The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-04-14
III.

If you do lot know what an Indian
scare is, it is useless to describe it. No
civilized understanding can conceive the
horror of dealing with foe apparently
Is subtle and as cruel as the evil one
himself. If you are acquainted with the
West you will be able to picture to your
elf the CONSERVATION produced by the
startling news. Brick houses We're in
great demand. Women gathered up their
young ones and fed to tireproof shell
ters. A lady possessed of twins dropped
one of these innocents in her rapid
career, and it was found kicking and
squalling on the street corner by a
gentleman who at first was sorely
puzzled to know what to do with it.
Provisions were collected, arms eX-
amined, dispatches sent, and the local
printers set up terrible headings for the
bulletins, around which gathered loud-
talking and gesticulating men, even
when the clouds dissolved in drops OF
cold rain as the day wore on.
Mrs. Kent began to feel uneasy about
Maudy's non-appearance. She left her
friends house and questioned the men
she met, but without success. At length
she saw George sitting on dry goods
box, with his hat pulled over his face
where's Maudy, George % she cried.
"Why doesn't she come up to Mrs.
Blake's?"
He slowly raised his dull eyes to hers
as Unanswered, thickly: "She stayed be-
hind. l couldn't wait you know"
Mrs. Kent turned away, feeling hor-
libly dizzy. She saw that the coward
had been indulging too extensively in
Greats" and forbore to waste the full
ness of her wrath upon him. She had
taken but few steps when she met old
JEFF Sands, gray-headed Samson, who,
with his two sons, owned and worked q
promising mine in Gopher Gulch. She
told him the state of the case.
"Th--e deuce !" he gasped, thought
fully.
It was the only opinion he could give
on the spur of the moment, and stronger
language than he had ever before used
in Mrs, Kents hearing. For, be it
known, that old Sands thought the
ground she walked on sanctified thereby,
and she, oh, wicked little widow, was
not totally unconscious of the fact.
"Hang me if 1 wouldn't like to shake
that fellow out of his skin" he muttered,
savagely.
"But oh, Mr.. Sands, what can we
do?" she exclaimed.
"Do?" he exclaimed. "Why, get a
posse and go for the red frauds as tight
as we can lick. It's queer they amt in
sight already" he reflected. "But,
Pspose like as not they're trying to kill
'emsnlves on your oyster soup. L wish
we'd thought to put strychnine in it."
Poor Mrs. Kent was quite beyond
making or taking interest in plans. She
went away, leaving to JEFF Sands such a
picture of distraction that he felt capa-
BILE OF wiping every Arapahoe, man,
woman, or child, off the face of the
earth. He went to the postoffice and
set forth in few strong words that he
wanted body of men to go to Maudy
Kent's rescue. They were on file. They
were ready to follow Captain Sands Il
the North Pole, if necessary.
Sands, unanimously made captain
would not wait moment. So they al
started out, not, 1 fear, lin the 7strictes
military order; but military order hal
not ever proved appal ing to savages
Night soon came upon them, blindine
sleet and rain drove across their track
and they were obliged under penalty o
losing their way to camp in the stock
yard Of deserted ranch. Chill, dam,
and piercing blew the wind from tn
gray hills; fires refused to light. Al
the romance of the thing oozed ava,
through the shifting straw Of their i'm