The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-01-10

He took the gun, double breech-loader, extracted the cartridges while l was closing the gate, and then bidding me leave it unlocked, returned the gun to me, and I led the way to the hospital door. Louis Calvert walked beside me, a heavy revolver in each hand. Every one on the place, including the guard at the other end of the building, was sleep ing, it seemed. Nixie ran to her fathers bedside, and shaking him gently, said in low eager tones:
 Wake up, papa. Uncle Louis come Uncle Louis here-wake up, papa, wake upp
 Her warm, plump little hand tou ched his face, and she started back with cry of terror that rings in my ears even yet, so full was ii of hearthroken anguish.
 Her papa could never waken again to the sound of her loved voice. With his pale, wasted hands crossed upon his emaci- ated, shrunken breast, and his long black lashes resting over his closed eyes, he lay cold in death. I expected Nixie would go wild with grief, but she stood rubbing the tears back under her long heavy lashes, and made no sound after that first cry.
 returned to my post and lea them with their dead.
 The blonde stranger, Uncle Lou, stood gazing awhile in silence, then bent over and touched the dead mar $ face with his lips. He was evidently struck hard. After short whispered consultation with
 Nixie, he joined me outside, thanke' me heartily for my kindness" and asked me to kindly care for little Nixie until Wilson was buried. "Dcn't worry about you little friends future," said he, "l am abundantly able to provide for that She will remain here until he is put away, then she will know where to join me. Take this! Good byw
 He was gone before l could say more than Gall right" Presently I heard
 wheels grinding on the sand along the public road which ran near the stockade walls. The attempted rescue, only pre- vented by sudden intervening death, had been solely to prevent Wilson from dy- ing within the prison walls. No one about the camp ever knew anything about my strange visitor, as no one saw him except Nixie and I.
 All that night the little girl sat by her dead fathers side, sobbing violently. The next day we buried him ou. there, and Tpaid one of the trustys fifty cents to build that pen around his grave. The captains wife took Nixie home with her, and in her kind motheriy way, did ail she could to console and alleviate the little ones grief She seemed utterly heartbroken, ant would talk to 10 one but me; and often for hours she would sit on the pole-pen, beneath which her father rested, with her face buried in her hands. We feared she would actually lose her reason, but childhood's grefs are, you know, seldom deep or lasting. | noticed her on the third afternoon follow ing her fathers burial sitting, as have said, over his grave idly drumming with her feet upon the side of the pen. Later she had become still, and was sitting with her head resting upon her arms which were folded across her lap. She remained 50 long in this position tha. thought she had fallen asleep, as the cap- :ain's wife said she had slept little or aone the preceding nights. Before going ,n duty that night, looked toward the grave, but she was not there. l supposed 'he had gone up to the captains house, md said nothing about it, bu: to ward lark her title friend and lover. Freckles, ;ame after her. Upon my telling him where had last seen her, he went on out 0 the grave, but moment later came run- ling back frantic with terror, declaring hat she was dead. It was true. We never thew whether she had been carelessly handling her elegant little silver-mounted gun," as she sometimes called her pistol after the western fashion, and lad accidentally discharged it with atal effect, the ball entering her orehead- - or whether, ia her terri 'le grief and despair, she had ended Ter strange young life by her own hand. n the interminable noise and hubbub bout the camp, no one had heard the 'oise of the single pistol shot, and she had allen in little heap upon the ground in be rear of the pen surrounding the grave.
 took charge of her effects, and when CIV weeks later received a letter which
 knew came from her uncle, though it