Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-05-24

In the ground with his long knife, and
| whistled softly, and sighed and groaned
i. within himself. Tom loved the woman
who lay there, and because be loved
her he was afraid of her. Most men
experience the same feeling once in
/ theirllives.. Hs Ew'l9'v a&uitH az"
i But there hadubeen another and an
unseen spectator of all this. ls We can.
not tell by what peculiar, conjunction
| of the planets things fall out in this
world as they do. But while Tom was
executing his plans. of1ecomfort, the
slick 7lookin' feller from gMaxwell's' Y
was watching afar off. He came no
nearer, because he did not understand
the situation. The burning building
suggested Indians and he wanted no
closer acquaintance with them, should
they still be there. But while he
watched he saw and recognized the two
persons, and pang of jealousy entered
his heart. Then he stayed away be-
cause he desired to husband for future
Misrepresentation and use the circum-
stances to which he'had been an unseen
witness, and finally rode away, bafied,
ordering in his eowardly heart some
scheme which could harm his formid-
able rival. at--.-...
The afte noon passe slowly away,
and still Tom Harris kept watch. Oc-
casionally he crept on tiptoe and looked
at his charge She seemed asleep.
Finally he hobbled the two horses to
prevent escape, gathered some of the
vegetables in the desolate garden, and
stifed a strong mans hunger with young
radishes, green tomatoes ,fand oilless
lettuce. He could afford to wait, for he
was engaged in what he, wondered to
think was in the midst Of the smoking
signs of rapine and captivity the most
delightful task of his life. He did not
know that hours ago, the occupant of
with returning consciousness had touch
ed the crimson-barred serape; had seen
the stalwart sentinel sitting afar off, and
then had fallen into the deep slumber
of grief. ..... ....... st-.. 81
| Through the long watches of the
| night the sleepless frontiersman passed
back and forth, listening to the chatter
of the coyotes and the gray VOLTS long
drawn howl. He scared away n the
stealthy footsteps of the prowlers of the
night, and listened and waited. Anon
he crept close to the side of the couch
and listened for the breathing of the
sleeper; then crept away again with
the happy consciousness that he and
love had all the wilderness to them.
selves. In the early morning he heard
the clank of sabers and the hum of
voices and a troop of cavalry appeared
| from the post, and among them old
Sims, ired4eyed and trembling, but
sobered by aapprehensions and grief.
The man from Maxwell's had told of
the raid at the post, and he had reasons
Of his own for doing SO. They left men
and means for the conveyance Of the
woman back to the post, and old Sims
returned with her. As. for Tom, the
soldiers gave him something to eat, and
he mounted mis- horse and accompanied
them upon the trail. His step was as
light and his heart as merry as though
he had slept in his bed, for as he looked
back the last time the face he saw was
sad and white, but the eyes were the
eyes of woman who looks after one
Frail of body, but strong of purpose,
the unconquerable spirit of old Sims's
daughter employed itself in directing
| the erection of a house upon the spot
which had been SO long a home. In
| less than month she and Sims were
again, established in the prairieFnook,
in cabin not differing materially from
| the former, but surrounded by a pail
fsade which bid defiance to Indian as
sault. The couple were not poor, and
while the old man drowned the past In
half-drunk insanity, the dependents of
the house did the work the two daugh-
| ters had once done. Chuck, stately and
sad, but soitened, seemed daily to wait
and watch for something which never
came, and of which she never spoke.
/ The troops with which Tom Harris went
away had returned They told of a
davis running fight, which was duly
mentioned lin general orders, but in
which they had suffered no. losses If
Tom had returned to his place, why did
he not come again to Sims's ranch?
Chuck said to herself. 6And7then there
was his beautiful serape ;shegmight even
come for that. r But he did not. The
man from Maxwells did come; and so
placid was his reception that he went
away again with bitterness in his heart.
He came again., The pale-faced woman
had dropped a little, he thought, and
cared even less for his distinguished
| company than before. But even while
she cooled his ardor with a grand
dignity, she seemed waiting for some
one to come in, and listening for some
footstep. But lately this man had be-
come the possessor of a secret which
filed his heart with exultation. He
learned it at the post, where it was men
toned by careless soldiers, ignorant OF
its fearful import. The loss Of a man is
nothing, and the few of them who had
been lately at Sims's did not even know
of the TACT. The only circumstance
about the affair at all remarkable in the
/ ewes of those sons of Mars was, that a
/ man whose name was hardly known
/ and now not remembered, who went
with them only f" for fun" and through
| peculiar hatred of Apaches, should be
| the only man 10 fall. True, he was
| foremost !; was a splendid-looking fel.
low; and they thought it a pity, and
buried him where he fell. Therefore this
suitor of Sims's daughter, possessed oi
the cunning which sometimes defeat;
itself, bethought him of this chanc {
shot, and deemed that if it did him nc
good it might at least wound the pla
cidity which he hated. So one day. as
he stood at the door, smarting under
cool reception and no good-by at all
he eremarked to Sims :ad9F5H lg sbard
4 g Seems to me, old man, you and .yel
darter is waitin fur suthin' that'll neyel
come. She needn't slight me a-waitir
for better company. Tom Harris wa
killed by the PEACHES which burned yel