Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-08-28

the wife, turning to the husband with
scared look.
"Pshaw don't trouble yourself about
the drunken brute" answered the set
tier lightly; but, as he turned away and
stepped into the yard, he muttered;
Like it! Well, not much. The fellow
must, be watched. I was IN hopes he
would not remember but that lump
where my fist landed was enough, if
nothing else,to recall the circumstance.
The summer passed, they saw no more
of the drunken guest. He failed to
make his appearance. But as tho leaves
began to fall, the settler, one day, while
returning from hunting on the hills
and passing through dense piece OF
timber, caught sight of a figure lurking
in the bushes, but which quickly disap-
| reared when he advanced toward where
| it was. The figure was that of an In
ulan WaTTlOT, diu RuAc Oiauooh "oNAo
have sworn that it was tho Indian whom
he had knocked down and bound the
| previous summer. The knowledge was
not in any way comforting; hence he
did not tell his wife of the discovery.
It would alarm her, without, perhaps,
any good result. He merely told her
the had discovered bear tracks near by,
and she and the child must stay within
or close to the house when he was alb
sent
Several days afterward, Rufe Bran
son heard his dogs in the timber down
by the river, and knowing that they
never opened without good cause, he
caught up his rife and fastened to where
they were barking They had struck
fresh bear trail and as he arrived in
sight. they fairly lifted it, going OIL in a
straight line down the river.
The chase had led him several miles
and when at last he got i'll his shot that
finished Bruins career, he found that 1t
was three or four o'clock in the after
noon.
Swinging his game to sapling, out
of reach of cat or wolf, be started fol
home to get the old gray mare and re
turn and fetch it that night. Taking q
short cut, he approached the cabin
from the western side, where the tim
Der grew heavy up to within few rods
Of the buildings and consequently he
could not see the clearing or what might
be transporting there, until he had pass
ed Though the wood.
very short diitsstsiiet when within hntt. 8
a wild, piercing shrek. He could
guess that something terrible must be
taking place beyond the screen Of
bushes and leaves
| Uttering q loud shout, that his
presence might the sooner be made
known, Branson sprang forward with
the leaps of wounded buck, great
fear at his heart, for he had only toe
clearly recognized in that scream the
agonized voice Of his wife. 1t took
but moment for him to clear the
intervening timber and unders'''w I'll
and as he dashed out into the clearing
holding his rifle ready for instant use'
he comprehendcd III one swift slahce
all that had taken place and yiia' was
further to fear.
Near the end Of the -abin, facing the
cliff, Of which ha'spoken stood the
mothor her eac, white as the dead her
a,,,,.. med, and her staring eyes
ss s =, = the precipitous heights up
u.e The form Of an Indian warrior
, * struggling.
q "My child! my child T was all tie
Woman said, and then Rufus Branson
|-saw that the bundle borne in the In
dams arms was the form Of their only
child, little Maggie.
| Firm of heart, and with nerves as
steady as the rocks around, the father
for moment actually quailed and
covered under what his quick sense
told him was the deadly peril of the
little one.
But he was quick to recover.
The Indian was drawing away; step
by step he was increasing the distance,
and he occasionally glanced backward
the parents saw in his hideously pain
ted countenance the fell purpose that
actuated the abduction.
'God and me !" Branson muttered as
he raised his rife, glanced through the
sights, and touched tho trigger
The Indian started violently at the
shot.
He was hit, but not badly, and with
yell Of devilish triumph he passed
upward.
s'Too low by couple of inches, said
low, calm voice at the settlers elbow.
Branson started as though he himself
had been shot.
Where had that man come FRONT
Who was hes Neither had seen him
approach.