The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-06-15


and apprehension, expecting nothing t
less than to witness the horrible butch
cry of her father and lover at once.
But this did not seem to be the pur-
pose of the Indians, for, tying the arms
of their captors behind them, they took
to the canoes, where, taking the old man
into one, and the young man into the 9TH
er, they showed boldly into the lake, ,and
padded rapidly down to where the house
| stood. Leonora OWNED their intent in
stantly.
.Hare she said to herself, they design
capturing me, too They deem that an
easy job. perhaps" and her eyes flashed
and her face flushed with anger. ''Sce!
| there is fourth canoe. which they no
doubt suppose will carry me This VII
/ famous work has been well calculated;
| hut ha! you bad savages! you have mis-
taken your girl this time, Leonora
Brown has, been taught more thin gs than
to cook yension steak. Oh, dear. dear,
| father, your Leonora WILSON show you
how brayely she can succor you, and
| how your instructing her the use of this
rifle has saved you this day. And. too.
darling Henry Watson, have won Ion
/ ger lease of your precious life by pre-
senting me with this splendid revolving
rife Six bullets for six ruffians! Miss
one of them! oh, if should-there's
my knife. No, Leonora, you must not
miss one of them
| The girl now crept stealthily through
the underbrush up the bank to the prai-
rie above She knew to reach the house
the Indians would have to cross broad
fiat field, where there was no shelter for
their persons. She did not think they
would hesitate to do this, because, hav
ing taken the two men, they would hard
lly expect any resistance from single
girl. About thirty rods to the right of
the path q cattle yard had been erected
by her father, and the corner of the
fence stood an immense elm tree. In
side of this yard climbed Leonora, and
behind the big elm she concealed her
self.
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 dcwn in the bottom of their ca
noes, strobe gaily and laughingly along
toward the house. without any attempt
at concealment.
/ Leono-a's heart grew as hard as
stone, and her nerves. which fnttered
little before-now grew as firm as
steel. She had put fresh water proof
caps upon each nipple OF her rife, and
q putting the barrel on the rail of the fence
drew a sharp bead upon the foremost
Indian; but as her finger curved to press
the trigger she heard what actually
seemed to be voice whisper:
Not yet, Leonora!
She paused, and then, as if by inspi-
ration, flashed the thought into her
mind: 4
Wait until they get nearer the house,
then shoot the hindmost one first
She obeyed the impression, and le.
them come on a few rods nearer Sud
denly the thought came again:
'Now's your time"
Clspping her face TO the rifle breech,
che trained the death dealing tube stead
lily at the chest Of the rearinost Indian
for an instant and fred.
The bullet proved true to its mark,
and the burly Indian merely threw up
his arms and fell dead the rifle ball hay.
ing 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 rife again, and
another of their number dropped dead
But they saw the smoke of the shoot
err Instantly sounding the war-hoop
they bounded forward, but with th'
notes half uttered another Of their mum
Der leaped into the air and fell back tt
rise no more. Leonora had fred again
The remaining three rushed on, bu
again the brave girls rifle rang like th'
: knell of doom, and fourth savag
pitched headlong to the ground.
: The terror Of the remaining two wa
now pitiful to behold; they stopped
short in their onward course, and utter
, ing the most fearful screams, discharges
their rifles at the tree in the widest an,
most unavailing manner. But again tn
: relentless rifle tlazed, and another o
the remaining two sunk to the grouut
/ as the bullet went crashing through hi
I brain.
i, Immediately the one left threw dow
his rifle and cried out:
5 No shoot me! No shoot me. Me Civ
iup! ~Tf -4s EHe -f