The Red Cloud chief., 1885-05-29

mourning Just after nightfali on tho
even ne Of the tenth day they paused in
Font of the little grove snrrouudino
l''c'iic > shanty to arrange between
thefnsclves tn route which they should
rake ON the Inorrow in notifying those
Interested Of their return and headlines,
to report
The Suzcol Ranch is not q prairie.
hut a succession of low ridges or hills.
occasionally bit Of the rock -founda-
ton crops out on some bluffy point, but
generally the ridges are tillabie clear TO
their SUBMITS and produce wonderful
crops OF wheat. an average of .iftv and
sixty bushels 10 the acre benz consid.
cred no surprising yield even upon
lieids VI several hundred acres. In
their natural state shcy are dotted over
with little groves OF white and live oak.
usually IN groups of from q dozen TO a
hundred trees. and it was in one of these
ih'lr groves that Ritchie's shanty wa,
situated.
When the two men had agreed upon
their separate course for the morrow.
ana ais upon the place at which the
sEuattcrs were 10 be asked to meet and
decide upon their future action. they
separated; Richie turned his pony's
head toward his shanty. while Parsons
looscncd the rein upon the neck Of his
beast already showing Signs oil uleasi-
ness Il being held back when so near
home. and started NJ a brisk pace in the
direction in which he kncw his family
We're anxiously awaiting his coming.
nc had gone but a few yards. how
ever, when he heard an exclamation of
surprise from Richie. VINO almost in
%stantl.y rejoincd him and crowding his
pony close up To that Of his companion
exclaimed, in a voice shaken with emo
ton and excitement:
"M.y God, Parsons. they've torn down
my sbanty, and Heaven only knows
what has become Of my wife and
child"
IL WAS true.
Those TO whom the Suscol Ranch,
comprising thousands of acres Of the
iinc-t lands. had been given by the pur-
chased votes Of corrupt Congressman
and Senators. had decided to resort to
.evict:on in order to obtain immediate
possession, AMI SEN a posse Of men
with orders to destroy i number of
dwellings AS a warning to all Others.
and Bill Ritchie's shanty had been
among those selected.
For a moment the two M sat upon
their horses like statues. looking If each
other through the darkness; and then,
with one impulse. they put spurs To
their animals and dashed away in the
direction of Parsons house. Neither
spoke, but both leaned forward i'm Their
saddles. and rode ut full spced-rodc
with bated breath. while alternate hope
and fear struggled with fierce anger for
possession of their bosoms.
Had they stopped To reason they
would have known that there was little
probability of bodily injury having been
done to the evicted family; but who
would stop to reason of the probable
amount of injury when he came sud
denly upon the ruins of his home and
realized that those whom he loved bet
ter than all else in the world. q defense
less woman with a babe at her breast,
and had the shelter torn from over their
heads. and that they were gone, he
knew not where or how?
Naturally they would seek shelter
with their new ncighbors. the Parsons,
since they were nearer than any other.
and the two men would retur together:
but suppose tire Parsons cottage was
destroyed also? Surprising all the cot
tages in the neighborhood were de-
stroyed. what then?
And John Parsons? Can the suffer-
ings which he endured during that ride
be measured or told? That ride of a
quarter of a mile before coming up
over the intervening rise they saw lights
in the window and a campfire burning
brightly in front Of the cottage?
If life were u flame feeding upon the
body which il inhabits, then it would be
easy to understand how men sometimes
grow old in . d%ay-how the hair may
turn white in n night; for n man may
live more, suffer more in an hour. than
comes to others in . lifetime.
The posse sent to evict the home
steaders had gone directly 10 John Par
sous cottage from lsitchie's: but they
were preceded by Mrs. Richie. who.
frightened by the threat. OF men to tear
the shanty down over her head il she
did not at once leave it. had caught her
babe from its cradle and ran directly to
the Parsons homestead. where she ar
rived almost as much dead rs alive, aud
had impaired the dreadful information.
believing it to be true, that every dwell
ling on the ranch was to be torn down.
and had urged Mrs. Parsons tn take the
children and fly with her to some place
in the hills where they could hide from
those who were bent upon q mission of
destruction, and whom her excited inn
agination had magniticd into \ small
army. ready for any outrage upon the
persons rs well rs the property Of those
against whom they were sent.
Mrs Parsons was scarcely less aci-
tatej at the terrible news than WAS she
who brought it; and Erastus who had
listened without saying 4 word to the
story Of the outrage. made no objection
to the proposition. hut helped {, make
into a bundle the scaoty wardrobe of
tho family, and in company with the
frightened women and children crossed
the creek upon q little foot-brsige made
of planks. and placed them ali within
the Shelters of the hlu.fs on the opposite
side, and a little further down. where
they would lie out of sight of the posse
either from the cottage o. from any
point on the road over which they would
pass in continuing their work Of de-
si-urtion.
This done. in spite of the pleadincS Of
the little girls and Mrs. Richie. and the
almost commands of Aunt Martha
as he had always called Mrs. EarsonS
he returned I. the cottage and Careful
IL examined the rife which he had been
allowed to purchase when the journey
across the plains began, and also tha;