The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-09-04

get of by pleading sick. Yousee Twas
pretty well used up by lifelong march
es, the uncertain rations, and the
heat, and the homesickness. The hot
sand clogged my steps and burned my
blistered feet; the rocks seemed to ra-
date the heat they had storedup dur
ing the day; the air was dry and
charged with dust. Ikeptup my beat
q while and thensat down on a boulder
and cried; then / deliberately lay down
and shut my eyes to go to Sleep
Pine thing if one Of the officers had
caught you," observed one old soldier
dryly.
sliding OF into q delicious slumber
when | heard q movement near by.
1opened my eyes and saw Colonel Lee
NOR. thought the day of doom had
come to me, for there was hardly a
wsek passed that we didn't hear of
some poor fellow being shot for Sleep
ing at his post. l was SO stupid with
fatigue and drowsiness that l Couldn't
somehow quite make out where l was.
Everything was jumbled in my mind.
The cows coming home from pasture,
the mince-pie on the table, an open
grave and a boy standing up as a tar
get Tor a line OF soldiers, my mother
in tears"
Brewster stopped abruptly, and
somebody asked eagerly what hap
'pened next; what the Colonel said.
"Lenoir had not known a good
nights rest for weeks. He had been
twenty,four hours in the, saddle said
Brewster, slowly and impressively.
she was worn out physically andmen-
tally. "He had directed his man to
call him at daybreak the nextmorning.
But he took my musket up from the
rock where / had placed it, ordered me
to lie down again, and did duty for me
two hours while | slept"
There was no comment on Brewster's
story. The account of a noble deed
sinks quietly into the heart without
parade or flourish. After a few mo-
ments OF silence, some one put aquery
in which lurked a suggestion.
nIenoir acted finely at Anderson
vile, too, didn't he, Brewster?"
The lumberman gave O short re-
joinder, consulted his watch, and rose
to go. Despite the self-depreciation of
his narrative, all were aware that he
had been one ofnthose noblespecimens
of American manhood who had sur
viyed the horrors of that awful ex-
perience, and finally emerged an ema-
ciated wreck Of humanity whose hero
ic devotion to q noble principle will
resound throughout the everlasting
ages. But he could never be betrayed
into any relation Of his prison ex-
peEience. He pulled on his driving
gloves, nodded cool adieux to the
score or more of loungers, and was
soondriving at a quick pace up Market
st. and out Sixth. For the first few
blocks the well paved street was lined
with handsome buildings and pre-
sented the appearance of an inn
portant thoroughfare; but as he
progressed, the buildings dwindled
in stature and were occasionally
alternated with a handsome. comfor-
table residence, andthepayement grew
uneven. Half a mile further the street
abandoned all pretence at smartness,
trailed humbly between one-stcried
warehouses, leaped a railroad track,
lost itself in a maze of switches. and re-
sumed existence in the guise ofawagon
road, terminating with a dismal
wooden structure, standing in q desc
late region and ianked on II side by
tall lumber piles. The clerks and day
laborers were filing away, and the
night-Watchman, a quiet-mannered
man, with an unlit lanternin his hand,
stood on the steps.
HWell, Martin, what success2"
II gave them warning, sir, to clear
out, early this morning, and kicked
their houses over after they left, for
fear they'd be back again to night,
like rats-that is, all but one.n
HGreat guns, man! Don'tyouknow
ones a bad as a dozen? I can't get
a dollar of insurance on the stock
without paying double rates until /
can satisfy thecompany that the whole
tribe is gone"
The tribe referred to by Brewster
consisted Of a floating population of
disrerutable vagabonds, allied in cha
racter to the hoodlums and criminals
commonly known as "wharf-rats' and
"hay-bunkers," who had squatted on
the dumps" and utilized the tincans
plentifully scattered over the ground
IN the construction of a miniature
village. The members of this peculiar
sHb-stratum of society were tabled to
exc out their s%ustenance by diligent
grubbing in the heaps by which they
were surrounded. They. were looked
on by the police and the public as a
dangerous class of citizens, and the
underwriters very wisely refused to in
sure property in their proximity at
the ordinary rates. Martin, mean
while, advanced a lame self-defence.
"It was early, and he hadn't shown
himself, sir. | didn't quite like to
knock his house down about his ears.
You see, MI. Brewster, he's different
like from the est-quite carries himself
aboyethem, you know"
This stammering communication
amused Brewster. A queer notion en-
tered his head. He would confront
the usurperhimself andsee what man
ner OF creature be was. He called to
the office-boy who was walking down
the road, bidding him drive up to the
house andinform his wifethath he would
be detained a couple of hours.
The two men, left alone, stoodatthe
window and looked in the direction
OF the RACED village, to detect some
sign OF life; but they saw only q stray
dog who wandered disconsolately amid
the ruins, shifting the heaps of garbage
with a disdainful air. Thelight waned
and the serried ranks of mist that
had been lying in wait amid the wes-
tern hills and across the straits, closed
in upon the city. The merchant grew
inpatient under the long delay.
II can't understand, Martin, why
you didn't get rid OF the man along
with the rest. Did he venture toques-
ton your authority, or my right to
control my property"
"Why you see, sir, I didn't like to