The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-08-21
cRANpMoTHER's DREAM.
And How Her Strange Mid
night Vision was Remark
ably Fulfilled.
[Ballou,s Monthly 4

we snail nave visit from the indians
before night" remarked my grandmother,
looking across the breakfast table at grand
father
well, l hope we SHALL" replied grand
father, a little doggedly. "You are eternally
predicting an Indian raid, and just to please
you hope we shall get call from at least a
hundred"
"Look out, Peter Barnes! You may have
to regret that speech before you are a
half day older / dreamed last night just
how they came, what they did, and what we
did, and it makes my blood run cold to think
of it,"
Grandfather made no reply, realizing that
she always had the better of him in argu-
ment, and the meal was finished in silence.
A year before, my relatives, both of whom
were nearly fifty years old, but strong and
hearty, sold out their farm in Ohio and To-
Gated in western Kansas. Their children
were all married off, and the old couple were
entirely alone. They had a stout and COM
Portable log cabin and good farm, and had
already made many improvements.
The location was not thought to be dan
gerous one, although few miles below the
last hamlet in that section and three miles in
advance of the location of the previous set
tier. The Indians had raided this part of the
country the year before, but the soldiers had
given them severe rebuke. and it was not
believed that they would dare venture back
again. Grandfather was certain that he
would not be interrupted in his peaceful pur-
suits and was annoyed that grandmother
should croak of evil.
More because it was the custom than from
any idea that he would ever have use for it,
grandfather kept rifle in the house, and
one day when settler who was owing him
money and could not pay, brought revolver
to him as the only offset he could offer,
grandfather took it and laid il on the shelf.
In hersyoung days grandmother had been
an emphatic ''romp." She could skate, play
ball, pitch quoits, ride at gallop, shoot rifle
and, even to the day she was married went
by the: name of "Bailey's Tomboy," yet,
afterIall, she made good wife, and was the
''making" Of Peter Barnes.
wShe stood in the door that morning and
watched Peter bring his horse and pillow and
drive off through the fields to- his work half
a mile away. Then she looked to the west,
back at the sun, and went in and took the
rifle down from its hooks. 1t had been
loaded for months, and she drew the bullet,
carefully wiped the barrel, and loaded the
weapon again as nicely as hunter could
have done it, Placing it in a corner, she
went to an old chest, fshed out powder, lead,
caps, and bullet molds, and soon had fifteen
or twenty shining bullets onIthe table. Then
the revolver was got down, cleaned up,
loaded, and finally the woman went to the
door to look for her husband.
She could see him following the plow in
the distant field, and the happy SONGS Of the
birds were anything but harbingers of a COM
ing ARRAY in which more than one Of these
shining bullets would find human target.
Peter Barnes, you are an idiotw spoke
the woman, watching him a moment 81
don't want harm to come to hair of your
head. but you will get fearful lesson be-
fore noon this dayr'
The arms being in good order, the woman
shut the door, nailed it up, and then nailed
boards over the windows on the inside. The
south door fastened with a bar and she was
satisfied with its strength. She went to the
spring, filled two pals with water, picked up
and carried in the axe, and then cleared the
table of dishes, not stopping to wash them,
Then she sat down in the south doorway and
waited-waited for the Indian attack which
she had dreamed of and predicted.
An hour passed and she had not changed
her position. Half an hour more wore away,
and then she suddenly leaped up and seized
her rifle. She had seen the horses stop and
begin to rear and plunge as they came near
the south end of the field, which was bord-
cred by the forest She saw her husband
pulling them and using che whip, but in
moment mGre the animals dashed off at full
speed. just as they started grandmother
heard faint cyl! yiv' and the next mo-
ment caught sight of a score of savages as
they dashed out of the woods and made for
her husband.
"Just exactly as / dreamed" she wills
pered to herself, lifting the rifle clear of the
floor.
Grandfather caught sight of the redskins
as soon as they broke cover, and he wheeled
and made for the house at his best pace.
For few rods he held his own, but then his
fifty years began to tell on him, and the
shouting Indians began to gain. They were
thirty yards behind him at the start, but be-
fore half the distance to the house had been
trayersed they were not ten yards behind.
run, fatherl run for your life" shouted
grandmother, waving her hand to him; and
he did his best.
But the old man did not have it in him.
He was within rifle-shot of the door, when
the redskins bore him down to the grass, in
plain sight of his wife. Five or six of them
halted to care for the prisoner, and the rest
whooping and yelling, made for the house.
Grandmother stood square in the door, and
the rifle was slowly lifted
When the foremost savage was twenty
rods away, out on a line with the BARREL
there was quick report, and the Indian fell
forward on the grass. Then she stepped
back, closed the door, and the next moment
the shouting demons jnmped against it, The
door stood like rock. Baffied and disap-
pointed, the Indians hacked at the boards
with their tomahawks as If to hew their
way in. Striking away, one of the blows
fell on knot in the plank, and the knot fell
at the woman's feet, while hole as large as
a mans Est was left in the door. Encour-
aged by this. the Indians were chopping
away, when grandmother seized the revolver,
took swift aim, and horrible yell mingled
"Aeh VIC iOPOlhs luC tiiCh AbAA DUS1A
to where they had left their prisoner, and
were out of range.
The Indians understood sufficient to know
that the woman did not propose to surren-
der, and they gathered around the prisoner
and held consultation. AT length, leaving
two OIL their number to guard him, the 9TH
ers. hfteen in all, made detour and collect
ed on the north side of the house. They had
no arrows to fire the house from distance,
but gathered brush and piled it against the
north door to force the woman to come out
She had no loopholes on that side. but 60
ing up stairs she softly removed strip of
"chinking" from between two of the logs.
thrust through the hand holding the revolver
and shooting by guess, badly wounded one
of the savages.