The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-09-09
creep around where the ground is


on our right, few rods from the house.
was very low, the descent stretching off
in crescent shape until it reached the
gully, which crossed il ut fair rihe-shot
distance from the stump.
Arthur, young as he was, had already
become an excellent marksman, having
for two years possessed rifle of his own,
which father bought him, and which was
almost always in his hands. We had no
doubt that, with anything like an ordi-
nary chance, he would puta ball through
the turkeys head, and return in tri-
umph.
But somehow, after he went ont, n
sudden thought seemed to strike mother.
Wasn't it strange that turkey should
come so far ont of the woods, and keep
up such a gobbling in the hollow? No,
not strange, perhaps, nor very unusual
and she wondered at her own uneasiness.
But her nerves had been shaken by poor
Jason's incident.
The house had half-story in front,
with two small windows above the
ground-rooms, and mothers feelings i'm
PEELED her to run up there for better
view. She wished to see where father
was, and, perhaps might discover some
thing of the wild turkey.
1 was close at her side. We saw
father with his rifle away off across the
fields, and the negroes at distance
from him engaged in their work. The
stump, too, was visible nearly to its foot,
and at interval, We caught sight of
Arthur carefully working his way in q
half cIrcuif towor6 tho o,,l1y
Father had evidently heard the tur-
key, ana was warily approaching the
spot where it seemed to be. His half
stopping posture showed that he feared
the bird might get upon the stump and
see him.
Suddenly mother started, and her face
had look of CHASTITY terror. So.ne-
thing which certainly was no turkey rose
little above the stump. between its
shattered rim and me glass of the bank.
1 saw it. too. and nv blood ran cold.
1t was something that greatly resem-
bled the head of an Indian. We felt
that the face must be peering through
the grass toward my father, while we
saw the black, cleaning hair behind.
Without doubt it was Seminole
warrior in ambush, watching fathers
approach.
Mother gave an agonized cry. "What
shall do ooh what shall do" she
exclaimed.
Would not any signal or outcry she
could make be misunderstood at such a
distance, and only hasten the catastrophe,
since father was still thirty rods beyond
the Indian, and eighty from the house
Then where was Arthur, who had now
disappeared And should she by a
sudden alarm cause him to show himself,
might not the Seminole rise up and
shoot him on the spot? She was dizzy
with her sense of the dreadful situation.
But in moment called out to her,
"There's Arthur, mother there's
Arthur - for l saw him among the rank
grass, lying flat upon the ground, within
good rifle -shot of the stump, which he
seemed to be watching intently.
Once again the Indians head was
shown slightly, and we got an instant's
glimpse of Arthur's rife. But the black
hair disappeared, and the weapon was
lowered.
Father was now so near the scene of
danger that we had no alternative but to
watch. Terrible as was her anxiety,
mother now felt that Arthur had dis
covered what kind of game the old
stump contained. She knew that the
Indian could not fire at father without
exposing his own head, and that the
moment it appeared it would be covered
by her brave boys rifle.
How our hearts beat for the few mo-
-. LIT ,~%o
came from the stump. Father was
working his way stealthily toward it III
anticipation of prize, and Arthur lay
as still as death III the grass.
All at once we saw the sunlight glance
upon mass of long raven hair that rose
slowly above the gnarled wood which
had hidden it. Father was within six
rods of the spot. 1t was dreadful mo.
ment.
Our eyes turned to Arthur. The grass
in front of the slight knoll where he lay
was not high enough to interfere with
his aim as his elbow rested on the
ground. We could see him drop his
young face against the breech OF his
gun. The barrel cleaned for a single
instant, puff of smoke streamed from
the muzzle, and he leaped to his feet.
But there was still more sudden leap
from the old stump, for an Indian, with
flying hair and with his rifle still
clutched in his hand, sprang up and fell
dead against the slope which had con
cealed him from fathers view.
The reunion which followed, when we
all ran into each others arms, joyful,
yet thrilled with CONSERVATION, will
not dwell upon.
We found the dead enemy to be tai
young warrior, hideously painted, and
having in his belt Ratchet and knife.
He had no doubt entered the gully from
the swamp, and seeing father ut n dis
lance had attempted to decoy him within
gunshot by initiating a wild turkey.
The occasion proved to be the only
one OH which the Seminole war was
brought home to us, as the successes OF
the United States troops afterward kept
the Indians at distance from our neigh
borhood. - Young People.
The Can;elOpe Question.