Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-21

| rest, or, attracted perhaps ny INC PlCSPCIt vi
securing better land, would settle alone, fal
| from any white neighbOrs.
Ten or twelve miles from the Illinois river, on
| the banks of one of the tributaries OF That
| stream, a family from Virginia by the name OF
| Fleming had settled on claim near rot
| tawatomle village called by the INDIANS
| Wappe, but known to the white settlers as In
| diantown.
The village was composed of about 300 lodges
| or wigwams, and at that season OF the year
| when the braves were not away on hunting ex-
| petition, had over 1900 inhabitants:
| No other white family lived near the Flemlngs
within eight miles. but as the Pottawato mics
were friendly 10 the whites, the Flemings felt no
| anxiety for their safety, and took no precautlon
to insure it other than 10 bolt securely at nlgnt
| the door and windows of the rude log cabin IN
| W hich they lived, and to keep two or three
| good rifles hanging on the walls, loaded, ready
| for use.
| and his young wife.
Mrs. Fleming had been handsome. dashing
gnl, the daughter of a wealthy Virginia gentle.
! man, hui, although little used to hardship of
| any kind before marriage, had developed. RS
| the wife Of pioneer all the latent courage and
| daring that hers by lnherltance; TRAITS
that had distinguished for generations one Of
| the proudest families of the "Old Dominion
| She had been a skillful horsewoman in her
| girlhood, and under her husbands training she
| had learned to row boat load and shoot a
rifle with as much skill and daring as he.
Autuckee. a young chief OF the P9ttawato-
mics, had often expressed great admiration
for her skill as horsewoman. and had even on
one occasion offered Mr.. Fleming bale of val
Il
girl who would be his "squaw.'
II was a warm, pleasant June afternoon.
Mrs. Fleming was spinning at the big wheel
the wooden yarn that later she would weave into
wooden cloth for winter wear, for like other wo-
men of that period she carded and spun the
wool, wove the cloth. and made the gar nents
that they wore. The cabin like those of the
other settlers OF that day-built of logs, the
spaces Between the logs filled with mud ''chinE-
ing, - or ''daub ing.' At one end of the cabin,
which contained but room, was the fire.
place, occupying nearly all Of one end OF the
room. An iron crane on which kettle. and
iron and tea-kettle could be hung, swung from
one side of the rude chimney Of rough, IN
dressed stones. Over the fireplace rough
wooden shelf was placed against the logs, and
on this an old wooden clock licked loudly and
monotonously.
The puncheon floor was bare, but an attempt
had been made at adornment by lacking to the
rough logs highly colored picture OF wash
ington Crossing the Delaware and page of
an illustrated newspaper, Brother Jona-
than.''
As Mrs. Fleming spun she sang, or hummed
an old song, entitled 1.-THE Rose Tree:'
"a rose tree in full bearing
Had sweet flowers SO fair to see;
One rose beyond comparing,
For beauty had attracted me-
step came hurriedly along the path that LED
to the woods, and Mr.. Fleming called out in an
excited tone:
''AIeck Boyd is down by the ford. He has
found the den of wolves that have been stealing
sheep. I've come for the other rifle, for
we re going to clear out the whole pack, ii pos
He took down the gun from the wall, exam
med the lock and started off at quick run to-
ward the bottom TRAIL as it was called,
path that led through the woods.
Outside all the air fragrant with wild
flowers that grew in great profuslon in the open,
woodland places. Inside the whlrr OF the spindle
as the big wheel made its swift rounds, the tick
ing of the clock and tones of the singer blended
toge her in adrowsy hum.
81 DECLARE said Mrs. Fleming to herself,
''if it isn't after o'clock. 1 must go to the
spring for water SO as to have supper ready
when George returns
She took pail and started down the path that
led through the wood to the bottom TRAIL
path that wound through the timber land that
followed the course of the creek.
AS she ran lightly down the path that zigzag
ged along the side of a small hillock she thought
she heard a sound and glanced fearfully over
her shoulder, but no one was in sight. Then 1t
flashed across her mind that she ought not to
venture out, even short distance, without her
rife. Simultaneously came the thought that
her husband had taken the gun and that she was
wholly unprotected. There had been vague
rumors, too, that the Sacs and Foxes, tribe
about sixty miles distant, were about to wage a
war of EXTERN nation against the white settlers
and had already taken the warpath. She peered
cautiously around but did not slacken her pace,
which she had increased almost to a run. IN
the semi twilight of the thick woods the
light penetrated here and there in long, arrowy
lines of yellowy light. The Growing OF prairie
chickens in the distance could be plainly heard,
and now and then the ''squawk" OF wild tur-
key in the bottoms.
She dipped her pail in the spring and turned,
with swift, cautious footsteps, to retrace her
was, when a sound OF voices reached her, and
crouching in the bushes, strainlng her hearing
to catch the fsiutest sound, she heard the deep
cultural tones of the Indian language, and soon
saw, through the opening between two large
cottonwood trees, two Indians dart forward and
throw themselves fat on the ground From the
head dress they wore and the color of the paint
their faces she recognized them as belonging
to the Sacs and Foxes.