Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-24

from the wickiups and gathered him
mp IN her arms. She was his mother
She eyed me suspiciously. and walked
away with her highly demonstrative
burden.
Of course / regretted nv hot Ian
guage and wanted the little be.sgar
back again. 1t was so lonely there on
the desert. The wires walled so heart
hrokenly. while the SUI beat down SO
herceIy in the daytime and the coyotes
yelled so dolelully al night. How he
had crept into my heart, 10 be sure!
1t was several days before We were
on satisfactory terms again. lads
wanted 10 be a white man. He want
ed TO make talk marks" on 'pupper"
with featber-I sometimes used
quill pen. be it remarked-and he
wanted to speak with his finger. Well,
L did manage to teach him a few let
tiers from railroad poster, and he
learned to drawl out 'T-a-d-s" in
droll way. With perseverance that
was really startling, | afterward took
him in an uncertain way through a
page or two of Can you see the fat
ox?" and so on, wherefore his heart
was glad.
IN be wife mans, heap sure" he
declared in his bull-frog voice, after
he had accomplished this wonderful
feat.
Great distress racked Tad's soul on
the fatal day when the wickiups were
taken down and the tribe mounted it's
mustangs to 60 over the hills. The
ApacheS had to search all over the
station to find lads. At last they
hauled him forth from under nv bunk,
screaming like mad. Of no avail were
his screams; of no avail was his cry:
Me yanter stay wild him! Me yanter
be wife mausr
Apache papas are unbending and
Apache mammas are inexorable Away
they whisked Tads, leaving behind him
tenderfoot with a queer feeling in his
throat.
well, the boy has the instincts of a
white man." said, for | was proud of
what | fancied had made of him,
land he'll be sure to be a shining
light among those devilish people of
his. If we had a few more like him to
put among them, the Apache question
would scttle itself, aud we could set
our soldiers TO hoeing corn. ~
Then | took up the restless life of
Il city man, and big aud busy rail-
road Office claimed good share of my
attention for the next ten years. Yes
it was fully that long before | again
set foot upon the desert. Our train
stopped at the old station How the
pepper-tree had grown, to be sure. In
its shade sat a cavalry Sergeant with
half-dozen of his men about him, and
in their midst were three Indian pris-
onerS, who were being taken to the
fort to be shot.
They were ierce-looking fellows.
those three savages. There was one
the youngest. who was perfect
demon, the soldiers said.
killed three women and two babies
down at Mustang Wash last Tuesday,"
said the sergeant to me; Il ust after
one of them had given him breakfast.
too He's Il young one, not more than
IL. [ should say; but he's the worst
red devil ever saw"
Gazing at the boy captive, strange
feeling stole over me. The stolid face
was oddly familiar.
His name? Blessed if | know"
said the sergeant; what do YOU call
yourself, young one?" he asked, Civ.
ing him not too delicate poke with
the toe of his boot.
''Mep Why. my names Tadr'
grunted the boy.
Talks pretty good English for
wild devil who has been over the Mex
lean border so long. doesn't hep" ask
ed the sergeant turning to me.
But | said nothing. -Frank Bailey
Willard IN Arg0naut.