The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-12-24

Jack laughed.
Say, Ben," he called. isis wants
visitors SO badly. she even wishes a
Co,nanche would CALI
II do" persisted Lillian. 81 wish a
whole tribe would Gomez
Harry stormed into the sitting-room.
IN search of his heavy leather gloves.
Where are you going, Harry?''
asked Lillian, eagerly.
"Out on business, he answered.
"Are you ready, Jack?''
"Are you all going off?'' cried Lillian,
in alarm, lest she should lose even the
doubtful pleasure Of her brothers
company.
:We're going on the ponies, to look
up some stray cattle for Uncle Abner. "
But mamma said you would take
me for drive"
Cant this morning-too busyw
Were all to go this evening, YOU
KNOW" comforted Jamie.
This evening! What am 1 to do
alone all day?'
A flood of tears again threatened.
"Oh, entertain your callers!' said
Harry, with scant sympathy.
| Lillian watched the four bows on their
ponies go down the poplar-lined lane
to the highway, and then, too desperate
for reading or study, or even helping
her mother, she flung herself on a sofa
and hid her face.
| The day was dazzling one. The
rolling prairie on every side looked
like white ocean, with great. sween-
ing pillows of snow as far as eve could
see.
The widely separated farmhouses,
with their windbreaks of Lombardv
poplars and interspersing clusters of
evergreens, looked like ships on this
endless, shining, cold sea.
One needed happy heart and busy
hands not to be affected by the vast
ness and isolation.
! Neither of these did Lillian have, and
1t took her nearly the entire forenoon
to get through her bitter struggle with
self
| When she finally reused herself she
found her mother had put the rooms to
rights, and besides her own work. had
done all the little tasks Lillian had been
used to assume.
! This made her remorseful She got
her books and began to study. But
somehow the brilliant sunshine kept
drawing her to the window to look out.
The sky was of an intense blue that
was almost purple. The blue laws
! were fitting and calling. A few stray
crows lowered over distant corn
stubble-these were all the signs of
| life she saw
| She stood tapping tune on the win
dow panes. Presently she noticed, on
the far crest of one of the snow bill
lows some moving black figures
| Ihey were mere specks against the
intense blue beyond, but they fixed her
attention. Almost as soon as she saw
them, however, they disappeared in an
intervening valley.
| ''That is on the Hardin road" she
said, trying to fix the direction. 1T
cant be the boys, for Uncle Abner's
road is to the SOUTH
| Almost Immediately her curiosity was
stimulated again by the temperance
OF the figures on the next rise. She
could not distinguish mum bers but she
felt certain it was horsemen.
! Again they vanished from the crest
into the lower lying space between the
land pillows And so she watched
them until they were near enough for
her to see it was indeed horsemen.
Mother" she called, 'come here!
There's somebody coming along the
Hardin road
Her mother came.
"Who can it be?''
Zone, two, three, four. five, six,
seven." counted Lillian. There are
seven of them! Perhaps they will turn
at the Climbing Hill corners. They
can't be coming here
Get the glass; said Mrs. Wyman.
''See if we can make them ont before
! they strike the valley"
Lillian ran after the glass. She ad-
justed it and raised it to her eyes She
had only. one glimpse, however, before
the descending riders were az lin hid
den by an intervening ridge.
''They ride SO wildly. mother!" she
said, in q kind of breathless wonder.
''They must be skirting that hill
,, along the creek" said Mrs. Wyman.
well see in a minute if they come up
from the Corners -
1t seemed long time before they
came again in sight. Lillian had Just
said: They've turned on the Climbing
Hill road, when they burst into full
view on q not distant summit and
halted.
Lillian could distinctly see them
pointing, as if discussing the way to
take. Then, of one accord, they put
spurs to their ponies and came wildly
dashing down the slope.
Lillian turned deadly pale.
''Mother!' she gasped, ''they are In
dians!''
Mrs. Wyman grew pale also. During
her short life in the west she had seen
only one or two isolated Indians, and
those always at railway stations
dull, commonplace creatures enough,
and with nothing suggestive of the
warrior about them.
where is your father?" she asked,
with something of q tremor in her
voice.
"Probably over at the sheep sheds
faltered Lillian. Hes always there
near noon. wish-I wish the boys
were here"
They'll be coming directly. Look
again, now, Lillian They are approach
ing very fast
Indeed, the Indians were coming on
fast. They were now in plain sight on
the long incline and were riding at q
full gallop, gesticulating and pressing
forward with what looked to Lillian
like savage fierceness.
''They will 60 by, no doubt" said
Mrs. Wyman, her native courage re-
asserting itself. ''They are probably
out in search of lost ponies or"
"Look. mother! See! They asS not