Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-03-31
A LIFE GLoR1oUsLY srAKED.

LIZ G44OhlOJSL4 STAhEU.
Towards the close of a beautiful
day in June, 1867, man and woman,
mounted upon feet horses. came gal
Looping over one of the great plains of
the West, and drew rein in the shade
of a clump of cotton wood upon the
bank of a beautiful river. They had
ridden far and rapidly. Their steeds
were painting and covered with foam.
awe must give the horses breath
ing spell" said the former. slipping
to the ground and his companion
! nodded graceful assent, as she fol-
lowed his example.
The couple were evidently father
| and daughter.
The man was in the prime of life,
hale and hearty, with large frame,
which was sinewy and athletic, with
out ceasing to be refined and pre-
| possessing. He had the keen, shrew-
ed look peculiar to the advance
of civilization, and there was an hon
est: frank expression on his sun
| burned face that proclaimed his in
tegrlty and courage.
In her way, his daughter was also
equally picturesque and attractive.
In the early flush Of womanhood,
with a pure, sweet and tender face,
with eyes darkly glowing with coral
tinted lips, and cheeks softly flushed
with the hue of the rose, with am Der
curls floating behind her, she was
| graceful as gazelle, as light hearted
as bird, as lovely as 2 flower, and
as spirited as an untamed ante
lope.
The stream by which the couple
had halted was Wood river, a branch
Of the Platte, in Nebraska, at point
fifty miles northwest of Fort Kear-
| ny.
"Are you tired, Miriam ?" asked
the hunter, George Dane, with faith
erly solicitude.
Tired, father ?" rejoincd the mai
den, with happy laugh. "Oh, no.
How could / be tired after day like
this Every minute has been filled
with pleasure and excitement. [ feel
as fresh as yonder bird"
The father smiled understanding
ly, with look full of the fondest
affection.
81 can guess the cause of your
llghtness of heart" said he, smiling
ly. 'The return, now daily expect
ed, of a certain Hurbert Earle, from
the mines of Idaho, may account, |
suspect, for your present gladness."
A heightened color appeared on
Miriam face, for the name mention
ed was that Of her lover. She an
swered the chances of her father,
however, with a frankness that at
tested his entire sympthy with her,
and said:
''True father, my heart has been
unusually light Tor several days past.
How could it be otherwise, since |
know that Hurbert is coming p
Mr.. Dane did not reply. He was
looking with kindling eyes, over the
fair fower-d tied plain and his next
remark showed how very widely his
thoughts had strayed.
Il wonder what mother has been
doing without US all day, Miriam
She must be lonely with no one to
speak to or share her meals [
shouldn't wonder if we could see our
home from this point, and his face
lighted up with a soulful glow. "Our
cottage is no more than seven miles
distant let me see p
He drew from his coat a pocket
glass, adjusted it to his sight, point
ing it in a northerly direction, and
gazed through it long and earnestly,
towards his rancho upon Carrey's
Fork.
eyes, I see," he said at last, with
a long, deep and joyful inspiration,
as if the sight refreshed him in every
nerve "There is our cottage as
plain as day. l can even see the
vines you planted before the windows,
Miriam And there, on the grape
vine bench, sits your mother, busy at
her sewing. Bless her She does
not imagine we are looking at her
Look Miriam"
He yielded the instrument to his
daughter, who obeyed his injunction,
her lovely face glowing with smiles
as she regarded the distant home
scene.
'1Dear mother !" she murmered, at
is a treat to her to be able to sit uu-
der the trees without fear of moles-
tation. There are no hostile Indians
hereabouts now-ara there father n
mo. Red Knife, as you have al
ready heard, was killed yesterday by
a settler, and his band has retreated
towards the mountains. | Will con-
fess, Miriam, that during all the time
we have been in the West, | have
not felt so light and care
free as since we have received the
news of Red knife's death. You
have just see how this JOY bubbles
over me. Red Knife was a demon
rather than a savage"
Miriam shuddered. and her features
even paled at the memory Of the In
dian mentioned.
HE never spared pale face she
said. striving to speak calmly. "Des-
olation and cruelty marked his path
For more than three years he has
ranged to and fro upon the plains
like ravening wolf He was the
terror Of the border"