The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-05-24
SAVANNAH MISSOURI, FRIDAY, MAYs24, 1872.

: OF there bein' two sich. When Tom a,
the slick-lookin' feller from MAXWELL
is here at the same time, theU passf
looks which means everything that tw
slch fellers can do fur to win. don:
like 'tother feller; neither does the oil
woman: He'd do Almost anything, i
: my opinion, an if you don't max
choice atween em soon, them fellers y
tight, and that's sartin'."
The face which had been rosy grew
little pale as he talked The old maj
had told his daughter nothing that sh
did not already know; but che wa
startled to think that the hatred of tn
two men had been noticed by another
The question in Chuck's heart was no
which Of the two men she would take
| but how to get rid of the disappointed
one. Therefore, woman,like, she ha.
encouraged neither of them. To he
acute mind the difficulty had been ,
trouble for weeks, and the words of he]
father had been fresh cause for diso,iet
| Old Sims, having thus broken the ice
would have continued, but his dauph
Ter stopped him with an exclamation
and pointed to the sand at their feet
SIMS approached and peered oautiousl,
at the spot his daughter indicated
There they were, not an hour old. the
| ugly, ln-turned moccasin-tracks of four
eight, dozen Indians. In woman
timidity and wit are often companions
to each other, and Chuck drew in her
horse with determined air. 81 don't
like that" said she; I'm going back,
1t can do us no harm if the he,d is
driven home, and want TO see il dope:',
and she turned her horse.
"W'y, now," said Sims, "what's the
use? Sich things amt uncommon
come on"
"You can 60 alone if you think best, "
she answered.
Before he could reply she was gope G,
and irritated by what he considered a
useless panic, he doggediy continued
his journey toward the post. The sight
OF an Indian trail eighty miles from
home seemed poor cause for fright,
even in a woman, Sims thought as he
continued his journey; and it was not
that which caused her to retreat; it was
to avoid being questioned further upon
the topic he had broached. "Cur'us
critters is wimmin,n he said 10 himself
as he logged on. Sims spent the night
unconscious of its horrors, happy drunk
in the post guard.house.
An apprehension which she could
hardly understand, filed the mind of
the girl as she urged her pony toward
home. Her fathers talk added to her
excitement, and she thought of what
Tom Harris, strong, daring and hand.
some. would do at such time. His
tall figure, CHEEKY face and handsome
dress, as he sat on his horse at her
fathers door, blithc and fresh after his
ride of forty miles for her sake, came
vividly before her. Even in the midst
OF her anxiety and nervousness she felt
that she and Tom, united in purpose
and effort, could do anything in this
world. Such were the strong woman's
thoughts Of a man whom she loved be.
cause he was stronger than she. Two
miles from home, and the riders heart
sank at the sight Of a column Of smoke
on the verge of the familiar horizon.
Frightened indeed, now, she urged her
pony TO its utmost, and at the crest of
the hill that overlooke ed the nook in
which stood her home the truth burst
upon her that while her father had
talked TO her of her lovers, and while
she was yet specializing upon the foot
prints in the sand, the Indian torch was
being applied, and now herds, house,
mother and sisters were all gone.
Amid all the conflicting griefs and ter.
roEs ct TIE momentarose an overwhelm-
lessness. The beautiful and subtle
Of a woman may guide, but it
can neither guard nor revenge. There
seemed no help, and the girl wished in
her heart that she had gone with the
rest. But she was not so entirely alone,
for AS she came nearer she saw the tall
figure of Tom Harris, newly alighted
from an all-night ride, standing by his
painting horse, so entirely occupied
with despairing contemplation OF the
ruins that he had as yet not
noticed her approach. But when he
turned and recognized her, his grim
face took color like Il flash. In truth,
Toms paleness was not the pallor OF
fear. Words were inadequate to ex-
press the tone in which he had cursed
this Apaches, by all that was holy and
all that was evil, as he stood conteIn-'
plating the burning house, and think
ing with pang that penetrated his
very soul that she was among the vic
TINS. But when he heard and then
turned and saw her, all was thenceforth
lair and serene to Tom Harris. With
frontiersman's quick perception OF cir
cumstances and situations of this kind,
Misunderstood and asked no questions,
"The 'Paches are clear gone with
everything miss" he said. " They
must a. done it in ten minits. Come,
git down new, won't yer That pony's
about done. for, and WY, row, miss,
'tsant no use grievin.. Ye cant bring
'em back, and ye can't catch the Injuns
not to-day, I'll be, even with 'em if
! live, but I've known a many SIGH
things in my time, and--"
Tom stopped for, he had q sense of
how tame and meaninglessl his rude
efforts at comfort were to the silent and
whose whole soul seemed engrossed in
a struggle with the calamity which had
befalIen her. The well.meaning fellow
went some distance apart and waited.
And while he waited the white, despair
ing face grew still winter, and she slip
ped helpiessly from the pony and lay q
limp and ilifeless heap upon the ground.
This was the time of the frontiersman' s
utter despair. In all his lre's vicissi-
tudes there had been none like this.
But all his endeavors were the sensible
ones of a practical man. He knew
nothing of what he ought to do for the
restoration of lost consciousness, and
was afraid to try. But with the ecelerity
,f n Ia l.o "a q; nx,nA lha hoa,r,, Hank az