The Red Cloud chief., 1876-01-06


done and now ceased to fall. It was
too late to 60 to the Highland light to
zee the signal on the Little Katie; it was
too late to do anything with the kite
tven had the wind been right.
The next morning the wind blew jus,
right, and almost at the break Of day
the boys set forth, accompanied by five
or six men, for idlers are always to be
found on Cape Cod in the winter.
The kite wal made of good stout pa
per, and was covered with messages to
the captain of the Little Katie, or any
other captain over whose boat it might
chance to fall, or get entangled. The
wind was off shore, and away went the
kite, the men paying out the seine twine
but alas! the kite went high above the
boats and did not reach them. It was
cold work flying q kite on the awful ice
bound shore, but the novelty Of il
brought a crowd of men to the spot.
To their own surprise they entered into
the work with a spirit, but every at
tempt Of the morning failed. The kite
fell short, or, flew too high, or went of
in the wrong direction.
"Run home, laddies, and get your din
ner, and get warm clear through your
bones," said q of the men to Johnny
and Peter, about eleven of the clock,
"and we'll see what can be done with the
kite this afternoon"
When Johnny reached home he de
clared that he wasn't cold the least bit.
nor hungry the least atom, but he sat IN
front of a blazing diff wood fire and ate
like a giant and got up to the coast
again.
Wild didn't gee why she couldn't 90,
too. 1t was her father just as much as
Johnny's, and she cared as much about
the Little Katie as any of them did.
And so Wild, bundled up until ali re-
semblance to a twenty year old girl was
lost, set forth, tOiling through the snow
and sand to the coast. At a short dis
lance In the rear, Mrs. Wild followed
her. 1t seemed to her, as she drew zeal
the shore, that half the inhabitants of
the next village were gathered to see the
flying of a kite.
1t was just ready to start on its over
ice journey when Wild came upon the
scene.
"Dun't you see, there won't be any
thing to catch hold of 2" she said to
Johnny.
"Catch hold Off" repeated johnny,
who felt that he could not, in justice,
desplse Wild's suggestions any more.
"IIl show you," she said, "if you'll
hold on q minute. Tie some long string,
now and then, near the kite, that will
hang down."
The strings were tied on, half a dozen
of them, at intervals, and away went
tie kite, with more "string to it," than
any other kite that ever flew.
"Twon't reach! 1t flies too high! No
go! Let out! Give it string! Hurrah! I"
as the kite seeming to meet wind in
another current began to %flutter, turn,
and actually did fall on the ice within
reaching distance of the Little Katie's
crew.
Then such q shout as went up from the
Cape Cod shore, for, was there not a line
fast from M of the ice bound boats to the
firm old mainland, and did it not mean
that bread at last could be drawn across
the frozen sea to the furnishing.
The men on the Little Katie were pull.
ing in the kite, which looked a good deal
worn, but still they gathered around it,
and read in Johnny's boy-hand the
words: IF you get the kite, don't pull
in the string, for we'll put something to
eat on it if you arc hungry. Wild and
Joerny."
Captain Rose read the words, and then
he and his crew tried to shout back, but
the wind carried their voices across tie
bay.
Within the next twenty-four hours thu
cord had been doubled, and food in small
packages went along the novel roadway
from hour to hour, until miles of siene
Irvine lay OF the deck of the Little Katie,
and many loaves of bread, with small
packages of "salt meat" sugar, tea and
coffee, had been secured from the STA.
The next morning the wind blew
again on Cape Cod. The inhabitants
were on the watch for the kite, aud 10 lit
was e rising in the air. On, on, it
came. 1t sailed over the heads of the
group on shore; it went right across the
"Wrist" of Cape Cod. It would have
gone out upon the ocean, but for the
Highland lighthouse, that caught and
held the great auttering bird of man.
Wild and Johnny were the first to
reach the light and cry OUT "What
newss" to the keeper, who had just sue
ceeded in recovering the battered kite.
"Come and see with your own eyes"
Wild and Johnny found the words: 1--WE
have had nothing to eat for two days.
Now we'll weather the ice. God willing,
and get in all right. We've supplied the
Marv from Our sforeso