Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-09-09
BROTHERS SACRIFICE,
STORY OF THE GREAT PLAINS
FORTY YEARS AGO.
BrOtherly Love and the Tragedy Which
Came of It-Stampede of Cattle ut
Night--rhe Undisclosed Sc
cret of Note.

OF self sacrificing love which have
come under my observation. said an
old Forty miner recently none has
left deeper impression on me than
one which | witnessed on the upper
trail across the plains about forty
years ago.
I'VE were taking party out to
California and there was small
herd of cattle along-probably hun
dred head or more-that gave us some
uneasiness. You see there were no
cattle driven then like those that
afterward came along and so we had
no experienced cow boys. The herd
we had was as quiet as any could be
expected to be. but still it was herd
OF cattle. and cattle are the most timid
creatures on earth. They are par
ticularly afraid OF Lightning and thun-
der.
This herd was in charge of two
brothers named Wilkerson | think.
! At any rate the older one was Tom
and the younger one was called Willie
by his brother. Willie was a delicate.
looking fellow for such rough work
but it was just suited for Tom
Willie would have preferred another
.oh perhaps, but circumstances had
no doubt driven them to tn s and the
two preferred TO be together; so Tom
did Willie's work as far as he was
able, and as far as Willie would let
1 him.
Every day some incident would
arise where n Tom would show his
affection for his younger and more
delicate brother relieving IN of
this and helping in that frequently
/ against Willies protest but also iro-
quently before Willie had chance to
object. When Willie would object
/ Tom would laugh in his hearty way
and tell him he would get chance to
! pay him back some other time. Oc-
casionally Willie in his quiet way
would try to pay Tom back in his own
coin by getting ahead OF him and
completing some piece OF work for
him, but Tom always seemed to take
it to heart so that these latter in
stances were rare.
"Une evening we went into camp
/ CoA ~ III ~ SbOA Ia 90 NOAiluE up.
The cattle were all quoted down and
seemed settled for the night 1t was
Whites night to watch them. and he
was on guard. The clouds grew very
black and heavy peals OF thunder in
dicated quite a storm. AS soon as
the lightning began to play around
us the cattle began 10 show upeasi-
ness and saw that Tom was grow
ing apprehensive. ] watched him
and presently he went around to
where Willle's horse was tied, and
stayed there several minutes
Then he came back and stood by
his brother Presently n keen fash
OF lightning was followed by fright
ened snorts from dozen or more
cattle as thoy sprang TO their feet
During the distant rumblings OF
thunder they stood there trembling in
their uncomfortable terror We
could see them in the intervals OF the
( lightning flashes. huddled together
wild-eye1 and quivering. All at once
a vivid fash and dea'ening clap OF
thunder came almost at the same in.
stanL and with one universal below
OF fear the herd was away into the
night and we knew they would be
fifty miles away before morning unless
checked.
Tom grasped Willie in his arms
and held him for q moment as he
would child and then kissed him as
he sprang to his horse. lie was on
his animal and of on the prairie be.
fore Willie recovered himself Spring
ing to his own horse to mount him.
I Willie found that some one had taken
of the saddle and bride and hidden
them. Selling the nearest no could
find he put them on, and then found
that his horse was tied with one OF
those knots OF Tom that Satan him.
self could not unite. He burst into
tears as he drew his knife and cut the
halter saying quietly 10 himself:
'Oh, why wouldn't you let me share
your danger Tom?'
He was soon dying away into the
darkness aud when morn ng came
we could see nothing of either tue
cattle or drivers. A couple o. Us
mounted and struck out TO look for
them. but was uneasy. You see the
country we were in was generally
level but quite rough in places.
Every half mile or less there were
gullies and ravines. knew that as
dark as it was it was only too likely
even IL Tom succeeded in getting
ahead OF the cattle, that while trying
to turn them both horse and rider
would go down and be trampled to
death by those frightened animals
that never stop ut anything in their
mad blind rush.
'On we went 70" miles, but could rot
see a sign of them. though all the
prairie seemed to be visible rs far as
the eye could reach. Going over a
little rise however we discovered
our mistake. There, Just ahead OF
us. was one OF those tre3cherous little
ravines and b. its side Craze
Willie's horse while its rider was
lying prone on the ground by the
side of an indlstinguishable object.
1t was just as | had feared. When
we got them back TO camp we carried
what remained of (Tom in blanket,
we founG Willie's saddle and bride