The National tribune., 1893-02-23
ronimo is away down in Florida under guard

|
refraiued from drawing it. Here, right on the
main stage-road, only dozen miles from town,
they were surrounded by band of grinning,
wild looking Apaches who had evidently seen
the Professor and his companion from afar, and
who made 10 attempt TO conceal their satisfac'
ton over what they considered a huge joke
! especiallv when Miss Hudson. after one shrek,
tainted and fell into the arms of the Professor.
The Professor, after the first moment Of sur
prise, comprehenGed the situation. The In
dams several of whom he recognized, having
often seen them in town. had secured small
cask of mescal, and were drinking it behind
the rocks when Miss Hudson and the Pro-
just enough 10 make them feel humorous ana
| friskv; hence their little Joke"
However much the Professor failed to appre-
ciate their humor, he considered it best-as
indeed it was-to take it in good part. Here,
you fat rascal" he said, laughingly in Spanish,
to one of the Indians, as having dismounted
| snd lifted Miss Hudson from the saddle, he
| knelt with her head against his shoulder,
take this hat and go and get me some water,
| and hurry up, too! Look here" he went on,
TO another Indian called "Popinjay" by the
whites, did You put up this job, You old vii
| lain? If you did, I'll make you eat hay for
it," Whereat the Indians all laughed, delighted
to find white man who could appreciate a
joke.
| Then the Indian who had gone for wator
returned with about cupfu of it in the Pro-
! fessors hat, through which the remainder had
! leaked in the long journey up from the SPRING
where it was obtained. This the Professor
iudiciorsly applied with results satisfactory in
| the extreme Miss Hudson opened her eyes,
wonderingly, shuddered. glanced around, and
Seeing the ferocious, grinning faces OF their
| supposed captors gave another little shrek and
threw her arm about the Professors neck,
clinging 20 him. The Professor motioned the
| red rGscals away.
There there!" he said. soothingly, to Miss
Hudson. as he patted her gently on the shout
/ der. ITS all right; they won't harm us-not
q bit" Bat he didn't make noticeable efforts
TO unclasp her arms, and they remained where
! they were for some little time, until Miss Hud-
son, recovering her faculties and realizing her
position. removed them rather hastily, and.
aided by tie Professor, rose 10 her feet.
The Indians had retired 10 their beloved
mescal, and now sat stoically watching the
couple in the road
do you think you can mount now?" asked
the Professor of his charge, who was standing
rather weakly by the side of q rock. and still
looking bit dazed.
why. are they going to let rs go?" gasped
| Miss Hudson.
lymph! I reckon they'd better!" an
swered her escort. But are you able to ride.
do you Think"
ooh, yes. Do let's ge. away as soon as we
can, pleased"
Presently they were of, the Professor wav.
ing smiling "Adios :" 10 the group of red
skins around the cask, but muttering between
| his teeth:
"Confound em! I'd like to hang the whole
! lot It's lucky they hadn't drank any more,
| Or
His silence finished the sentence but Miss
! Hudson did not answer, for she was crying
The Professor felt fool. He had gotten out
of the way-if. indeed, he had ever been in it,
which is doubtful-of consoling weeping wo.
men, and to see Miss Hudson giving way to
! tears was almost too much for him. He didn't
| know what to do so he didn't do anything ex-
| cept to say "There, don't cry-don't cry"
And presently the girl stopped, for it il diff
cult to cry comfortably when the horse one is
riding is pounding along at almost racing
speed.
A little farther on they Stacked up, st the
Professors suggestion, and he explained how it
had happened that the Apaches did not murder
them. The explanation seemed to relieve Miss
| Hudson. but she did not entirely recover from
/ her fright until they reached the &C C." Here
she had another brief cry in her brothers arms,
| and disappeared; and when she reappeared,
dressed for supper, the Professor could hardly
realize that she was the same girl the Apaches
had captured that afternoon. Odd, isn't il,
how quickly women can remove traces of tears
and the like7
There was a jolly evening. It lasted until
midnight, but it seemed nevertheless, to the
| Professor especially, all too short. The ad-
venture of the afternoon was discussed in all
| its phases, and much laughed over although
| Hudson and the Professor both knew that it
| ight have turned out much worse.
| One reads nothing about Indian troubles and
| imagines the reds behaving themselves.
| They are-ostensibly. But it is an amusement
frequently INDUCED in by peaceful" Indians
to start ont secretly at night, small band of
them together, make flying foray, and strike
point 30 or 100 miles distant the next morn
! ing. They kill cattle, run off horses, fire and
| plumber buildings, maybe murder several peo-
pie and return to their reservation before their
! absence is discovered; and, of course, they cam
not be identified. Your Indian is no fool. He
can be at peace" with his white brethren,
draw rations and blankets from our indulgent
Uncle Sam, and still have as much fun "a
| though he had never made friends with the
paleface at all.
So, after this incident, Dick Hudson re-
stricted his sisters riding to occasions when an
escort could be provided, and, oddly enough.
the Professor often happened TO be around at
just the right time, 80 the fair visitor did not
! su fer for lack of her favorite exercise.
The days and weeks fairly few past and II
seemed but very short time when Miss Hud-
son was obliged to return home. She told the
| Professor of her intention to leave in o couple
! OF days as they sat one afternoon on the broad,
| cool piazza at the :" c &" ranch. The Professor
was lying laziy in one of the hammocks with
some difficulty flor it was drowsy day. keep
| ing up his end of rather desultory converse
/ tiOn, but when his companion announced, rather
abruptly, her intended departure he was wide
awake and sitting up in an instant. He could
| hardly realize that she had been there 30 long /;
| he tried to make himself understand how he
was going to get along without her-and failed.
| What SO soonf shall miss you-I shall
miss you very, very much. D.
Then he went over and knelt by Miss Hud-
| sons hammock and tried to tell her how much
he should miss her. And he told her q great
deal more besides. SO that it came to pass that
at supper Miss Hudson took much pains to con-
cesl her left hand, on which was . cherished
ring the Professor had always worn on his
watch chain. There also more less
blushing on the part of both, and neither ate
much supper. As they left the dining room,
Dick Hudson, who had eyes that saw, placed
hand on the head of each and said, /" Bless
you, my children" in a sepulchrally solemn
tone, whereat the Professor acted foolish and
Miss Hudson fed TO her room for a time.
Three days later the Professor was left alone
and desolate. That is, he was not exactly alone.
There were the boys of the Circle Ellen" out
fit, and Dick; these together had been all-suf-
1cient once. But now-well, the Professor
could only find consolation in Dicks society,
and there was very little in that
OF course there were letters They came and
went two times a week, at least-sometimes
oftener-and they were invariably of the kind