The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-08-08
On the Plains.

On the Fla1nS.
Going up Broadway last week with q
friend from the West, we met half
breed Indian coming down the street
near the Postoffice, and / was surprised
to hear my friend exclaim:
"W nv, halloo, Jim, what are you do
ing in New York p
Leaving the two talking together at
warm window in the Postoffice, | took q
stage and rode home. He was poor,
common-looking fellow, that half-breed,
with thin, worn clothing only distin-
guishable from the ordinary tramp by
his tall, 1.-THE form, long, black hair, dark
face and piercing black eyes, and won
dered why my high-toned friend had
stopped to renew acquaintance with that
link OF two races. Three days later
met my friend aud remarked:
well, Will, that Indian didn't gel
your scalp1"
"No. Let me tell you something about
him."
"All right"
81 met him first at Abidene, Kss. he
was our guide in a surveying party
Saved nv life one night"
"How2"
"F,om a rattlesnake; the deadly rep
tiles are the con slant menace of survey.
ing parties; in measuring off land yor
suddenly hear under your very feet in
the thick grass the blood curdliug warn.
ing, and you must Immediately jump OF
he bitten; but at night thev will sctu'l
ly crawl under your blanket and lie uE
close to you to get warm. That is you,
terrible and unconscious danger; move
hand or foot and they bury their deadly
fangs in you The only way to keeI
them out of tent is to surround il witt
a horse-hair lariat, laid in an unhroker
circle on the ground, they will not craw
over it, the hair scratches them. or per
haps they mistake it for their mortal en-
emy, the black snake. But to the story
One night, in the bright moonlight
streaming into the tent, jim saw rattle
snake crawling over my neck, and JUS
as | moved, he caught it nv the tail
quick as lightning, and flung 1t through
the ten. door. Poor fellow, he was hun
cry the other night, and took him ovel
and ordered frst-class supper for u
both, and he told me little inciden
that went right down to the bottom O
nv heart He IS only poor baif-breed
outcast, hut he's true as steel, and wher
they come to make up jewels at the last
day for the great crown, think there'l
be something shining in his heart thai
may give poor Jim a chance. This il
what he told me: He had been away
West to see his old Indian mother who
lives with her tribe and was returning
across the plains on his pnoy when, ont
dsv, about half way between Denver and
Fort Wallace, he saw wagon in The
distance whose owner appeared to have
gone into camp. Riding toward 1t, hs
was surprised to see no horses in sight
and going still nearer. he saw woman
sitting on tue ground crying ss il hel
heart would break. AT her breast she
held poor, hupgry-looking little baby
which was seeking nourishment from 8
source which was evidently fast failing
70. the want of food 1t was pitiful
scene; the woman's husband lay dead iu
the wagon and the horses had broken
loose and gone in search OF food, while
not spark OF fire was left and not 9
bite of food. The woman or rather CIR
she might be called. she wss so young
told sad tale of suffering and destitu
ton. She bad married against the wishes
and demands OF her father, who lived or
a comfortable farm near Concordia, Kas
and after year Of deprivation and toi
with her husband on farm he had rent
ed few miles from her father, they haf
decided 10 go further West, and had
started In their wagon with all they pos
sessed in the world, including little
baby one or two months old For a fea
weeks they enjoyed the trip; the wealth
er was pleasant, game plentiful and grass
abundant for the horses. Then they go
into a sterile region and became lost or
the wild prairie, where day after day
they had driven round in circle; ther
her husband was taken sick and sudden
ly died TIVE days before Jim found them
and in dispair she had given up all hope
and sat down to await for death to take
her and her pi,iful babe
"Jim had plenty of jerked peat witt
him and some coffee and other little ar.
ticles OF food, and he actually turned
round to hide his tears, be said, when ht
saw that poor, half-starved creature eat
He wasn't the man to leave that woman
out there, so he stood by her and hel
baby, put them on his pony, abandoned
the wagon after hurying the dead, and a
her request started with them for her ole
home, walking and leading the ponNaDd
occasionally killing some game on the
way with his trusty Spencer rife The
weather was gradually growing colder
until at sundown OF Tuesday they reach.
ed the locality of her old home few
flakes of snow began to fall. 1t was
there that the woman made fatal mis-
take. Instead of having Jim go with
her to her fathers house, she had him
leave her within half a mile of the farm
thinking she could better effect recon.
ciliation with her father if she returned
home alone. So parting with Jim under
his promise to come to her fathers house
the next morning, she trudged along
the old familiar road alone and Jim rode
out of sight toward the village, when he
saw her reach her fathers door. Poor
girl, he didn't see her father spurn heI
from the door; he didn't see her turn
her weary foot steps out into the coming
snow-storm and wander heart-broker
and desolate and aimlessly down the
road into the darkness; be didn't hear
the cry of the little, miserable, freezing
baby at her breast; he didn't hear bel
vail of anguish; he didn't see the white
snow weaving its mantle Of eternal 81
lence over her and the little dead baby
by the roadside; but there be found then
the next morning with the snow heapet
over them, a frozen smile on her fac
and pressing the head of her homeles
babe to her homeless breast. Did / sa,
homeless 2 Oh, no, they had gone hom
to that Father who had heard their plead
ling voices, and their cold hanns knocke
at the gates of pear" Detroit Fire
Press.
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