Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-07-12

loaded, Why the sayages did not at'
tack him then IL one OF the ineSplica-
bio things In Indian warfare, Instead
of making any hostile demonstrations
they stalked grayely out Of the house,
disappearing behind clnmp of bushes.
For tho moment Myron believed he
had wrongcd his guests, and that they
had taken umbrage At his movements
when their intentions were peacciul.-'
Still holding his rifle in his hand,
Myron stepped to the open door for the
purpose Of ascertaing whether his
guests had really departed. When the
farmer appeared on the threshold the
report OF n rifle was heard, aud Myron
fell, with dangerous but not nccessa'
rily fatal wound in his side.
Women who live on the border,
where they are constantly menoced by
danger, learn early in life that they
must deny themselves woman's privil.
cgc of f,intins. When Mr.. Myron
fell, his wife sprang to his defense
rather than assistance, To close and
barricade windows and doors was but
the work of moment when everything
was prepared for such occasions, and
then the heroic woman turned her at-
tention to her husband and children
The fathers wound blcd but little, and
save to stanch the blood the devoted
wife could not aid him, except by piling
the bedding arouud him in such
way that, in n sitting POSTURE he
could face the closed door. The tenn
porary safety of the children was Sc
cured by fastening them in the cellar,
where they would be beyond the reach
of any bullets their late visitors might
send, aud after she had perfected her
plan of defense she began to assume the
offensive.
BY removing the mud that filled the
crcviccs of the logs at the end of the
house, loop-holes were formed, and
through these the husband and wife
began IN assault upon their foes. With
his rifle Myron shot one ofthe Indians,
and at the same time his wife killed
another with the Aowling-picce. BY
this time the foe, finding their intended
victims more tenacious of life than they
supposed, resorted to stratagem to nc
complish the massacre. In the field
was cart half filled with hay in the
stable-yard stood a yoke of oxen quietly
eating. TO fasten the animals to the
cart and not expose themselves t. the
deadly aim of those in the house was Il
difficult task, but one that the Indians
finally accomplished. To get the load
OF hay against the building. that it
might be set on fire, was still more
difficult, and in this case unsuccessful,
for before it could be done both hus-
band and wife had shot an enemy,
while the fifth and only remaining one
sought safety in precipitate flight.
Each moment the conflict lasted the
husband grew weaker, and medical aid
could not be procured without jour-
ncy of a hundred and eighty miles. 10
traverse this distance there was no
other mode of conveyance than the OK
cart. In this rude vehicle Mrs. Myron
placed her husband and children, and
not once during that tedious journey,
made painful by the suffering of the
man for whom shs had bravcd the
dangers and discomforts of frontier
life, was a halt made.
At St. Cloud surgical aid was pro-
cured, and there, after Mr.. Myron's
recovery, he sought work of any kind
that would bring in sufficient for the
support of his family, since the depreda-
tions of the Indians had impoverished
him. 1t was only by the greatest exer-
tions that Mwou could keep his family
from actual want; and hearing that
laborers were in greater demand at
Cape Girardeau, he, with his wife and
children, embarked on the steamer
Tidal Wave for that place, after having
remained at St. Cloud nearly u year.
The voyage was never completed,
however, for when Tower Grove, Mis-
souri,, was reached, fire broke out on
the ill-fatcd steamer, in very short
time she was burned to the waters
edge. rhc loss of life was considerable,
and among the missing ones were the
two Myron children.
For the second time Robert Myron
was homeless and pennilcss, with his
sufferings intensified by the loss of his
children. Perhaps it was fortunate for
him that he was obliged to work very
hard simply to keep the wolf from the
door, for it prevented him from brood