Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-03-14
A LITTLE MAVERICK.

All that hot August day there had
been cloud of dust in the east like a
column of smoke. No breath Of air
stirred it, nor did it seem to advance n
yard. Tho shy Was 4 s'rcly blue, tho air
4uivercd like the white heat from Caul.
drOu of molten metal. In the crisp and
dry buffalo grass myraid insect life gave
to the smmerng air dreamy, monoto-
nous sound hHc the humming Of lar.away
bees.
The afternoon passed, darkness gath
cred, and with the rising moon came a
cool wind from off the snow.crcstcd
peaks. The cloud of dust subsidized, and
revealed line Of moving, white-coyercd
wagons
As the caravan drew near, n gaunt
prairie wolf rose suddenly out of the
grass, gave long, dolorous howl, and
iied across the plain. After him, as if
they had risen from the earth by magic,
went a pony and rider u bronzcd, grizzled
oli man, AS gaunt, and evidently dread
lng the newcomers as much rs the wolf
The caravan, numbering thirty wagons
went ints' camp in the form of a hollow
square, the people and animals inside the
barrier OF wagons. The sound Of voices,
the smell of cooking. the laughter Of
children and tn" red glow Of the camp.
fires made bit of welcome life in the
solemn land, breaking the soundlcss
monotony of centuries.
Later, when the fires were low, and
when the ONLY noises were the champing
Of the animals and the tread of the sentry
on watch, strange, clfsh figure ran ont
of the stockadr and began to dance in
the moonlight girl of twelve or thcren
bouts, with big, sparkling eyes and short,
black curls flying over her pretty brow
4 bearded face was thrust out under Il
wagon cover and grutf but not un-
kindly voice called:
Come in here, you Maverick, want
the lnjuns to git yc!'
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 II log, re-
naming still and still, while he carried
her To the wagon.
"Grtty, amt she, marml' he said as
the child rolled over like a stick of wood.
The lady addressed was n tall, thin
person with wrinklcd face, sharp black
eyes behind spectaclcs, corkscrcw curls,
and habit of wearing little shoulder
CapeS in the hottest weather. She was a
New England school teacher going West
to better herself.
9 Gritty is Western, | presume, Mr.
Chase said the lady, Miss Mary Ann
Reed. "What on earth do you call hel
a Maverick for?' Miss Reed clicked her
needles viciously. She knitted all day
jolting in corner of the wagon, pic
turc of martyrdom
"In my kentry, Texas Saiu Chase
"they calls them stray young cattle that
don't git branded Mavcrick's they don t
b'long to no herd, an them that find,
gifts EN-
"Shc's got folks in Denver, said Miss
Reed
~ dunno, whispered the man, with
an anxious look toward the sleeping
child. "A fcler that met me two day,
ago on the cast bound wagon-train tolt
me her pa and ma he'd died suddenly AN
the children he'd scattered, an hc't
never hccrcd o Janet at all. He
gran'marm he'd KEEP her from baby, an
the old lady dyin', Janet's uncle jcs
shipped her off to Denver where hel
folks was livin'. Don't seem nobody t
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 taxi
her," ~