The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-03-03
barbarous you call them! 1t would be a
blessing to think those words expressed

1880 outstanding years; have you ever
thought how vast must have been the
stock of it in the possession of primitive
human nature? Well, let it pass leave
philosophers to reason and let us go on
with our story.
The sleet still fell at intervals; the
women, tired of talking, at length settled
into a dozy condition, through which
they could hear the supernatural squab-
bles of the mice and the occasional
rattling of the windows, without being
excluded from indulgence in more or less
ffightful dreams.
! would like to say that the men en-
dured similar torments, but truth is
stranger than fiction, and without one or
two cautious exceptions they jested
themselves into the slumbers Of the
light hearted, even snoring; graceless
wretches, the only comfortable sleepers
within a radius of more than II miles.
Slowly, silently, the gray arms of dawn
waved aside the curtains from the
awakening world. Shrill notes aroused
the henroosts from caves, bushes and
grass blades the sleet of the night before
dripped into discouraged little pools. On
the hill-tops the flaming spears of morn
ing 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 clinging to
their mothers and longing for heaven as
Il place where there were no Indians,
weary editors polishing off sanguinary
items, determined spirits bound on
vengeance, women in fearful uneasiness,
life on the border.
The men at the rancho, while attend
ing to their horses were startled by the
apparition of a mounted crowd which
they at first took for Indians, then for
deSperad0Cs, but soon recognized as
more terrible than either, the frontiers
men in anger.
Riding up to the gate their leader de-
manded in no gentle fashion the meaning
of this occupation and the personality Of
the intruder~. His manners did not suit
his hearers. "Cuss words" came reader
then explanations, weapons were cooked;
one unguarded movement would have
been the signal for bloody contest. The
women looked down from the windows,
some of them sending up silent prayers.
one Of the campers stepped forward
calmly. The s0ttest spoken, quietest man
IN the party, he greeted the grizzled and
scowling giant before him with de-
prccating smile.
''Sir," he apologized, "we are willing
to pay for all we have consumed"
$50 to blank with your dashed money
We don't want it. Where's the girl ~
''The girl ~ repeated the puzzled mild
man. IL assure You we would never
have intruded but for the fact that lady
with us had a sick child and,
"What's that to us Where's Miss
Kent | say
Excuse me, sir, but there was no
person here when we came. Was there,
boys ?"
'Not living thing" :" was the answer
Some OF the party inclined to the belief
that the opposite forces were Mormons on
track of a runaway.
Sands looked up at the windows, down
at the ground, over the white tops Of the
wagons.
.Look here :" he said ''this things
enough to make man swear his salvation
away. We heard the Indians was COM
ing an cleared. Miss Kent, somehow,
got missed and was left behind. Here
we come under the constitution Of the
United States, to send them redskins to
eternal blazes and fetch back the girl
We find white men using other folks
things, making 'emselves at home, and
not so much as a trace of Miss Kent
Your stOry's queer, to say the least. Now
We amt to be bought, nor yet scared OIL
Tell us where the girl is or give up your
shootn'-irons and 90 with us to town.
That settles it."
600 To-, old man." shouted a voice,
contemptuously. "What do you take us
for ,"
The women turned white, there was an
instant ci breathless silence. Neither
party wanted to give up, neither cared to
open fire, and each believed his opponent
to be villain. Suddenly a little girl at
the window gave cry and pointed,
There was Mandy Kent running toWrd
them, her hair flying, her whole face
radiant. Near the crowd she faltered,
till she got good view Of Capt. Sands.
She ran up beside his horse and caught
her old friends large, rough hand. ~
am SO glad to see you y She cried, $50
glad. Where is mamma y
The women craned their necks, the
men edged forward or leaned over the
fence, the very mules projected their
enormous ears, and the true situation
flashed upon every mind. Simultaneous
ly an immense chorus OF laughter awoke
the echoes. The mules brayed emulously,
and even the ponies Whinnyed little as
the more eXcitable riders almost rolled
from their backs in transports of merri-
ment. The worse the scare had been
the greater the revulsion Of feeling, and
Mandy laughed with the rest.
Well, in the laughter of chivalry, Glory
laid aside his helmet and Peace took the
floor.
"Come in and take breakfast with us"
said the most defiant camper. "Wel
give you what's left " The invitation
was accepted, and, ovel coffee, fried
bacon and hot biscuit the late warriors
exchanged friendly explanations. The
women questioned Mandy curiously, and
mentally criticised the fashion Of her ear
rings. All the discomfort was smoothed
away. The scare, it seems, had arisen
from a silly youths excitement at sight
Of the herd of ponies when his ears We're
full of Indian rumors
The troubles along the border decreas-
ed with the cold weather, but Mrs.
Kent j beg your pardon, ma'am, |
mean the lde Mrs kent-no longer
keeps stopping place, though she has
not lost that kindly feeling toward the
miners noticeable in most Of mountain
women. One, however, is all she makes
provision for in the ordinary course of
her domestic arrangements.
"Cap" Sands has been heard to defend
even the red haired author of the scare
from the unmerciful ieers of his com
panions, but, on that subject he is con-
sidered an unfair judge. AS to Mandy,
| can only state that her interrupted
wedding was never completed. She did
not want to see George again, nor did
that gentleman show any desire for her
society The matter was dropped by
mutual consent, and before great while