Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-12-11


She must make an attempt to gain
/ the river at all hazards.
Darling from tee to tree, Alice
/ started in the direction of the river,
/ keeping along the margin of the woods.
About a hundred yards before her
I was n deep, rocky gully leading to the
river If she could only reach this
without being seen by the Indians, she
might hope to escape.
| But to reach the gully it was
I necessary for her to cross q small
{ clearing" where the logs used in the
! construction of the cabin had been Sc
I cured. While crossing the clearing"
I she would be exposed to the view of
any savages who might have their eyes
4 directed that way.
The rocky gully opened the only way
1 of escape. Every moment was pre-
/ cious.
! Hoping the Indians might be too
! greatly diverted by the burning cabin
! and rifing its contents to observe her,
Alice ran with all her speed toward
the hollow.
She had just reached the brow of the
] gully, when a fendish yell from the
] WOOu NilC OASCOFGIl VI iCi
/ fight
She darted one swift glance over her
/ shoulder and counted six ugly warriors
dash out of the woods in pursuit, then
! she sped, like hunted fawn, down the
rocky hollow.
Escape now seemed hopeless But
/ Alice Rogers was brave girl, and de-
/ termined not to give up before she was
| forced to do so.
Her face was white with wild appre-
| hension, and her heart beat fercely,
/ but she ran on, the yells of the red
skins ringing hideously in her ears.
! Her presence of mind did not once
/ desert her, and her excitement only
/ served to render her speed more rapid
| Great rocks obstructed her path here
and there, but she surmounted them
all and gained the river well ahead OF
! her pursuers.
She did not hesitate long as to her
method of escape. Indeed, the Indians
gave her little time for contemplation.
/ Fastened to sapllng on the shore
was an old log dugout which Mr.. Rogs
ers had used for a boat.
The dugout was deep and wide, hav-
/ ing been followed out of large log.
1t was the work of a second for Alica
to unite the rope from the sapling and
spring into the dugout
The river was high, and as the girl
sank exhausted to the bottom of the
strange craft a strong current caught
it, carrying it from shore with a dizzy
swiftness.
When the Indians came rushing
down the river bank their surprise was
most overwhelming. The girl they
had thought to capture SO easily was
nowhere in sight.
Exclamations of wonder and disap-
pointment broke from the red kins,
and they began hunting among the
bushes in hopes of finding their victim
there.
The floating log down the river a few
rods did not suggest to them the least
hint of Alice's place of concealment
and refuge
The dugout was borne rapidly along
on the swift current At FIRST Alice
could hear the Indians voices distinct
ly as they made thorough search for
her along the river bank, and she
feared they would follow on down the
stream and discover her at last.
But gradually. the savage tones be-
came more indistinct, and finally in
audible, and she knew they had turned
another way.
How long she drifted on the current
of the river she did not know She
was afraid to raise her head to look
about her lest some savage lurking
She lay in the bottom of the dugout
with the hot sun pouring down upon
her in pitiless power. She was a prey
to torturing thoughts.
She thought OF the destruction of
the T pioneer home, where they had all
worked so hard; then she wondered
fher parents were alive, and tried to
pray that they might be spared. Last,
she thought of the settlers beyond
them, and her mind drew a horrible
picture of an attack in which she saw
Bruce Howelrs manly form fall under
the blow of tomahawk.
The hideous imagination stupefied
her and she drifted on, not realizing
any danger to herself.
Suddenly great log, sweeping down
the river, flung itself with tremendous
force against the dugout, and before
Alice could comprehend her peril, she
was struggling in the water.
| At last she managed to grasp the
edge of the dugout and cling wildly to
1t. while trying to draw herself up.
But her heavy skirts dragged her
back, and the turbulent water gurgled
about her as if seeking to draw her
forcibly from her frail hold
Hold on, Aicer'
! 1t was Bruce Howelfs voice that
called clearly to her from the wooded
shore.
Could she cling there till he reached
her?
She felt strangely weak, but the wa
ter kept her from losing consciousness.
just as she felt her hands slipping
away from the edge of the dugout.
Bruce's strong arms caught her and
bore ner carefully to land.
AS she sat, wet and exhausted, on
the woody bluff where Bruce had
| placed her, he said:
Thank God, Alicel l was in time to
save YOU"
"How did you hap pen to be here,
| Bruce?" she asked.
providence must have guided me
this way" he returned. News of
Black Hawks raids has just reached
/ the settlement, and | was hurrying to
your fathers cabin to warn you when
my attention happened to be drawn
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