Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-05-30
HELEN MANSFIELD'S FIGHT.
A True story.


of his cabin, and glanced down the gulch
toward the meSG-an elevated table land.
The hills on both sides were golden in
the light, while here and there dark
shadows between the high points ofrock
gave curiously arabesque effect to the
! landscape.
Now, WONDER" said Steenie, rehec-
lively, "whether the gal has reached
home"
Steenie paused, glanced at his boots,
and finding that he had, in moment OF
abstraction, put on his spurs, resolved to
saddle up and ride over to find out 1t
did not take many seconds before he was
going slowly down the gulch on his
mustang. Reaching the mesa, he struck
| to the south in lope, and was soon lost
to sight around the base of the hills.
Helen Mansfield stood at the door of
her fathers cabin, glancing uneasily
northward. The day before she hal
| had started, with his wagon, to make a
trip through the mining towns, leaving
Helen and her little brother, Tom, who
was ten years old, alone on the ranch.
Helen's anxiety was twofold. She had
heard her father talking with some men
who were propbesying an outbreak Of
the Huallapais, and she was wondering
whether Stecnie would come that day or
not The two had been engaged for
some months, and one of the chief OBJ
jects of her visit to Los Angeles when
her father went on to buy goods for his
trade, had been to purchase the neces-
sary things with which to set up house
keeping. She wanted TO see Steenie on
general principals, and she wanted to
show him what she had bought. OF her
two subjects of thought, imagine that
Steenie's coming occupied her the more,
but rs the evening shadows heightened
she gave up expecting visit from him
that day, and turning went into the
house. Tom came in soon afterwards,
and Helen closed up the heavy windows
and doors, put the bars into place, and
began TO think it was time to 60 TO bed.
About eight o'clock she heard eau
tious footsteps outside. Going TO the door
and looking through one OF the small
holes cut through it, she saw, to her
horror, an Indian standing about forty
feet away. She was border women,
born and raised on the outskirts of civil
cation, and she needed no man to tell
her what the bright streaks of paint
which stood out so plainly in the moon
light across the redskins face meant.
Hastily calling Tom, she pointed the
Indian out to him and told him to take
down rifle and watch the other side of
the house. Then taking one of the long
clouded barrels herself, she returned to
her post and waited.
She did not have to wait long. A rap
on the door and summons to open, de-
livcred in mixture of broken English
and Spanish, told her that the fight must
be. Helen maintained dead silence,
Another rap, enforced by strong kick,
followed, and then she heard, with ears
that were straining for the slightest
sound, some quick. sharp orders given.
A silence of few minutes, and then
Helen could see seven or eight Indians
bringing up heavy post TO use as a bat
teriDg-ram. Cautiously she put the
muzzle of the rifle through the hole in
four of the savages in line, fired. The
fall of three of them, and yells from the
whole party, followed by hasty disper-
sion, and search for shelter, showed
the effects OF the shot. The Indians
were genuinely surprised. They had
supposed that the cabin was empty and
that there was no danger in attempting
TO force it open.
In a moment after the shot there was
not an Indian To be seen, but the flight
of some score of arrows and the sound
of three or four rifles, showed that they
were still there. Helen knew that the
cabin would stand all the firing at it that
far larger force could do, but she also
knew that Indians have many ways of
fighting and that she could scarcely hope
to keep them of for any length of time.
Instinctively, too, her thoughts turned
to Stecnie and mingled with the wish
that he was there, was the fear that he
would come and fall victim to thu red
skins.
Tom had become wildly excited by the
attack so CALAMITY rcpuscd by his sister.
For years he had been wanting a chance
TO tight Iniuns," and he felt it was
shame that they should attempt the side
of the cabin on which Helen was, rather
than that on which he was posted, for he
knew that unlike himself Helen did not
in the least want TO take part in diff
Guilty.
Tom watched through his peep. holes
with all his eyes, and in few minutes
was rewarded by seeing crouching
form crawling towards the cabin. The
boy levcled his weapon. but shook SO
with excitement that he could not aim
A whispered: STEADY, Tomr' from his
sister seemed to bring him to himself,
and rs he pulled the trigger the rifle was
rs firm as rock. A copper-colorcd
body leaping into the air with yell
showed that TOMS bullet had struck.
Then there was long silence once
more. in about ten minutes Helen saw
an arrow, with some mesqut grass
wrapped around il and set on fire, fly
into the air and fall short Of the cabin,
where it burned fiercely. Another and
another were shot, until one struck the
mesgut thatch and went out. Before
such move as this Helen was powerless.
She could not see the Indians who were
shooting the arrows, and so could not fire
at them. She knew that she had no
means Of putting the fire out II IL once
caught. Another and another arrow,
with its blazing band Of grass, went flying
through the air, aud ut last triumphant
yell from the Indians told the anxious
girl that the roof was on fire at last.
Stcenic Burton loped slowly along the
trail towards the cabin where Helen
lived, divided in his own mind whether
his GRAND was not foolish one. twas
Tuesday, and Helen had said that We'd
nesday, the 10th, would be the earliest
date ut which she could return. Yet,
with the wild idea that she might be
there, Steenio had started for a ton-mile
ride, with the prospect of ten more, If tho
cabin was empty.
The rapid change from daylight to
dark had taken place, and Steenie was
about mile from the cabin, when he