Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-02-14

adieu.
At the crack OF his rawhide the pony
dashed away 10 the southwark. and he
disappeared beyond the hills He had
a long journey ahead OF him, but he
did not spare the pony. He knew the
metal OF the nervy animal, and the
pony. as II aw are that he was goingto
his dimplcd master, needed no spurs.
The long jour ney TO the lower agency
was made in good time. Rain-in-the-
Face halting twenty miles from camp.
that he might travel the remaining
distance in the dark. As oou as the
shadows gathered he saddled his pony
and started cautiously for the camp.
He pcered nersously here and there,
TO guard against meeting any one who
might betray him. Every object
doomed up before him like an ap.
preaching enemy; every shrub that
trembled in the darkness seemed
like a watching spy. yet Rain-in-the-
Face pressed on. Like a famished
lion nearing prey, he kept his course
towards the camp where Koska slept
He had been blessed by dense clouds.
that hid the moon until he reached the
outskirts of the camp. and then. "a il
bursting forth to betray him. the moon
| appeared in "A clear and cloudless sky.
Rain-in-the-Face dismounted hurried
ly. and hitching his pony. he crouched
behind a friendly bush to make a hur-
ried survey Of the camp. He saw the
ter which had been described to him
rs that Of his wife and child. and no.
ticed that il was somewhat isolated.
This was good. The fates were with
him He could hardly refrain from
giving a shout OF JOY a. he gazed at the
tent where KOska slumbcred- He saw
In imagination the interior Of the tent.
and Toasted his eyes on the little slum-
berer without whom the world to him
was chaos and life was death.
There was no one about Even the
watchful dogs were asleep. and the
only ounds were those Of the browsing
beasts or OF the rustling trees through
which the balmy June breeze played.
Rain-in-thc-Face crept sloxly To the
tent Pausing outside and placing his
ear a the opening in the canvas. he
heard the low breathing OF the sleep
ers- He could wait no longer. and
after peering about the camp TO see il
he had been discovered. he pulled back
the loose blanket which served a a
door. and drew forth his knife. He
was armed. for he knew not what he
might encounter in his desperate work.
and he had sworn that no power should
cheat him OF success. He placed one
foot within the tent. and again glanced
back to make sure that all was uncon-
scious OF his presence In another
moment he vas looking on the face OF
her whom he had once loved. but his
gaze rested not there. II was n
~mOmentary glance. but he recogniz ed
the face in the moonlight which
streamed through the openings in the
tent He was STOPPING for Koska. when
he discovered that the object which he
mistook for the budding boy was
simply a bundle of clothes. He made
a careful survey OF the interior Of the
tent. but no koska was there Again
had he met with sore and terrible dis
appointment Had the little one rolled
out the tent in his sleep? He would see.
Fastening out. he crept about the tent
only TO intensity his disappointment
He could o understand the absence
OF koska. unless the boy had
been left with playmates at an
other tent For a moment he
suspected that he had been betrayed.
but the success with which he reached
the tent dispeled this suspicion, and he
accepted the theory hat the boys alb
sence was accidental. Still confident
that he would succeed In stealing
koska. he was happy, though disap-
pointed. As he was about to leave the
tent he heard a faint. startled cry. and
in an instant the wife, who had been
aroused by his prowlings. appeared at
the door OF the tent The crisis had
arrived. Rain-in-the-Face was discov-
cred. Raising his knife and springing
forward, he whispered "A threat that il
she awoke the camp she would pay the
penalty. She knew him. and was silent.
A few hurried words passed between
the couple, and Rain-in-the-Face de-
manded the restoration Of his boy. The
wife answered in lower tones than those
in which she was wont to speak, and
as she did so the knife dropped from
the hand of the desperate chief. his
head was bowed, and with q wave of the
hand he left the tent and returned to
his pony. Remounting him, he drove
silently to the point indicated by his
wife, paused beneath a tree. and there
in the limpid moonlight, kissed by the
saddened winds, was Koska He had
died on the day previous, and in ac-
cordance with the Indian custom his
remains, with all his worldly effects.
We're placed in the limbs of the tree.
Rain-in-the-Face sat m~otionless, gaz-
ing into the tree. There was the bow
and arrow which he had made for his
boy even before the babe could walk;
there was the little buckskin coat. the
first that Koska wore. and there the
top that Rain-in-the-F Face had taught
the happy child to spin. There, too,
was a small bronze face, pinched and
sunken in death, but the laughing eyes
were closed, the cooling voice was stilled
-koska was not there. The weary,
grief-worn mother had told Rain-in-