River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-02-12
THE LONE CABIN.
[From Peterson's Journal.j

struggling settlement. On the course
which / should have taken there was
nothing of the sort. Somewhere | had
crossed the right trail and taken the
wrong one. Almost any traveller in the
border sections would have been glad to
thus stumble upon place for food and
retreshment. Not so with myself. In
the breast pocket Of my coat carried
five thousand, four hundred and ninety
odd dollars, United States money. had
received this amount from Mai. Gen. I.
NJ. Lacy, and il was TO be carried through
TO Fort l., and placed in the hands
Of Col. Asa f. Southland, to deiray neces-
sary army expenses.
get through at your best gait, Carnes'
said the major, 1.-THE money is long since
overdue, and Southark'S rather irascible
temper must have been tried TO the ut
most. You know how the soldiers get to
growing if uncle is at all delinquent in
paying up. Ride in careless manner,
but be careful. | don't think that any
one dreams of the arrival Of this money
save, of course, the mail agent and the
clerk who delivered me the package"
| was directed over an unfamiliar sec.
ton, hence the losing Of the right route.
considered it the safest plan, so long as
had blundered upon the verge of the set.
Element, to boldly enter and rest as an
ordinary traveller would do. Should
push hurriedly on, might by that act,
excite suspicion.
There were only two men in the bar
room when | entered; the landlord cad
the hostler. Under his familiar cordial
ity the landlord furtiyely eyed me in a
manner that made me wish was well
done with my job, but treasured myself
with the thought that it was the con-
sciousness of the responsibility reposing
upon me that caused his glances to dis.
turb me. Before had finished my sup.
per two more travellers rode up, called
out for the hostler, and ordered drinks,
or rather one of them came in with
the orders, and the other threw
himself down ON bench outside
and began loading huge pipe.
Strolling carelessly about the room,
managed to glance out Of the window.
My heart leaped into my throat, for in
the man outside | recognized, from des-
criptions of him, Bill Wolf, one of the
most desperate characters that ever fig
ured in the annals Of border rufHanism |!
There was the huge red moustache, the
thick, hairy throat, and the shoulders
hunched up around his head, suggesting
the shape of mammoth clam-and the
voice with deep down intonation like
the plop, plop, plop Of water hurriedly
leaving jug. If the description of the
notorious renegade is inelegant it has the
merit of truthfulness, and must there.
fore be excused.
Iwent through with my supper in
form, but whatever appetite might have
felt on my entrance into the inn, had
vanished with my discovery. After a
time the other fellow came in, having
been OUT, he said, to look after the ami.
mails, and they also ordered supper. Now
was my time to leave, which | did
IN careless manner, pass.
ing some commonplace remarks with
the two men and crossed the dim. smoky
bar-room. As they seemed to take no
notice whatever, ! felt my spirits rise
with hope that could make a safe tran
sit. 1t was quite duskish outside, but
the hostler was fitting about the stable
with his lantern, which emitted but a
little more effulgent light than a white
bean would have done, but he graciously
brought out my steed at the order, and,
mounting, ! thankfully trotted away.
The moon-a little passed full-wouid
make her debut in something more than
an hour after sunset, and pushed along
ct q smart trot so as to get well out upon
the plains and into the right trail before
that time. The animal went along at an
assuring gait, and | was feeling infinitely
relieved at my providential escape from
contact with the desperate characters
whom | had left at the settlement,
when my acute, trained, ever alert ears
detected the sound of swift riding. In
which direction From behind me, as
the mildly floating breeze blew from that
quarter. The face Of the prairie in this
section was a little rolling, but not so as
to afford any shelter, and not shrub or
bush dotted the cxpanse for miles.
drew up my horse one moment to
listen. No chance travellers ever rode
like that. 1t meant pursuit.
| gave my steed a CALLING lash and she
broke into a convulsive gate, hove her
body up with one or two plunges, stun
OlSu, SoiilE hONh MINUS W Htl
nose, and pitched me literally heels over
head. For an instant | was
paralyzed with establishment, the
next seized the bit to
fetch up the fallen animal which had in
the brief mshap undergone strange
metamorphosis. She had lost her white
face on or in the grass, and, passing my
hand between her eyes, found the hair
was wet. In an instant was examining
tho white legs my horse had been pecu.
liarly marked with white legs and face
and found these sticky with whtewash.
What then Simply, my trappings had
been transferred to another animal, gotten
up to exactly represent mine in the
evening. This discovery brought an
appalling Interpretation Of the on.
coming horsemen. gave the horse the
whip as soon as his unstable legs were
we'll under him, and sent him securing
on ahead, while | ran off to the right,
making for a little hollow near shallow,
dry ravine. Here to my profound aston.
ishment discovered lone cabin, or hut,
about the dimensions Of an ordinary
I 4 L.. l.. Il