, 1883-02-22
THE ALARM.

strong muscles wenkened-trembled.
Twas but a worl-one dire, awful wori
Tile Sioux :" What where ?-Oh
no, it cannot be They will not blast
such sccue-spread desolation and
want where now i such plenty
What aEou.1ing moments between the
first note Of alarm and the first pattering
drops OF the reality. The heart beats
the eyes sweep everywhere; evidence Is
sought, mayhap to corroborate, Or
blessed thought-maybo to prove the
alarm mistake--a false alarm.
No, no, lis not false See adown the
river road the upthe.river settlers are
hurrying in squads, driving horses and
cattle as best they may, hurrying to the
county seat, where a few miles away
they will make stand and resist the
food, the tornado. the Sioux See yon
lurid smoke arising. TiS burning homes
- there, and there, anu there, and yon-
der-one, two, three, four-and tho
wheat ricks and the hay. The cattle are
believing, the flames mount higher and
higher-the Indians they come they
come
d. and his family Join the fleeing
neighbors and unite at the county seat
A stockade is here hastily constructed,
and by brave fighting the marauders are
kept at bay. The fight is not part OF
eur story. 1t was like all Indian fights,
q series Of attempts to insnare, delude,
and finally to capture by siege. Our
settlers saved their lives and the lives Of
their families. This was oil.
THE DESERT.
For miles and niles the hand OF In
dustry had impaired it's magic touch to
the sleeping soil along the Grow, and il
had bloomed fruitfully. The timber Of
the forest had fashioned into houses,
stables and waiting piles Of fuel. Flow
ers and climbing vines fruit trees and
hopes big with promise Of future reward
had been fostered and gave evidence OF
successive annual reward, as the years
should come and the years should 90.
Such was the Crow river country the
day when the noble red man came down
for visit. He came with whoop and
o yell-a torch and musket To every
structure which would burn, he applied
the torch-houses, stables, stacks and
wood piles. Every living creature
human or brute--he appropriated and
hurried away. If they could not travel
death ended their probation. The sun
which rose so peacefully that morn,
went down upon scene OF awful, wan
ton, savage waste and butchery. The
evening sky for miles around was lit
with blazing homes, stacks and SUP
roundings. In the morning Of the NOR
row the eye looked ont upon waste.
Not house remained. Every home
destroyed-the crop, tho labor and in
dustry Of the year swept away by the
torch Of the savage incendiary.
TIRE CHARRED oATEPoST.
THERE'S an eloquence about single OBJ
Iects which q group does not possess. A
single lone tree-.a single chain link-a
lone, single bird, and so on. In the tor.
nado's track We have seen ere now
single broken. leafess trunk left upright,
where all else were PROSTATE OF the
broatl, heavy woodland. What IN elo-
quence in that broken, upright form.
What fury had it resisted. Shorn Of
its liie--its branches-it stood through
coming years u mute but eloquent wik.
ness, testiiying OF the power Of the
storm.
Fifteen years after the awful events
mentioned above. W" rnss"d the spot
chosen by D., in 1887, for home
One only silent witness remained TO prove
that the homework had ever been
undertaken there-a silent, charred gate
post. There il stood, where twenty
years ago it was planted. The children
had passed it happily, peacefully-the
neighbors hal goue III and out 10 tina,
home for five busy. fleeting years. Mr..
and Mrs. ID. had leaned upon it -
they looked out over their possessions,
and hope Ii. mp their eyes with promise
Ct big reward in store That gate-post
was IN evidence Ui home care-of saving
during the season Of production
against tho season Of non-production.
1t was o bar 10 cestain Hiallowabls
events. 1t protected the kitchen garden
the iiei crops-the home beyond. II
was sn efficient tIctor in the farmer.
settlers home. There il stood, speech
less, but eloquent The eharEed re-,
mains told of fire. The fence had gone