The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-04-26

e run screamin' down among the chappa
d rel. tryin' to hide. l was up i'm Il
e lead, an started back to where nv on
t fit was, furst thing. l never got ther
d Suthin' or somebody struck me over Il
e head from behind.
!, Here the speaker took off his hat. an
S leaning forward. babe his auditors plat
+ their fingers upon deep and ugly SCI
upon his head.
: ~ fell down an l rec'iect gittin u
ag'in and runnin' on and on. It SCENE
as though l never got where wanted :,
an l turned dizzy, an commenced
S gittin' blind. But KEEP soin' till a
of a suddint forgot everything. Whe
| came to my senses it must a been
: week afterwards. Inever knOwed, but
D was on a narrow bed i'm hospital, at
( camp that's 'bolished now, fifty mile
from Cooks Canon. You see them sol
diers come along after us-tOO late.
ailus heerd that the last livin' soul wa
killed. But they found me somewhar. an
, tOted me along as them fellers knows how
, to do. One day kinder woke up, layin
on narrer bed In 'dObe house. an
big bearded feller In uniform was hold
in OF my wrist, and lOOkin' down at IN,
an sn lin like he was nigh tickled t
death. tell you, a glance at tn
medical men, he was doctor. Icrawl
ed rOun' that place till l was strong agin
and KEEP thinkin' It oil over. ! concluded
| was the only man left. | was riied. an
| listed in them I'd dragons, a purpose t,
kill lnjuns. feared fOr nOthin' else then
an l served out five years 'listment
Then went back to Californy. But sine,
| hnr Il ssnff tol s,pl \ ~,
good for years. It's months sence I've
thort of anything but that day in the
canon. | tell We, sometimes | kinder
think MAY be nv wife and some of them
wimmen got away! 'Taint so. l know
'talnt so. an it's no use to speckcrlate.
What do care nOwP She was a pOOty
thing. an sly an smart. But what makes
me think of her is beyand that. You see
she was ailin' little-wan't very well.
an ef she'd lived a week longer
He did not finish the sentence, and lean
ing forward placed his great hands over
| his face and sat silent. After q while he
| resumed:
Gentlemen, 'twouldn't be any use fur
you to tell me I'm fool. I've bsen a
thinkin' of this thing for fourteen year.
and now it's got to be | aint good for
nothin' else. Other men has their young
sters an never thinks of it, but 1 can't
hear a baby cry-which hain't often
'thOut gittin' kind o. weak. But there's
one thing kin do. I'm going to find
that place in the canon. I've rs good
right to visit my family cemetery as any
man livin'-and the speaker grew excited
as he thus combated the idea of being
foolish in the premises.
None of the men he had spoken to were
fools, but all had beer mistaken in their
conception of the frOntiersman. He was
now invested with new interest. So far
as they knew he was the survivor of one
the most fearful of all the Indian massa-
cres Of the country. They respected the
story and the feelings of one TO whom
that day had been but brOoding nienl-
Ory for so many years. The physician at
least was man of some learning, culture.
and delicacy of feeling. He OWNED the
tender spot in this giant which ho and hi~
felt the peculiar leaning toward him which
all his cloth experience in connection with
what bids TO be a especial case"
.'See here, my friend" said he, ''who
told you that your-ah, your wife was
actually killed? l wOuldn' raise your
hopes, you know; but then there's no
telling about such things unless you act
ually know. You are alive you see. and
ali. well. you can't most always tell"
He suddenly stopped. for the frontiers
man was leaning forward In his seat, and
with quick breath drinking in every word. |
my Godv' he said, do you think SO !? |
Air YOU in yearnest? Nobody told me
she was dead-and everybody. But she |
is-she is, and if she wasn't, il would't
know me-
at? WhOT' said the medical man
.'The baby"
The short summer night began to fade. |
and that rare first glimpse Of sunlight |
upon mountain snow. which more than |
in nature bears the similitudc oi |
a kiss, began tO appear. The tired beasts
seemed to take new life and pushed eager |
ly OH. Far in the distance could b. dim
" heard the first growing Of the cocks, |
the bleating Of goats, and the cry of asses. |
while the thin blue breakfast smoke could |
be seen curling from the chimney Of the |
little adobe castle, which was the "lucky"
ranch.
How like an Eden i'm the wilderness that
lone and really eOmfnrtlcss abode seems. |
for there. in the midst of desolation, is the |
element which comes trickling over the |
palate with 4 sweetness unutterablc at |
times when the vintage Of past decade |
seems valueless and insipid. There is |
water. That means nothing to you, who |
have never for moment felt the pang
severe thirst, but it is elOquence TO him |
who has stood where all that is pearly and |
limpid and cool is long nights journey
away.
Jack Marvin was sandy-haired fellow.
half Yankee, half 1rishman. All the
had heard of him was true.
He had wife and babies, and govern |
ment contract. and it was his first luck. |
He was happy. and he ushcred the four |
travellers into the house as though he had |
known them for years. He had a step
daughter, of whom he was wonderfully |
proud. When she came into the room ut |
these early breakfasts. he always dilated |
upon the girl and her peculiar history.
ature of fourteen who looked twenty. |
She had an enormous quantity of that |
glorious red hair which is crimson in the |
sunshine, and eyes which were big and |
black. She was round and little and |
graceful, and was in short rare speci- |
men Of the being which sometimes |
springs from the healthful admixture of |
two races. I
"DO you see that girl, gentlemen?'' |
says Marvin. "That's the handsOmest I
little thing i'm Mexico, and differs from
them all in her birthplace and her nursin'. I
Sure her mothers me wife, and I've plen- |
ty Of me own, but they was born In a |
house." And with that he hurried away
to attend to some necessary things, in |
tending by llmeans to hasten back and
finish his proud tale. |
TIE four travellers sat and watched with
some eagerness the preparations for
hreakfacf From time tn time ant . rod tha