Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-08-05

Is very llkcly nc WdulS US W IIu away
so that he can jump our claims aud
then laugh at us. But we will be too
sharp for him. If the savages actu-
ally come We will run out upon them
with our scythes and they viii fec
away bowling into the woods. Tho
woods" were 100 miles distant
but ., | fear them" cried lnge-
bret 'Let US go. We can como
back tomorrow if all is we'll 1t is
not far to the village"
You are half Yankee already.
with your going to their school . said
her cousin. Il have noticed your
ways. Only last Sunday during all
of the last two hours OF our good
minister's sermon. you were inatten-
tive and sat screwing about on your
seat as though it had pins in 1T
Nothing further WAS said TO the
American. He stood irresolute with
his eye toward the western horizon.
Suddenly cloud OF smoke arose at n
new point in the distant perspective
'Look" he cried.
Ingebret alone raised her eyes,
shuddered little but made no re-
mark
''Of all fools deliver me from n -
fool" he muttered and turned toward
the village five or six miles away.
His late companions watched him
as he cambcred up to the level OF tho
prairie with hasty strides. Here he
turned his head. waved his hand and
broke into swift run. soon disap-
pearing from view with unslacking
pace.
That smoke is caused by settlers
| burning their straw" said the wise
! cousin.
Whom the evening shadows began
| to fall upon the landscape the weary
! lawmakers cease their labors and pro-
ceeded homeward. Ali but little In
gebret whose task it was to follow
the rivers course for half a mile fur
Their away from town and drive up the
cows Only her Creator knew tho
deadly sinking of the heart with
which she set about this usually pleas
ant task. No posies were plucked as
she waded through the long grass; no
BIRDS song caught her ear and caused
her to lolter by the way. But ever in
her ear fingered the echo of the war
whoop which she had heard her
school fellows initiate and the shrill
screams of the little girls when they
'played Iniun."
The cows seemed miles away that
night to the little one and as she
wandered along the tears blinded her
a little. Everything was so still and
motionless about her. as though half
palzied by fear like her own heart.
quite still and cold did the little
heart grow directly when, only sepa-
rated from her by the river she saw
an Indian brave IN all the panoply of
war paint and feathers. evidently
watching her movements
Only little cry escaped her "a she
turned to run but there was a sharp
report as twinge of pain 10 the hip
and Ingebret found herself clutching
at the grass roots aimlessly. But not
yet was her release from life To come.
Quickly camo the knowledge that she
was not fatally hit and she was on her
knees with eyes uplifted. An arrow
whizzed through the grass and stood
up Qulvering not yard in front OF
hor.
If she could only endure 20 run u
little way she thought to where the
weeds were higher she might lead
the savages away from her fathers
house so that they would not find it.
and her kin would be saved! All
child! the Christ thought: Greater
love hath no man than this. that he
; would die for his friend
Springing to her feet she bounded
away like deer though every step
was agony and every blade of grass
was dyed with her blood us she sped
over it. But her race was short and
! the end came speedily. for a warrior
rose suddenly before her. knife in
hand. and with one swift piercing
, blow cut heart and lungs in twain,
and she fell dead Mt his feet
, 1t was "a strange freak of the unac.
countable savage nature that he did
not take her scalp but merely cut o.
her long plait OF hair and after car.
rying it few rods cast it away in an
other freak just as unaccountable
But when the squaws came along later
they diabolically mGtilated the littlC
!, lump of cold clay that had held {
golden heart and left it loathly
thing for the relief party TO bury tn,
, day after.
And the rest of the little party o
, settlers?
Short shrift had they on their de
parture for another world. As tn,
tired mother hurried through her pre-
, paration of the evening meal the SUI
I sank below the level earth. and tn,
, columns OF smoke that had been a
t clouds by day doomed up luridly a
pillars OF fire in the darkness. They
I could hear the rumble OF heavy wag
: ons driven at breakneck speed ove
: the w.etched road that by the 500
house half mile distant and the
. shouting of tho drivers rs they urget
= Their faded teams. Once the mother
{ thought she heard rifle shot and
: strained her eyes trying to see Inge-
: bret returning through the darkness
with her dumb charges. At last tho
frugal meal was on the board and all
( prepared to eat with the mother:
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