The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-21

manded more. Thereupon Mr.. Allen did
what he should have done In the first place
shut up his shop and went home to his wife,
, who had few months previously presented
him with h baby. This exasperated his Gus
toners, and the dance opened. Mind you lie
had six men in his employ. There We're ff.
teen at the fort under Walsh. This Siou.
numbered 1900 and the nearest helr, was 2lG
miles to the northwest.
The sacking of the store was a horrible
sight, especially for Allen. Hundreds of say
ages, craaed with hunger, tore log from LOG
and seized upon eyeTthing edible They fought
like snakes with each other for a moisel, and
in the morning the cold winter sun threw
frozen beams upon the men who hal been
killed for food Did they want it for them
selves Not one of them. Down the side oi
TINT N5gcd, cherries mountain were babies,
red rs prairie fires. but human and hungry.
Up from the lodges came wailmgs and lalnari-
tation, answered back from the moun;an-top
with shrieks Of rage and pain, as mighty war
rorS strove with each other for the broken
| food that would stop an infants suffering. II
was for the brats that they broke Mr.. Allen
up in business not for themselves, ard when
| they gitted his store, they turned to his house
for more Refused they concerted a devilish
scheme VI vengeance, and what Is very mich
more to the point, they carried it out
| If there is a dearer thing to an Indian ihln
| his God, ii is his child Some pious people
may not understand the possibility of such #
| preference but they should remember that
they are ciyili4.d, and that in civilization lots
OF things rank the babies. The Indian tA,e.srl't
| look at il 50 First in his mind coIaaa Che
| child and that child he will feed at the
expense of his life. He doesn't reconcile
| himself to the idea that starS ing
| young one is bat a bud opening into
| the perfect flower He finds no resignation in
| romantic deception of the ineN table When
| his papoose is hungry he is gong to skiiiuish
| for fodder, and if he gets licked he taxes it
quietly, SO quietly that he never moves around
| much aftarward Understanding his own
| feelings, he ascribes the same 10 others, and
| the Wood mountain end of the schedule CON
jecturing that If they secured Aliens baby he
would put up any amount Of nourishment rs
"A ransom, broke into the house and yanked
the youngster from its mothers arms. OF
course that made trouble The mother
couldn't stand it, and the row commenced.
Up through coulees a shrek of mourning
rent the air and drifted away to find its
echoes in the mountains. Red women moaned
with despair over the dead bodies of husbands
| and sons Dusky faces were pressed upon the
SNOW that melted under hot tears of grief for
| husbands and brothers slain in the graphic for
grub, for after ALL grief is colorless, and
attacks irrespective of hue The copper skinned
savage has cardiac entrail as susceptible to
| love as-well, as the average city woman
and she misses her loves much and mOur1ls
them as bitterly Through the camp that
stood like great ghosts in The ilickering of the
| fires men still fought and wrestled and at the
| upper end OF the village a great crowd gath
cred around the white baby. There was no
disposition to hurt it To its captors it was Ii
| circulating medium representing 50 muck
food, for which they were perfectly willing
to trade it, They could not harm it, for il
belonged to their friend, and they were anx
inus To return it to him for a consideration.
| An evidence of leaning toward civilization,
| You may say. Not exactly. II is true the
civilized man will rob his friend and trade
back the stolen property for something mora
! valuable but he won't barter human flesh.
There is a law against it,
Down from the mountain top tore frantic
woman There were 10 cries, no words The
business she had on hand did not allow Of
much noise. Her horses hoofs rang out on
the frozen ground with steady clang, but
there was no faltering The trail was dan
| ger0us and little out OF repair but there
was no hesitation. Close behind followed the
fifteen lanciers, but there was not speed
enough in their horses TO catch the flying
pony before them Down through the dark
passes and into the deep shadows, and on;
again into the half light the chase ran
steadily Not a halt broke that run of eigh-
teen miles, when the fires of the camp burst
into sight Down through the crowds Of
wailing women past the bowling mourners;
cut through the lines Of deserted lodges, and
at last into the crowd that circled around the
| child 1t was strange frame for the picture
the lonely white woman made. A dozeT- dig
nified Indians topplad over as the brave -.t.e
pony dashed against them \ dozen more
fell under the swift strokes Of swords The
attack was too sudden for Resistance A score
of warriors We're down, and others fell like the
prairie grass before the wind There was no
quarter until the last savage had disappeared
over the hill, and then Mrs. Allen tainted. OF
| = L
tainted before. A woman only faints at the
point of success Perhaps it doesn't occur te
her before
Back up the mountain, and once more al
| home There was no obstacle to the retreat
The savages we're thoroughly cowed by the
attack and turned away from the retreatins
| force. Safe onSconced in her home. Mrs. Al
len had hySterics and all the other accom-
plishments and then got over it Down in
coulee the women mourncd afresh The
prairie was splashed with tears and the crisT
night air was torn with lamentations A
grave bIunder had been committed and sui.
fering and sorrow followed, and it was MANY
q long day before the red women stified tllcir
Sobs or ceased their mourning for those who
had died in the FIGHT for chiliren'S lives II
was all natural Who can blame sither sidet
The Indian acted on the nobiesi instinct that
his birth had given linn, and employed the
only means in his power. The white woman
did no more, but somehow the Indian suffered
most, as he generally does whes. it comes to q
contest with his pale "brother Stanley
Huntly IN DIakeg Travellers Magazine.