Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-12-15

mutIef, III 1fOquOtS, one WOlu. re
venged y
It was strange sight, these two
powerful men tending SO carefully
the being they had few hours be-
fore sought to slay, and endeavoring
to stanch the blood that flowed from
the wounds which he had made Yet
SO it was. 1t would have appeared
to them sin to leave the Indian
woman to die; yet they felt no re-
morse at having inflicted the wound,
and doubtless would have been bet
ter pleased had it been mortal; but
they would not have murdered an
enemy, even an Indian warrior, still
less squaw. The party continued
their journey until midnight, when
they stopped to rest their horses.
Having wrapped the squaw in their
besr-skins, they lay down with no
covering save the clothes they wore
They were in no want of provision,
as, not knowing when they might re-
turn, they had taken good supply
of bread and dried venison, not wish
ing to lose any precious time in seek
ing food while on the trail. The
evening Of the following day they
reached the trapper's hut, where they
were not little surprised to find Su-
san. She told them that although
John Wilton had begged her to live
| with them, she could not bear to
leave the spot where everything re-
| minded her of one to think of whom
was now her only consolation, and
that while she had Nero, she feared
nothing. They needed not to tell
their mournful tale-Susan already
understood it but too clearly. She
begged them to leave the Indian wo-
man with her. HYou have no one.
she said, ''to tend and watch her as
I can do; besides, it is not right that
l should lay such burden on you. y
Although unwilling to impose on her
the painful task of nursing her hus-
bands murderess, they could not but
allow that she was right; and seeing
how earnestly she desired it, at last
consented to leave the Indian woman
with her.
For many long weeks Susan nurs-
ed her charge as tenderly as if she
had been her sister. At first she lay
almost motionless, and rarely spoke !;
then she grew delirious and raved
wildly. Susan fortunately, could
not understand what she said, but Of
ten turned shudderlngly away when
the Indian woman would strive to
rise from the bed, and move her
arms as if drawing bow; or yell
wildly, and cover in terror beneath
the clothes, reacting in her delirium
the fearful scenes through which she
had passed. By degrees her reason
returned; she gradually got better,
but seemed restless and unhappy, and
could not bear the sight of Nero.
The first proof of reason she had
shown was to shrek in terror when
he accidentally followed his mistress
into the room where she lay. One
morning Susan missed her; she
searched around the hut, but she was
gone, without having taken farewell
of her kind benefactress.
A few years after, Susan Cooper
(no longer s'pretty Susan,". for time
and grief had done their work. heard
late one night hurried knock, which
was repeated several times before
she could unfasten the door, each
time more loudly than before. She
called to ask who it was at that hour
of the night. A few hurried words
in Iroquois were the reply, and Su-
san congratulated herself on having
spoken before unbarring the door.
But on listening again, she distinctly
heard the same voice say, "Quick-
quick - and recognized it as the In
dian woman's whom she had nursed.
The door was instantly opened,
when the squaw rushed into the hut,
seized Susan by the arm, and made
signs to her to come away. She was
too much excited to remember, then,
the few words of English she had
picked up when living with the white
woman. Expressing her meaning by
gestures, with clearness peculiar to
the Indians, she dragged, rather than
led Susan from the hut.
|
They had just reached the edge of
the forest, when the wild yells of the
Indians sounded in their ears. Hav-
ing gone with Susan little way into
the forest, her guide left her. For
nearly four hours she lay there, half
dead with cold and terror, not daring
. to move from her place of conceal
ment. Sbe saw the flames of the
dwelling, where so many lonely hours
had been passed, rising among the
trees, and heard the shrill whoop of
: the retiring Indians.
Nero, who was lying by her side,
suddenly rose and gave low growl.
Silently dark figure came gliding
among the trees directly to the spot
: where she lay. She gave herself up
: for lost; but it was the Indian wo-
| man who came to her, and dropped
at her feet a bag of money, the re-
) mains of her late husbands savings.
| The grateful creature knew where il
, was kept: and while the Indians