The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-11-06

she had never met repolite or gen.
tlemanly person somehow her fears
had all disappeared, and she felt singu-
larly safe and happy. She did not lock
the door, for she felt not the slightest
uneasiness 81 ; but she peeped from a
| little window, and saw the tall hunter,
with his gun across his shoulder. walk
! ing up and down before the cabin like
Il sentinel, and then she laid down on
the bed, and soon fell into deep sleep.
Eext morning when she awoke the
sun was shining brightly, and, springing
up, for she had not removed any of her
clQthing, she ran to the little window
ana looked out. There was the hunter
pacing up and down, just as he had
been doing the night before. "How
polite in him." thought Mary, "pot to
disturb me and how considerate of
my comfort and safety he has been ever
since 1 entered his humble abode" She
made haste to open the door, and the
hunter bade her good morning, and
hoped she had rested we'll. Then he
made up the fire, and, bringing Mary
some water in basin, with comb and
brush, said he would cook the break
fast while she made her toilet. To this
Mary objected, saying she would do the
cooking herself and, as soon as her
simple toilet was made, set about the
work.
The hunter brought the things for
I her to cook, peeled the potatoes, and
| showed her where everything he had
was kept. Every few minutes he would
burst out laughing, and say, "How
! funny to have woman to cook for me-"
| Mary's heart was heavy, and she was
constantly thinking of her mother at
home, and wondering where they
Thought she was but her position was
so novel for young girl, and her COM
panion so cheerful, that she could not
help blushing, and at times, despite
| her troubles, her small, steel gray eyes
would sparkle with mirtb. When they
sat down to breakfast, the hunter thought
he had never seen so charming q crea-
ture as Mary, and somehow she never
seemed to mind the great brown eyes
constantly fixed upon her. Strange she
should not be afraid, for she was alone
with the most desperate man of the
| West but, so far from fearing him, she
thoroughly believed he was her best
friend and protector.
After breakfast she told the hunter
her tale, and again claimed his protec-
ton. He listened respectfully and at
tentively, and, when she had done,
said:
$50 you thought You could trust
me?"
"I did," replied Mary, while the hot
blood rushed to her temples.
For moment the muscles in the face
of the hunter worked convulsively, and,
rising, he went to small cupboard and
took from it two daguerrotypes-the
one of young girl, and he other of
middle-aged woman. Opening them
and placing them in Mary's lap, while
. tear dimmed his eye, he said:
"These are the pictures o. my dear
mother and darling sister, and l swear
to you by them I will always be to you
as brother"
Mary held out her hand, and as he
grasped it, two hearts met in that clasp,
never to be divided again on earth.
The hunter told Mary she must go
back at once to her mother, and, now
she had placed herself under his pro-
lection, she need not fear Long Ned or
any one else. Placing her on his pony,
he walked by her side and led the little
brute, who, not being use to such a
burden, was disposed to be little vi
cious. Carefully and tenderly, as If she
were an infant, he guarded her until
they came to her fathers house, where
they had scarcely arrived when that
most startling of all cries on tho border,
"Indians - was heard, and man
dashed up to say that the settlement
below had been attacked and all of
! .tn NUa;tinrr 70
hear no more, Long Ned, who was still
at the farm, leaped upon apony and dash
ed away across the prairie.
Placing Mary in the arms of her moth
er, the Wild Hunter left her to tell her
own tale, and rapidly followed Ned. The
Indians were driven off and alt the stock
recovered, but Long Ned did not re-
turn. Some said he was killed by the
savages; others, that the Wild Hunter
shot him; but, be that as it may, he
was dead, and no one seemed to care by
whose hand he had fallen. Nearly all
the recaptured stock had once belonged
to Mr. Thompson, and Ned being dead,
the Wild Hunter took it upon himself
to return it to the farmer, saying he
was Ned's heir; a decision no one OBJ
iected to. What was most surprising,
however, was the fact that the Wild
Hunter did not drink any more or quar-
rel with any one. When pressed for IN
explanation, he simply replied: :" 1 have
quit that sort of thing"
Little more remains to be tsld of this
true tale of boarder life, and it may be
summed up in these words. Soon after
the Indian raid there was a wedding al
Mr.. Thompson's, and the farmer, infu,
enced by his new son-in-law, stopped
drinking and became prosperous and
useful citizen. If ever you visit the Big
Blue, just above Mr.. Thompson's place
you will find neat farmhouse, and in
it brown-haired, happy-faced woman
with four little curly-headed children
playing about her knee. The owner oI
this farm is quiet, orderly, we'll to-dc
man; and, if you will wait until he
comes home from the fields, you viii
recognize in him noue other than "Tht
Wild Hunter of the Blue. - Genera
James I. Brisbin.