The Red Cloud chief., 1888-05-11

CHAPTER IX.-CONrINUED.
In a few moments he came to the foot OF
the mountain. He felt sick and dizzy; he
would look at his wOund-well, let il
bleed: perhaps God would have Justice
O now. He caught hold Of the sage
brush n pulled himself up the mountain
side a few rods, and sank down Just below
a huge upshOoting splinter Of stone and
tried to pray. But, though he essayed with
all his strength, he could not. His tongue
seemed thick and refused to articulate.
while objects about him had a strange and
hay aspect. Was he dying, or was it the
reaction after so long a period Of strife
and emotionl He turned and looked at the
valley he loved: there was the distant vii
lage, his mothers little house among the
trees on the hither side, Burl Hartman s
cabin beyond il near the pines, the fields
and meadows divided by the creek as by
a road of phosphor, but all seeming to rock
and glimmer together a in a dream.
Suddenly some moving object upon the
left challenged his eyes; he reused himself
and turned toward it; Paul E7chard, droop-
ing orer his horses neck, rds riding into the
mouth Of Eagle canyon! and with a cry his
would-be slayer fell forward in the chapar-
raj and was silent. 1t was q dead faint: the
long struggle with his heart, the tragedy
that closed the strife, its swift reversal, and
the sudden change of his whole relation to
life, swept away his failing consciousness.
Even the ox-!ikc Orson Beam could no long
er stand to the task; when the invisible
burden was lifted he fell. For q long time
he lay quietly in his darkness, resting it
seemed, then started, opened his ewes,
sprang up, and looked about him. Was it
true! Had he not fallen asleep last night
here among the chaparral and Just awak-
ened! No, 1t was not q dream, for here was
his wound softly oozing! But wa the horse
maj who had ridden into the canyon real or
but . Pigment Of his fancy! He threw of
his coat. tore away his shirtsleeve and twist
ing 1t into q knot thrust it into his wound,
then went crashing downward through the
bramble.
Soon he was near the little plot of green
which opened upon the road, but as he
pushed into it with eager foot the gnawing
question at his heart melted into q great fear.
When he lifted his eyes would not their
sweet capacity be blotted out! their ability
to ever again present him with the delights
OF happy vision be destroyed! Would not
that form which Trean loved, and which
had yielded him such gentle greeting, be
lying there beside the road ready to blast
him!
No, It wGs not there! A great thrill of re-
lief swept through him; he flung his arms
upward with q cry Of joy n turned about;
the revolver was lying before him; he
crushed it into b soft earth with his foot,
crashed back through the tangle to his
horse, vaulted into the saddle, fOrgetful of
his wound, and rode away a free man.
A free man! All, no. For an hour the
sense that delighted him was not unlike
the gladness Of one coming from an impris-
oning ave of horrors into the clear air and
quiet sunshine. But it did not remain:
darkness followed, distrust of himself.
doubt of his acceptance, after such an at
tempt, by the Great Father to whom he
had 50 often opened q clean and tender
heart. The intent, the motive! All, wa he
not after all a murderer! No; the injury
to the other, which would in large part have
made him criminal, had been escaped. Yet
his soul was b~lackened; he felt it heavy and
lotahsome within him. Like thousands
more among those mountains, his was an
honest nature, scrupulOus in word and
deed, and In the beginning drawn to this
system by its seeming nearness to the Al
mighty, to become in the end bemuddled
and befooled by priestly tricks, until the
brutally material and the spiritually fine
were blended and confused into q Coo
had become to this people not h Eternal
Spirit, creating, informing, sustaining and
p~ervading all things, but q man of body,
parts and passions; one who had risen to
sovereignty through animal increase; one
who was ut the head of creation through
fathership. Adam. through the same proc
ess. became God of this sphere under the
Almighty, and afterwards came as Christ
to redeem his fallen offsprings that they,
too. might become gods rising in exaltation
in the ratio of their progeny.
This was a piece Of priestcraft enslavlns
women to the priestly will and yoklnG her
with understandable servitude. That such a
doctrine. and others quite as revolving.
should have passed into practice. is only
o~ol,;pahla ny the fact that an ~Cath-bount