pillow-cases and table
cloths that took SO much pride in spin
ming and weaving, and my beds and pill
lows and bedding, but here her voice
failed her, and she burst into sobs.
"Don't take on SO, child" said the
old woman, kindly. 1t might be worse
than it is. You have your husband yet,
and your child too. O, if you had seen
him scalped before your eyes. as did my
little one, and then been carried off to an
Indian wigwam, as | was, and kept there
a year or two. and every day of that saw
the little brown curls of my boy hanging
to my captor's waist-you'd have some
thing to cry for, then. 1t isn't in your
case so bad but it can be helped. Hay.
wheat and corn will grow again next sea-
son, and you have plenty of woodland,
and can get out house and barn. The
neighbors will all lend a helping hand.
You have sheep, and can make blankets
again after while, and your geese will
soon fill your beds and pillows. The
linen was the worst to lose, but you are
both young and healthy. and can look
forward to many years of work, and in
time you will be as well off as ever
But if this little fellow" and she tenderly
caressed their child, the little blue-eyed
first born, if it had been scalped,
there'd been a sorrow in your hearts
till you lay down to die. Nothing could
have made his place good.
"You said they brought off your hor-
ses, Nick" she continued, after a long
pause, in which she seemed to be in deep
thought.
Yes, grandmother they stand just
outside herv.'
"And your sled-did they burn that
up also ?"
"No; saw it standing by the edge
Of the road as we came along"
"Why ?"
Because, Nick, these dead heathens
hare pot To he carried off II wop,t do