The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-02-11

the house stood. Leonora OWNED their
intent instantly.
''Ha - she said to herself, ''they de-
sign Capturing me, too. They deem
Lhat an easy job, perhaps !" and her eyes
! flashed and her face flushed With o,,c,e-
''See! there is a fourth canoe. n,hiob
| they no doubt suppose Will carry me.
| This villainous work has been well calcu-
ated; but, ha I! you bad savagcs! mis-
taken your girl this time Leonora Brown
had been taught better things than to cook
venison steak. Oh, dear, dear father,
| your Leonora will soon show you how
! bravely she can succor you, and how
| your instructing her the use of the rife
has saved you this day. And you, too,
! darling Harry Watson, have won a longer
lease of your precious life by presenting
me this splendid revolving rifle. Six bull
| lets for six rutTiansl Miss one of them
ah, if l should-there's my knife! No,
Leonora, you must not-Will not miss one
of them"
The girl now crept steailhily through
the underbrush up the bank to the prairie
above. She knew that 10 reach the house,
the Indians would have to pass broad,
their persons. She did not think they
would hesitate to do this, because, having
taken the two men, they would hardly
expect any resistance from single girl
About thirty rods to the right of the path
! a cattle yard had been erected by her
! father, and in the corner Of the fence
| stood an immense elm tree. Inside of
! this yard climbed Leonora, and behind the
| big elm she concealed herself
| A few minutes more proved she was
right in her conjecture. The Indians,
after having tied stout rawhide thongs
around the feet of their prisoners, laid
them down in the bottom of the canoes,
and taking their guns strobe gaily and
laughingly along toward the house, with
out any attempt at concealment.
/ Leonora's heart grew as hard as stone,
and her nerves-which futtered little
| before-now grew as firm as steel. She
| had put fresh waterproof caps upon each
nipple of her rifle, and resting the barrel
on a rail of the fence. she drew a sharp
bead upon the foremost one but as her
| finger curved to press the triggers she
heard what actually seemed to be a voice
whisper:
''Not yet, Leonora -
She paused, and then, as if by iuspira-
ton, she flashed this thought into her mind:
''Wait until they get nearer to the
| house, and then shoot the hindmost one
first"
She obeyed the impression, and let them
come on few rods nearer Suddenly the
| thought came again
''Now's your time ]"
! CIapping her face to the rife -breech,
she trained the death-dealing tube steadi-
! Iy upon the chest of the rearrnost Indian
| for an instant and fired
The bullet sped true to its mark, and
the burly Indian merely threw up his
arms and fell dead, the rifle ball having
gone directly through his heart.
A clap of thunder from a clear sky
could not have so utterly astonished those
remaining Indians. Wildly they looked
| in every direction to see whence came the
fatal shot In the next instant, bang
went Leonora's rifle again, and another of
their number dropped dead.
But they saw the smoke of the last shot
and caught a glimpse of the shooter At
once they comprehended their peril. They
could not hide, and their only show for life
was in rushing to the tree and toma-
hawking their presumptous foe on the spot
( Instantly sounded the war4whoop, they
bounded forward, but with the notes half
uttered, another of their number leaped
into the air and fell back to rise no more.
Leonora had fired again.
The remaining three rushed on, but
again the brave girls rife rang like the
kDe!i Of doom, and fourth savage pitch
ed headiong to the ground.
The terror Of the remaining two was
now pitiful to behold. They stopped short
in their onward course, and uttered the
most fearful screams, discharging their
rifles at The tree in the widest and most
unavaiIing manner. Bat again the relent-
less rifle blazed, and another of the re-
manning two sunk to the ground as the
bullet went crashing through his brain,
Immediately the one left threw down
his rifle and cried out
''No shoot me! No shoot me he
give upl'
Leonora had drawn bead on him, but
now that he seemed so perfectly 10 her
power she lowered her rife, and stepping
from behind the tree, climbed the fence
briskly, and commenced approaching the
savage.
The surprise and indignation Of the In
dian at the sight of the girl was intense,
and forgetting his supplicating cry, he put
his hand behind him and drew forth his
tomahawk to throw at her,
Leonora's eye was as sharp as an ca
gle's. She saw the treacherous move,
and just as the bright blade of the hatchet
cleaned for the throw, she raised her
rifle and shot the faithless scoundrel dead
in his tracks
With the speed of deer she bounded
forward to the Lake.
Harry Watson shouted "Glory hallelu-
iahi I knew it was Leonora - and the