News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-07-10


gifts the better O. us you git on that err
leetle gray pony, Nance, thor an takt
Rose an set out fer them low hill.
'cross thar"
"Nance likes me; feed her my
bread"
"All of us like We, We Maverick, ye'rt
so clipper allus," Chase said, admiring
ly. 1.-THE Injuns sha'n't git ye eff We
kin help it.
That day young Wife was sick, and
all the long hours Janet tended the
wailing baby its mother was too i'll to
care for. She looked back at the line
of wagons and thought of baby Rose,
that she loved best of all.
'sThose good little Pixies will see to
her" she thought, hopefully. But the
two little Pixies wero weary that day
they lay in strange stupor, those pa
! thetic guardians 70 one noted
them. Locked in sAs. others ARG
they lay unheedsed, ,9s-zsone was drift
ing away beyond earthly aid.
At the night halt Janet, freed from
her charge, ran for Rose Then the news
flew from wagon to wagon. The child
was gone, and no one had seen her all
day. Miss Reed remembered seeing
her running among the sunfiowers at
breakfast time.
''Ain't nobody going for herr" cried
Janet, in agony. She ran to each
wagon. to be met with the same an
swer, 1T cannot be done"
''You see, Janet, said Chase, a sob
in his voice, there's fifty women an
children here an only thirty men to
guard 'em; there may be hundreds of
Iniuns out there We daren't leave
camp or they'll know it, an we've
searched all the plains with a glass an
there's no sign of her"
''But ter-morrer'- choked Janet.
''She'll not be a-wanderin', missy
don't ask me to tell We, but there's In
juns an perarie wolves.
1--WE must only tell her father she
died-never the whole truth, " said Miss
Reed, coming to the wagon for her
rubbers, which she wore on the driest
nights.
Chase walked away and sat down by
the fire. ''No, don't talk no more,
Janet" as the child went to him, sit
aren't no use. I'm the only old Injun
fighter in camp I've got ter take the
lead"
Janet went quietly to her wagon
By the light of fiickering candle she
,or;p+oI IN n ,,o,,D1 ob;I1;eI, I,o-I ~,
a bit of paper, these few words:
Mr.. Chase, am gon to find Rose an take
Nance. amt no good in f1ghtin' Injuns, an
heard you my folks was dead. Don't you
come for me cause they need you. They don't
me that is only Maverick. JANET
She pinned this note to his blanket,
then went softly out in the starlight to
the corner where Nance stood. Fear
lessly she blanketed the animal, fas-
tened the surcingle, then led her quietly
out to an open space between two
wagons.
She looked back az the dying camp
fires, the group of IN sleeping in the
fight OF cirern, their< Pas by their Sides,
the siIhouettes ofFetV women against
the wagon curtains hiss Reeds prim
and queer with the f1nny curls. How
safe it was here, how lonely and dread
full outsidel She climbed on the pony
and turned her head toward the east;
the animal, thinking. of her home,
struck into a run The sentinel saw
Nance disappear in the darkness, but
did not note the little rider.
THAT onery gray pony as amt been
worked all the way hev got loose an
gone" he said to the crowd of excited
men who ran out at the noise
Every unusual rattling of gravel un-
der Nance's hoofs quickened the beat
ing of Janets heart; every dark object
was to her beast of prey; every sound
the coming of the red men. She thought
of the old time stories of Indian war
fare and cruelty her grandmother had
told her; of the horrors of the plains
the men spoke of by the camp fires.
''But I'm the Only one in all that
train as hasn't anybody to care for me, "
she said, bravely. 'iThere was only me
to be spared"
When the moon rose it showed no
living object on the great plains. The
camp was far out of vision, and not
even a spark from it's fires glimmered
on the still air. Absolute quiet and
solitude; the world asleep.
At the top of little rise in the road
Janet halted to rest her tired horse,
and once more to look around the
lonely land Tile quivering of Nance
startled her, and peering ahead Janet
saw a thrilling sight she never after
ward forgot.
There in the moonlit road stood baby
Rose, her yellow curls disheveled, her
face tear stained and dirty, her gown
torn. her little feet bare and bleeding
Size still clung to her flowers that had
led her astray.
Near the child lean wolf sat on his
launches, regarding her with a pro-
found and melancholy stare.
At the sight of the pony the wolf
gave a weird howlz t-Tfr-ned and trotted
swiftly acrc=aanGssiii1Atns The child
with wild cry ran forward.
Il knew you'd tum, jamie. | losted
all day an hung'y, an the doggis soomed
an singed. had doggie once, Bounce,
where mamma was. Oh, l want my
mammal
Janet held her close, kissed her tears
away and then she gave her the food
she had brought-her own supper.
| She lifted her to the pony's back, led
Nance to some low hills that might
u;va them shelter and there waited
patiently for daylight.
II never knew nights was so long
before!" sighed Janet, holding Rose in
her tired little arms. Nance is laid
down an asleep. Only me awake, an
! I must keep watch for wolves an In
iuns. Now the moons goin', too, an
it gets lonesomer. I'll say all the
hymns | know to keep me awake an
brave"
Try as she would her head would
droop the words grow confused and
weary. As the moon sank and the
shilI increased, the shivering child
covered Rose with her own skirt, and
then to keep warm and awake walked
1p and down beside her.
'What was it, that low, trampling
sound, coming louder and nearer SO
tast2 Janet caught up Rose and ran
back to the hill; the horse followed,
trembling in every limb. Just beyond
the hill in furious gallop came a mass
of horses, and dimly amid the fog OF
dust about them Janet saw the forms
=