The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-09-18

| quickly disappeared when he advanced TO-
ward where it was The figure was that
of an Indian warrior, and Rufe Bronson
would have sworn that he was the Indian
whom he had knocked down ana bound
| the previous summer. Inc knowledge
wa. not in any way comforting. and hence
he would not tell his wife of the discovery
| he lad made.
Ii would only alarm her, without, per-
haps, any good results. He simply told
| her he had discovered bear tracks near by,
and that she and her child must stay with
in, or close the house, when he was absent.
| Several days atterward Rufe Bronson
| heard his dogs in the timber down by the
river and knowing they never opened
without a good cause, he caught up his
rifle and FASTENED to where they were
barking. They had struck a fresh bear
track, and rs he arrived i'll sight they fair
" lifted it, going off in Il straight line
down the river
The chase led him several miles. and
when at last he got his shot that finished
Bruins career he found that it was three
or four O'Clock in the afternoon.
| Swinging his game to sapling out of
reach of cat OF wolf, he started for home
to get the gray mare, and return to fetch
| it that night
Taking Il near cut, he approached the
cabin from the western side, where tim
| Der grew heavy up to within few yards
Of the building, and consequently he could
not see the clearing, or what might be
| Transporting there, until he passed through
! the wood.
| Thus it was. that, when within but a
| very short distance of his house, he heard
| u l.. u
guess that something terrible must be
taking place beyond the screen of bushes
and leaves
| tttering !; loud shout that his presence
might sooner be known, Bronson sprang
| forward with the leaps of a wounded buck,
| a great fear in his heart for he had only
too clearly recognized in that scream the
agonized voice of his wife.
1t took but ii moment for him to clear
the Intervening timber and underground.
As he dashed out into the clearing, hold
| inc his rifle ready for instant use, he COM
pretended in one swift glance all that had
| taken place and what was further to fear
Near the end of the cabin, facing the
| cliffs Of which | have spoken, stood the
mother, her face pallid as the dead, her
arms outstretched and her staring eyes
fixed upon the precipitous heights up
which the figure of an Indian warrior was
struggling.
My child my childr' was all the wo-
man said and then Rute Bronson saw that
the bundle borne in the Indians arms was
the form Of their only child little Maggie.
Firm of heart and with nerve as steady
As the rocks around, the father for mo-
ment actually quailed and covered under
| / Al. H..
peril Of his little one. But he was quick
to recover
The Indian was drawing away; step by
step he was increasing the distance. And
is he occasionally glanced backward and
downward the parents saw in his painted
colntenance the full purpose that actuated
the abductor.
God aid me- Bronson muttered, as he
raised his rifle, glanced through the sights
and touched the trigger,
The Indian started violently at the shot
He was hit, but not badly, and with yell
Of devilish triumph, he passed upward.
Too low, by a couple Of inches" said a
low, calm voice at the settlers elbow.
Bronson started as though he himself
had been shot
Where has this man come tromo Who
was he?
Neither had seen him approach But
there was no time for explanations.
The stranger. a man rather below than
above the ordinary height. whose fine,
athletic form was fully displayed by his
closely fitting buckskin garments, stepped
quickly forward, Il few PAGES, and firmly
planting his left foot in advance threw up
An unusually long rifle as though prepar-
INC to fire.
For Gods sake, stranger, be careful of
my child!' cried Bronson, while the ago
nizcd mother uttered an inaudible PRAYER
Its our only chance | know that In
dian, was the quick reply, and the sharp
click click Of the hammer as it was
drawn back told that the critical moment
had come.
BY this time the Indian had nearly
reached the summit of the steep. That he
was wounded now became evident, as up
on a broad ledge of rock he paused mo-
ment.
This opportunity was seized by the I'M
known.
Although the savage had taken the pre-
caution to hold the child up in front of
whole of his brawny chest, but leaving his
tate in making the shot
For one instant, as it gained its position,
the rifle waycred and then instantly be-
came a. immoyable AS though held in a vice.
With clasped hands and straining eyes
the parents watched the statute-like form
upon which 50 much depended
suddenly Il sharp report rang out-the
white smoke drifted away, and as the
Viz c1oa, tbo,- ha
loose his hold upon the child, reel wildly
for Il minute, and then pitch forward upon
the rocks
1t may be imagined that the father was
not long in reaching the place where his
child lay and in few minutes more the
little one was in its mothers arms
Tell us who you are, that we may
know what name to mingle with our pray
crs.0 as the stranger prepared to depart
MY name is Daniel Boone" he said,
and was gone
PLAYING INDIAN. Mr.. Lester b. Platt
a ale divinity student, has been spending
his summer vacation on the Western
plains. Soon after reaching Genoa Neb.,
he was invited by the Pawnee chief to ac-
company his tribe on their annual hunting
expedition. Discarding the apparel of the
effeminate civilization, our young ''theo-
log donned the Pawnee costume and for
the nonce became regular Indian While
the Pawnees were on their home-ward
iaunt, heavily laden with game, they We're
suddenly surprised by large body of their
ancient enemies, the Sioux The Pawnees,
though fighting bravely, were overpow-
cred, scattered, one-tourth of their number
slaughtered. and the remainder pursued
until darkness concealed them, when they
escaped. Young Platt was captured by
the Sioux after giving them the last shot
in his locker. He would have been scalped,
but the Sioux Chief forbade it, and point
ing him to the Republican river, babe him
run for his life. He did and saved it,
escaping unhurt among the pursuing bull
lets. He will soon return to his exegesis
and homietics with the wild death song
rim r;ntr in hic brain and tho noccoccor Of