The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-03-03

self the CONSERVATION produced in D
by the startling news. Brick houses
were in great demand. Women gather
ed up their young ones and fled to these
fire proof shelters. A lady possessed of
twins dropped one of the little inno-
cents in her rapid career, and it was
found kicking and squallng on the street
corner by 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 terrific 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
Mandy's 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 Mandy, George" she cried.
"Why doesn't she come mp to Mrs.
Blake's ?"
He slowly raised his dull eyes to hers
as he answered thicllly: ''She stayed
behind couldn't wait, you know
Mrs. Kent turned away, feeling horribly
dizzy. She saw that the coward had
been indulging extensively in .'treats,
and forbore to waste the fulness of her
wrath upon him. She had taken but a
few steps when she met old JEFF Sands, a
gray headed Samson, who, with his two
sons, oVned and worked a promising
mine in Gopher gulch. She told him the
state Of he case.
9Th edevil !" he gasped, thoughttully.
1t was the only opinion he could give
on the spur Of the moment, and stronger
language than he had ever before used in
Mrs. kent's hearing. For, be it known,
| that old Sands thought the ground she
walked on sanctifed thereby, and she
oh, wicked little widow, was not totally
| unconscious Of the fact.
"Well. if | wouldn't like to shake that
fellow out of his skin " he muttered saw
ageiy. His hearer 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 OH Nh Sands, what can we do q
she exclaimed.
"Do ?" hereturned. ''Why, get posse
and 80 for the red devils as tight as we
can lick. Its queer they amt in sight
already" he reflected. ''But, 'spose
like us not they're trying to Kill emselvcs
on your oyster soup. wish we'd a
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 capable
| af mi, tranobna
or child, Oft the face of the earth. He
went to the post office and set forth in Il
few strong words that he wanted 4 body
of men to 90 to Mandy kent's rescue.
They were on fire. They were ready to
| follow Capt. Sands to the north pole, or 4
hotter place if necessary only the alb
sence of men of his stamp, willing to take
the burden and the blame of leadership
! keeps the frontier in danger of the wild
| tribes. 1t is the saddest thing about that
| border warfare that calling for the great
| est courage, decision and endurance, it
| gives no promise Of glory or pension, no
| reward but the consciousness of saving
civilized people from CHASTITY and un-
/ utterable tortures.
/ When, however, there is a woman in
the case a kind OF wild romance illumi-
mates the peril. Go }! Indeed they'd go,
and didn't they long to take {, universal
philanthropist with them, was the general
murmur. Sands, unanimously elected
captain, would not wait a moment. So
they all started out, not, | fear, i'll the
strictest military order, but military
order has not ever proved appalling to
savages. Night soon came upon them,
| No;
track, and they were obliged under
penalty of losing their way to camp in
the stOckyard OF deserted rancho Chill
damp and piercing blew the wind from
| the gray hills; fires refused to light. All
| the romance of the thing oozed away
through the shifting straw Of their i'm
| proviscd cOunterpanes. Still more cheer
less was the dawn, breaking teebly
through omni-present clouds and bring
ing with it an extremely scanty and un-
desirable article of breakfast.
1t was with disnay that their leader
perceived that his men were getting into
the fighting humor and if he did not soon
show them Indians to fight would prob
ably end by fighting him. Some Of the
rear members of the undisciplined brig
ade 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 for
saken mansion. At the very moment
that jeff Sands was addressing 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, "a party of white
people within were indeed testing the
soup and discussing the roast chickens
with the hearty enjoyment only possible
to Il disturbed state of society.
fla timid voice protested at the free and
easy banquet, some one instantly 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
hospitable? They had come to the
place, d large body of campers, driving
before them herd Of ponies, to seek
shelter during the coming storm for a
woman with Il weakly child. Finding a
deserted feast, the bolder spirits guessed
the truth, and, treating the matter as a
| huun iol<a cOOl1v balnad tbamcaly-,c { in