Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-07-30

10 Il partlc lar. 1nlSDc re.
tired to her own room as soon as posi-
bic after the supper, of which her
brothers and their guest. Godfrey Wal
ton had partakcn with the appetite per-
tanning to an approving conscience.
With a woman's skill she had managed
to keepGeoff. at arms length, telling him
she had determined not to engage her.
self to any one till the strike should be
over; but as his presence made her
thereafter slightly uncomfortable she
fcigncd a headache as an excuse for re-
firing. Her mother, in some alarm
suggested remedy after remedy, whcreat
Thisbe showed such temper as insured
uninvadcd scclusion for the rest of the
evening.
1t was late when she heard her
mothers heavy step mount the stairs
and pause for a moment at her door;
but the gas was out. and Thisbe gave
nc sign; so Mrs. Barton went on to bed.
Then Thisbe heard the noisy exit of the
male portion Of her family, and then,
after an interval during which all was
quiet, a mutlled figure stole noislessly
down the staircase and out into the fog
gy street. There was little needfor dis
guise she discovered; the fog was so
heavy Il mother would scarcely have
known her own child half a yard away.
No stranger could possibly have found
his way about Smoketon that night; but
Thisbe had carried too many dinner
| pals to Browns mill since her earliest
recollection to be at fault for a moment.
She took the shortest way, which led
along the hillside and across the rail-
road, and approached the mill from the
rear. Here was also a gate. at which
she knocked lightly, but the voice which
asked "Who's there?" made her heart
beat faster.
IA friend" she replied in a hoarse
whisper. ''Spcak lower, Curly Schwartz.
There's to be an attack on YOU tonight,
and I ( don't know how near they may
be. l could not warn you any sooner.
They swear they'll burn the mill over
| your heads"
sis Geotf. Walton in ftp" asked Curly
in a whisper. The gate was still closed
between them, but the boards of the
ancient fence had, unfortunately, only
too many crcvices through which a
whisper might pass.
What thatto you, Curly Schwartz?'
''Much if you are This"
"Hush. I'm a dead oma if you
bctray me. There!" as a sudden flash
| showed the presence of a dark lantern
upon the hillside, s'you've no time to
lose"
s'But what will become of you?"
Ssh! rouse the mill; I'm safe enough.
Good-byc!' and the girl was gone.
But where? Already the strikers
were too near to allow her to return as
she had come, and escape in any other
direction was prevented by the mill
itself. Nothing better occurred to her
than to crouch behind a pile of stones
and rubbish, a little way up the hill,
until the rioters should arrive, when,
favored by the darkness, she hoped to
make her way through the crowd as
one of themselves. If they should
suspect and modest hcr-thc girls
beautiful lips parted in a notvery pretty
smile as she caught up a tolerably-size Y
stone from the heap and held it firmly
In her strong right hand.
Yet for all her courage the scene which
followed returned upon her many times
in after years as a dream of horror|Ehe
breaking open of the gate, the shouts of
defiance from within, the masked tig-
ures piling flaming brands against the
door. undeterred by a scattering pistol
fire from the defenders. The mill was
well provided with arms and ammuni-
ton, but perhaps the nerve of the be-
sieged was shaken by the s%uddenness of
the attack, or perhaps they were not
well accustomed to the use of their
weapons. Whatever the cause, the vol
ley did little harm beyond singing the
rioters into increased fury.
And now the door began to smolder
and crackle, when suddenly it was flung
wide and a party Of the besieged rushed
through the fire, scattering and stamp
ing it out as they dashed upon the
rioters, while another party flung pals
of water upon the smoldering door and
the still-burning brands. For amoment
the rioters gave back; but as the be-
sieged, their object accomplished, made
an equally sudden rush for the mill,
their opponents rallied and followed
close at their heels with yells of de-
1iancc.
Curly Schwartz had been one of the
foremost in this sally. Thisbe, who,
unable to make her way home, had
been swept forward instead by the
crowd, saw his form clearly defined
against the dull, red glow of the fur
mace fires within the low, wide doorway.
Nor was she the only one who recog-
nized him. There was a shout, a curse
upon him by name, and a heavy club
raised by a powerful arm. Then a
stone, which certainly came from
Thisbe's direction, struck Godfrey Wal
toms wrist; the arm fell by his side. and
Curly's pistol touched histemple. Only
for an instant, for beneath the black
Grape upon which the furnace fires
cleaned all so red, Curly seemed to see
the innocent eyes of the boy with whom
he had played in childhood. His arm
dropped and he turned with the rest to
regain the shelter of the mill. At the
same moment a crushing blow fell upon
him from behind; he dropped like a log
and the trampling of many feet passed
over his body y.
That he was drawn by strong and ten
der arms into a sheltered corner, Curly
never knew for many a long day after
ward; but when the rioters withdrew at
the approach of day. leaving Browns