The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-01-26
FOUND IN A WAGON-BOX.

"The bloody villains" muttered
Sandy McGovern TO himself, as he sat
on his horse surveying the scene of des-
olation and death; 1.-The bloody murder
in scoundrelsw
In front of little knoll on which
Sandy had reigned his horse in was a
confused heap of broken wagons. Here
and there q dead horse, already par
italy stripped by the cayotes, and
scattered up and down the line of wag-
ons the bodies of men who evidently
died fighting. 1t did not need the hid
eous red patches on top of the skulls,
where the scalps had been torn of, to
tell the old frontiersman that he saw
before him all that was left of an emil
grant train that had been surprised by
Indians. The arrows in the mems
bodies, the wanton destruction of the
wagons, told the tale but too plainly.
Sandy lifted his horses reign, and the
trained animal picked his way down
the little descent to where the fight had
been. Here the "signs" were palmer
than ever, and as Sandy rode slowly
along the line where the unavailing
battle had been fought, his mind was
filled with regret that he, in company
with score of stout fighters like him
self, had not been there. Mingled with
this was feeling of desire for VEN
geance. To his experienced eyes, the
slight signs which would have escaped
q man new to the plans, told him that
the massacre had taken place, at the
I,,t III
horrible and yet the surest proof, was
the fact that the cayotes had not had
time to finish their work of eating tho
dead.
As he rode slowly along he suddenly
heard faint sound. The silence of
the desert is so intense that one be-
comes accustomed to it, and any noise,
however slight, attracts the attention
instantly. With his nerves strung by
the scene which lay before him, the
frontierSman, whose senses were always
alert, found his attention attracted at
once, and stopping his horse he listen
ed intently. In about minute he
heard it again, and noticed that it came
from one of the wagons. Dismounting
and walking to the place, he listened
once more. In another minute he
heard 1T again. 1t was something like
a faint cry, and it seemed to be smoth-
cred in some way. Sandy stood close
10y the wagon. his hands resting upon
the foot-board in front. Again he heard
1T, and this time more plainly than be-
fore. Fairly leaping to the foot-board,
de open the long box in front, the top
of which forms i'll q praiaie schooner
the drivers seat, and saw lying in it
little child.
The big frontiersman lifted the baby
for it was scarcely more-out of its
strange resting place as tenderly as a
mother. He saw that the child was
very weak from its long fast, and, plac-
ing it gently on his blankets, he began
a search for something fit for it to eat.
Finding bag of flour, he made, with a
little sugar, kind of thin Cruel, heat
ing it over fire he had hastily kindled
Taking the baby in his arms, he fed it
slowly and cautiously With infinite
patience the big bearded man went
through his strange task, until, after
some time, he had the satisfaction Of
seeing the little one refuse to swallow
any more. Then sitting on the tongue
of the wagon, with the dead lying all
around him, Sandy rocked the baby in
his arms until it went to sleep.
Placing it in his blankets and cover
ing it up carefully, he examined the
box in which he had found it. In the
bottom was rough horse blanket
Thrown over the edge was piece OF
rope, placed there to prevent the lid
shutting tight. Alongside of the child
he found half Of bracelet, evidently q
cheap imitation one, which looked as
though it had been torn off from the
other half At the lower end of the
box there was confused heap of baby
clothes, thrust in hastily. All of these
things Sandy took. He found even the
water in the spring beside which the
train had camped, to give his newly
discovered treasure bath, which SEEM
ed TO do the little one great deal Of
good.
For one week Sandy stayed there,
spending his whole time looking after
The baby. He saw the child grow
strong and bright, and he found that
the feeding, washing, and dressing OF
the kid, us he had already christened
It, a source of ever-increasing delight.
At the end of that time having the
broken bracelet carefully slowed away
an his saddle-bags, Sandy mounted his
horse, and, taking the "kid" in his arms,
left the scene of the massacre never to
see it again.