Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-03-08
A LITTLE MAVERICK.

column of smoke. No breath of al
stirred it. nor did it seem to advance
yard. The sky was steely blue, the al
quivered like the white heat from a caul
dron Of molten metal. In the crisp ant
dry buffalo grass myraid insect life CAV
to the simmering air dreamy, monoto
nous sound like the humming of far-awa,
bees.
The afternoon passed, darkness gath
cred, and with the rising moou came ,
cool wind from off the snow-c crested
peaks. The cloud of dust subsidized, ant
revealed line of moving, white covered
wagons.
AS the caravan drew near, gaun
prairie wolf rose suddenly out of tn,
grass, gave long, dolorous howl, and
fed across the plain. After him, as il
they had risen from the earth by magic
went pony and rider, bronzed, grizzle6
old man, as gaunt, and evidently dread
ing the newcomers as much, as the wolf
The caravan, numbering thirty wagons
went into camp in the form of hollow
square, the people and animals inside the
barrier of wagons. The sound o. voices
the smell of cooking, the lausnter Of
children and the red glow of tue camp.
fires made a bit of welcome life in the
solemn land, breaking the soundles<
mouotony of centuries
Later, when the fires were low, and
when the only noises were the champino
OF the animals and the tread of the sentry
on watch, strange, elfsh figure ran out
OF the stockade and began to dance in
the moonlight girl of twelve or therea-
bouts, with big, sparkling eyes and short,
black curls flying over her pretty brow.
A bearded face was thrust out under 4
wagon cover, and gruff but not IN
kindly voice called:
Come in here, you Maverick. want
the Injuns to git yea
The child laughed mockingly, and
continued her dance. After the third
call the big man jumped out of the wagon
and ran after her When she could run
no longer she dropped like log, re.
naming stiff and still, while he carried
her TO the wagon.
Gritty, amt she, marm?" ne said, as
the child rolled over like stick of wood.
The lady addressed was tall, thin
person with wrinllled face, sharp black
eyes behind spectaces, corkscrew curls,
and habit Of wearing little shoulder
capes in the hottest weather. She was a
New England school teacher going West
to better herself.
T q" Gritty is Western, presume, Mr.
Chase, said the lady, Miss Mary Ann
Reed "What on earth do you call hel
a Maverick for9' Miss Reed clicked her
needles viciously. She knitted all day,
jolting in corner of the wagon, a pic
ture of martyrdom.
''In my kentry, Texas" said Chase,
''they calls them stray young cattle that
don't git branded Mavericks: they don t
b'long to no herd, an them that finds
gifts EN-.
Shes got folks in Denver, " said Miss
Reed.
~ dunno, whispered the man, with
an anxious look toward the sleeping
child. "a teller that met me two days
ago on the east bound wagon train told
me her pa and ma he'd died suddenly AN
the children he'd scattered, an he'd
never heered o Janet at all. Her
gran marin he'd KEEP her from baby, an
the old lady dyin', Janet's uncle jest
shipped her off to Denver where her
folks was Twin. Don't seem nobody to
take her. "
why didn't you send her back with
these folks?" asked Miss Reed
cause they was only harf way, an
was short for grub; they wouldn't take
her"
Yet the Maverick was great pet on
the journey. Every one liked her, and
welcomed her bright presence to their
wagons. Around the camp fires even
the men gathered to hear her sing the
quaint old hymns her grandmother had
taught her. She held tired babies till
her little arms were numb, she told
stories tC weary children, aud was a
ministering angel at every wagon--at the
last one in the train most of all.
This wagon had joined the train il
Missouri, and belonged to an unfortunate
family that Chase called "Pikes." The
father. sullen, sickly man, drove thu
four lean oxen; the mother halfdead
from malaria, seldom lifted her head from
her be6 and the nine children, practically
orphans, took care OF themselves, and Of
n little, motherless girl! sent to her father
i'll Denver.
This baby, Rose, was a merry httlt
creature o. three, beautiful and winning
and much liked. But the days were toll
some ones, sud IS the Browns had charge
Of her, no one interfered, though may o
the party wondered who could hryt
trusted he. with them.
The two younger Browns, homely
fadcd little souls, were faithful guar
dians over her The other children wert
unrrly and rude, but these two seemed
like some good old folks who had livct
out well-rounded lives and been trans
lated back to earth to begin over again.
To these children Jauet's presence wa;
the one happiness of their day, MOI
could she could tell stories enough t
satisfy them. Once Janet, coming un
observed, heard the youngest Pike tell
ing baby Rose, who was cross, one o
her ovn stories.
you sorrerfco little things" criet
Jauet "can't you make EN- up your
selves Of your owug'
For a week, ut night, the sentry at thu
stockads saw .far-ol. black. movin.
spccks on the horizon, and wear
;,nd anxious were the hours of dark
ness, early tie start, eager the hop
20 ret on without the attack. Each MAJ
would uutter in the gay dawn, as bag
gard and white, he harnessed his team
''Tllanl. God, another night Of peace, II,
Indians vet"
"Jauet,n SAID Chase one morning
when she came to watch him harness hi
team, "cf them IniunS comes an git
the better @ us you git on that ere leetl
gray pony, Nance, thar, an take Ros
an set o,;t fur them low hills eros
thar
Nance likes me, smiled Janet, 81
feed her Fry bread. y
IAN Of us like ye, yc Ms5 cTick, yer s
clipper aiius," Chase said, atlmiriugly
1.-THE In;uns shan't git We eff We kin hel
it"
That day young wife was sick, an,
eli the long hours Janet tended the wall