San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-03-22
A MIDNIGHT MARAUDER.
by Mrs. u. l.. Ray-r

Last summer when | vislrEs 10y
friend, Mrs. g., in Decatur, Neb., !
found her living in frame cottage on
the border of q reservation containing
1000 Indians, and without a lock to
any door in the house, Il wooden but
ton being the only fastener available.
Her husband was absent and she had
only a Swedish girl to rely on in any
emergency. asked her if she was
not afraid.
Afraid MOI" she answered, picking
up her youngest child, a todding, wee
thing, and smoothing its vermilion
locks, the very counterpart of her
own. II never knew what fear was
excepting once in my life, and that
was in tho goody Christian city of
Boston, or what is Boston now, but
was Roxbury then, and that time l
was nearly frightened to death"
"Tell me about it," 1 said, drawing
nay rocker nearer to hers and glancing
apprehensively at the empty pane in
the window frame, through which not
unfrequently a dark, hatless head
would be silently thrust, as some
peregrinated Indian passed by on his
way to the reservation.
"Why, it's nothing to tell" she
said laughingly, and l never could
understand. why l was SO mortally
afraid that night, except that it is
really fact that the terrors of
civilization are far greater than those
of a pioneer life. Perhaps all our
senses are exaggerated there, but l
was never 80 afraid living in dug-out
here-as we did the first year we were
here-as l have been in the guest
chamber Of three-story brick house
on paved street, guarded by metro
politan police. But about that night.
1 was girl then and visiting at the
house of my aunt in West Rexbury.
Aunt Carrie had no children and her
husband was away at one of his trad
ing posts in /. the British provinces
among the French Canadians, as
they are now called, and there was
no enc in the house besides our own
two selves, excepting domestic and
q huge mastiff named Leo. This dog
had been a present to Aunt Carrie
from an old sea captain, who brought
him from the Isle Of Malta. He was
as large as young calf, tremendously
strong, fierce when aroused, but a
lamb to his friends, and we all dotted
on Leo and felt as safe with him in
the kitchen at night as if we had been
guarded by the military.
"There had been a good many
robberies, and our neighbors on both
sides had suffered; but one of Leo's
deep bass growls would have driven
the most determined robber from our
door. Just at this time an uncle, liv-
ing some twenty miles out in the
country, came in to visit us, as he
did frequently, and begged so hard
to be allowed to have Leo make
a visit to his children, who loved the
old dog, as all did who knew him,
that Aunt Carrie was overperSuaded,
and let kim go on condition that he
was only to stay a day or two. So,
with many injunchons about his diet
and the care lest lie would be poi
soned, he was permitted to so, and
we stood at the door and looked after
him sitting up in the front seat of
the old carry-all as if we were never
TO see him again.
I'VE took care not to mention to
any one that Leo was absent, and
when night came we bOltea and
barred all the dOorsand windows with
the greatest care and retired to our
room, leaving the doors of communi-
cation through the house open, so
that we could hear the slightest noise.
1T was one Of those still, cloudy,
summer nights, intensely dark, and
with enough electric disturbance in
the atmosphere to make sleep or rest