Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-01-22

dows wide open, and nothing but tn
sunbeams, or perhaps stray chicken
had ever ventured to stray within.
"One warm afternoon in July, mothe
and the boys went berrying, leaving M
at home alone. Father was at work OF
what we called the burnt land three
quarters of a mile away. Ihad expected
to be one of the berrying party; but as
had been out of doors all the forenoon
and was afflicted with a headache
mother thought it would not do at al
for me to 60 out again in the hot sun.
"You won't be afraid to stay in TIT
house alone, will you. Mary" said she
I don't know what could possibly harm
you. l wish you would feed the chick
ems about four o'clock. Be sure to tax,
the gingerbread out of the oven in abou
/. ten minutes, and don't let pussy get he
nose into the custard-pies which ar,
cooling in the window
81 wasn't afraid the least bit in the
world. The sunshine was streaming il
at the open door; the birds were singing
in the bushes outside, and the specklec
kitten was chasing her tail around the
kitchen floor. Who would think Of be
ing afraid, or even lonely, when every
thing was SO bright and pleasant?
81 took the gingerbread out of the
oven. It was what folks called a tin
kitchen, an affair with several shelves
which stood before the blaze in the fire
place. Everybody used it in old times
before stoves were plenty.
"Then l covered the fire with ashes
| that it might not 60 entirely out. When
it was time to boil the tea-kettle for sup
per, you could rake the ashes away, and
there would still be hot Goals under
them.
"Then l sat down and rocked by the
cool window, where a breeze blew in
through the morning-elory vines, and
soon fell into a sort of dOZe. But it was
not long before bumble-bee came in
and awakened me, and glancing out OF
the window, beheld a sight which fair.
ly froze my blood with horror.
ut was tall Indian, dressed precise.
ly as had seen Indians dressed in pic
lures, making long, but leisurely strides
toward the house.
"He had sort of topknot feathers on
his head, like that of one of our cropple-
crowned hens, and | could see that his
long, brown arms were quite bare, and
looked like copper in the sunlight
"What should / do? Where could !
hide myself? My heart was beating SO
violently that / felt almost sufocated
and l stood for moment in the middle
of the floor, unable to move or think.
''But there was no time to be lost. He
was coming so near'that could almost
see his face now, and what, oh! what il
he should find me when he got into the
house!
at did not once occur to me to bolt the
doors; but if it had, there would have
been hardly time, for the bolts were very
heavy, and it was as much as l could do
to move them, and then the windows
were all open, too, and though they were
very small, the Indian might have
squeezed through one of them at pinch
II ran wildly toward the bedroom ard
was about to creep under the bed. But
no, that would not do, l thought. His
long arms might reach me there. Then
| rushed through the kitchen into the
shed, and looked about me in a perfect
frenzy.
Suddenly the huge brass kettle which
had been my grandmother's caught my
eye, hanging from beam overhead, and
quick as thought climbed first on to
fathers work bench, which stood under
meath, thus, obtaining a footing on a
wooden peg which was driven into the
wall, l managed to swing myself on to
the beam, and from thence let myself
down into the kettle, which was large
enough to hide me completely.
81 had never accomplished such feat
before; but l was a light and nimble
child, and in my fear and excitement it
seemed easy enough to perform.
"The kettle had not ceased moving
after my leap into its brassy depths,
when the Indian entered the door. l
was sure that he would see it, and gave
myself up for lost. / was really para
lized with fear, and if l had tried to
scream, do not think could have done
so.
"But he evidently did not look up in
that direction. He stood stock-still in
the middle of the floor for moment or
two, muttering some indistinct words in
his cultural Indian tongue. Then
heard him stride into the kitchen, and
from thence into the bedroom, still talk
ing away as fast as he could talk. Then
l heard him tramping about overhead.
He had climbed the ladder into the loft.
"But in few moments he was back
again, investigating the pantry. Mother
had been doing whole weeks baking
that morning, and the shelves were filled
with nice brown loaves Of bread, custard
and berry pies, great milk-pan full of
cookies, and the gingerbread which l
ust taken out of the oven.
Judging by the sounds which heard
from that direction, / thought he must
be eating; and every once in while
there came deep grunt of satisfaction,
as if he had found something that he
liked very much. Then, for a little
while, there was deep silence, and then,
to my great relief, he stole very quietly
and swiftly out of the house, and away,
taking the same path by which he came.
IL peeped out from my hiding place
and saw him disappear in the distance.
Then mist came over my eyes and l
lost consciousness. 1 had been expecting
every moment that he would espy the
kettle, which was so huge that it general
ly attracted attention, and proceed to in
vestigate; and now my relief was SO
great that l was entirely overcome.
"When l recovered my senses heard
nv mothers voice calling me:
"Mary, Mary, where are your
40, mother screamed my brother
Cyrus, who always repaired to the pan
try the minute he got into the house,
Just look here! All the baking's gone,
pies m everything, and there's crumbs
all over the floor
"Theres been an Injun here,'I gasp
ed, from my perch overhead.
az should think So said my mother,
who gazed up into my white face, the
very picture of CONSERVATION. How in
the world did you get up there, child?'
"Just then father came cunning in