The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-03-12

cal III, among the rocks in protected
/. rart Of the eak. My loneliness then
began i'll earnest. Such days and nights
As put in. Ny only diversion was
! reading and taking ob eryat!ons. Every
| day at the customary hour | would try
+; the telegraph instrument, hoping that
communication might possibly have
been established. Every dav the same
appointment. My great fear was that
=! should lose my reason.
| One night ahont three weeks after
! iiarrv's death | wa, wakened up by
! what sounded like the distant howl.ng
Of some wild animals. For 4 moment
or two the sound was lest. Then It re-
tnrned louder than ever. The next
| minute l remembered one of the men
IN the service telling me, when lie heard
vas going to Pike, Peak, to look ont
for the coyote. Coyotes are somewhat
smaller than the ordinary wolf, and are
called by many people barking wolves,
owing to the peculiar nature Of their
| cries. | had never heard them before
Ny opinion was that The heenno ed
brntes had scented Harry's body and
had come to devour it. Instead Of stop
ping at the place where Harry was bur-
led. they made bee line for the cabin.
\ series Of most diaboiical wells an
nonnced their arrival. Then | heard
something thnmp, thump against the
cabin door. The door was strong oak
one and felt confident would resist any
effort they could make. However, to
make 1t doubly secure. pushed two
great heavy Government chests against
it. Suddenly their howls ceased.
BreathIessiy l awaited developments.
SO long did the silence continue that
began to think they had taken their tie
partnre. But | was mistaken. soon
heard them upon the roof. Before [
had time to recover from my astonish-
ment ut this change in their tactics.
heard one of the rocks that held down
the roof roll off to the ground. Terror
stricken, / jumped to my feet, believing
that nothing nov would keep them ont.
If they could roll off one Of those rocks
the boards of the roof would be nothing
to them. picked up gun that hung
upon the wall and raised it toward the
roof. Soon | saw one of tie boards be-
gin to move; but II little at first, then
more aud more uutil the star
light was plainly visible through the
crack. Then it WAS suddenly wrenched
from its place, and a dark object ap-
feared in the aperture. | flied. The
same moment | was dashed violently to
the floor by something heavy coming
from he direction of the roof. The
next thing I remembered was finding
myself lying on the bed To my sur
prise, | saw TIE cabin door was open
and the sunlight streaming in. | started
to get up but fell back exhausted.
Wondering what could be the matter, ]
made another attempt. AS did so my
heart almost stood still at the sight of a
man standing in the doorway Could |
lie dreaming? rubbed m eyes trem-
hsingIy with my hands. The man. ap-
pareutiv djvinins my thoughts. said
! Don't be afearel; it hain't no ghost,
but it might have been if You'd shot me
that night as You tried to.
Shot you?" l gasped.
Yes. Shot me, repeated the man,
and if hadn't thrown you to the floor
when / did you'd shot me the second
time"
"Bnt the coyotes?' asked
"Coyotes?" created the man in
amazement. What do yoa mean?"
Il told him my story. He laughed
heartily.
1t warn't no coyotes or nuthin' as
you heard. 1t war me and the other
fellows a-holierin' You see, we busted
both our lamps and We were a-hollerin
for you to make some light SO we con d
see whar the cabin war You see, YOU
war clean out os your head with the fe
Yer and you imagined ali them thing.
He then told ne l had been living il
with fever ever since that .ight. some
three weeks in ALL and that | had beer
delirious the whole time While Ii.
was still talking two other men cam.
into the cabin.
That's nice way to be a-treatin' peo
pie as is sent to your rescue, spoke III
one of them. And after bein
nearly frozen to death on the way,
added the other one,
My rescue? What dc YOU mean? 2"
inquired not Titled puzzled
Amt your name Harry?" asked the
first speaker.
No." ! said, 1T isn't"
/ They al! looked at one anothel
strangely. Then the same man said:
Why. on the 18th day of February :
=. telegram came from man up here a
sayin that 1.-THE man as war a-stayin
with him had got lost, and he Iissei
war a-dyiE.
February D." | thought. 1T was
: the day Harry died" In moment / saw
through it ali. Harry's business st the
telegraph instrument that morning wa:
explained. Getting awake while / wa:
taking away the wood from the door
and not seeing me- had thought in hi,
delirium | was lost; hence his message
to Colorado Springs. 1t is still mat
ter of wonder to the people ont there
;; how the re:cning rarty ever got up the
mountain. 1t was feat never at
tempted much less accomplished a
that season of the year
Some time afterward ! met the mar
? who had told me about the coyotes. He
laughed heartily when related my ex
rerience. He said that what he mean
ly coyotes were the feas that fairl,
swarmed up there at certain seasons o
the year. They were so big and bit 81
: hard that the men in the service nick
, named them Coyotes"
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prsv