The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-04-14


thought the ground she walked on
sanctified thereby, and she, oh, wicked
little widow, was not totally ancon.
scious of the fact.
"Well. if I wouldn't like to shake
that fellow out of his skim he NUT.
tered savagely. Ills nearer had no
call to reprove his profanity. She
was in that state Of mind when a
woman needs some man to do the
swearing for her.
but, 0, MI. Sands. what can we
dog she exclaimed.
"Do?' he returned. "Why, get a
posse and 60 for the red devils as ii ght
us we can lick. It's queer they amt
in sight already" he reflected. "But
1 s'pose like as not they're trying to
kill 'emselves on your oyster soup. l
wish we'd a thought to put strych'
nine in it,
Poor Mrs. Kent was quite beyond
making or taking interest in plans.
He " ent to the post. Office and set
forth in a few strong words that he
wanted a body of men to 20 to Mandy
kent's rescue. They were on fire.
They were ready to follow Captain
Sands to the North Pole, or hotter
place if necessary.
When, however, there is Il woman
in the case a, kind of wild romance
illuminates the peril. Go! Indeed
they'd 60, and didn't they long to take
a universal philanthropist with them,
was the general murmur. Sands,
unanimously elected captain. would
not wait moment. So they all
started out. Night soon came upon
them, binding sleet and rain drove
across their track, and they were
obliged under penalties of losing their
way to camp in the stockyard of a
deserted rancho. It was with dismay
that their leader perceived that his
men were getting into fighting
humor, and if he did not soon show
them Indians to fight, would probably
end by fighting him. Some of the
rear members of the undisciplined
brigade quietly deserted at convenient
points, while the rest rode sulkily
over mud and stone. A Westerner,
unless absolutely destitute, never
walks.
1t was now time to return to the
forsaken mansion. At the very
moment that jeff Sands was address.
ing an excited crowd, that Mandy
Kent was shivering in mortal dread,
and wondering if she would have
strength enough to strike when the
time came, 4 party of white, people
within We're indeed testing the soup
and discussing the roast chickens with
the hearty enjoyment only possible to
a disturbed state of society.
If timid voice protested at the
free and easy banquet, some one in
stantly vowed to set it all right.
Hadn't they money to pay for what
they took What business had people
to leave the house open and the table
set if they didn't want to be hospit-
ablei They had come to the place, 4
large body Of campers, driving before
them a herd Of ponies, to seek shelter
during the coming storm for woman
with weakly child. Finding a
deserted feast, the holder spirits
guessed the truth, and, treating the
matter as huge joke, coolly helped
themselves, inviting all to participate
in the fun. In spite of considerable
hesitation, they did SO. unable to re-
sist the temptation Of stolen fruit.
Every moment the nervous women
expected to see the rightful owners
put in an appearance; every moment
they raised fresh scruples, finally
starting cheerful theory of poison.
as if they had some occult knowledge
of jeff Sands amiable regret.
Perhaps the people Of the house
were robbers, who had enticed them
all into their power. They had read
Of such things. What if they were al
ready hopelessly entangled in some
border mystery It was too like an
enchanted house for these simple.
minded folk to feel quite easy in it.
If its owners had fled from Indians,
was the danger not as great for them {!
0! these men, these men, they never
,yould take anything seriously. With
their trayel.stained garments, their
weather.beaten faces, and weary eyes,
these women gathered around the
dying embers. Looking into one
anothers dim-seen faces, they told
ghost stories till neither dared glance
behind her, told of Indians till their
hair stiffened upward and in every
corner the shadows capered through
fantastic war.dances.
What pen can do justice to the
nights that women have spent on the
frontier! Even armies, tried and
proven brave, have yielded to panic in
silent watches how much more terri
bic are they to creatures often
delicately trained in youth, and brave
only for loves sake.
The sleet still fell at intervals; the
women, tired of talking, at length
settled into dozy condition, through
which they could hear the super
natural squabbles of the mice and the
occasional rafting of the windows,
without being excluded from in.
diligence in more or less frightful
dreams.
Slowly, silently, the gray arms of
dawn waved aside the curtains from
the awakening world. Shrill notes
aroused the hen-roosts from caves.
bushes, and grass-blades, the sleet Of
the night before drjpped into dis.
couraged little pools. On the hill
tops the flaming spears Of morning
tipped the beaded pine-boughs with
rosy diamonds then the royal light of
day broke over them all, in danger
and out Of it. Little children, cling.
ing to their mothers and longing for
heaven as place where there were
no Indians, weary editors, polishing
Off sanguinary items, determined
spirits bound on vengeance, women
in fearful uneasiness, all the cheering
and cherries phases Of life on the
border.
The men at the rancho, while
attending their horses, were startled
by the apparition Of mounted
crowd which they at first took for
Indians, then for desperadoes, but
soon recognized as more terrible than
either. the frontiersmen in anger.
Riding up to the gate, their leader
demanded in no gentle fashion, the
meaning Of this occupation and the
personality of the intrndore u;o