The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-25

Phineas looked down, and his eyes
grew round with establishment. lie had
seen but few Indians, for he was SOL
dom allowed to go far from home, and
they were always objects of great curl
oslty, never of dread But now he felt
u strange thrill all through him us he
gazed wonderingly at the large, brown
features, gay with paint; the long,
conrse plaits of hair; the feathers; the
leggings, the moccasins, the blankets
OF this one, lying there 80 quietly. He
watched every movement of his father,
breathlessly, as he wrapped him Sc.
curcly and compactly from sight in his
blanket. This done, Asa hid the bea.
ver behind the rock, covering it with
snow. lie gave his powdcr-horn and
gun to Phineas, saying, briefly:
Watch, and make no noise"
Then he lifted his uncanny burden
upon his shoulder and started toward
home. At each step he feared, indeed
expected, to be surrounded by Indians
in anything but Il friendly frame of
mind. Every moment of that silent
march through the forest, with his
father and his fathers awful compan-
ion, his nerves ut the highest tension
OF excitement alert, vigilant, yet feel
ing brave enough with the gun to
meet the whole tribe of revcngcful Pc
quots, was remembered to his diving
day by Phincas Parker. On and on
they went, rs swiftly as possible and
as noisclcssly. At last, after what
seemed to the boy thousand years,
they care within sight of their little
cabin. Then, COR the first time, Asa
spoke TO his little son:
Put down the gun, Phincas," he
said, very softly. "Go tell your mother
to take all the children up the loft
with her and keep them there until I
come. Say no more. Then come back
to me-"
Phincas flew to do the GRAND.
Esther Parker was II brave woman.
Her check grew pale; but she, too had
learned to obey unhesitatingly. She
gathered her six little ones and sent
them up the ladder before her. She
sang to them; she told them wonder
full tales; She kept them amused and
contented but all the while her
thoughts and her heart were outside
with Asa and their boy. What were
they doing? What did those strange,
dull. continuous sounds, apparently be-
meath the house mean? Would they
never cease? Could they come from
the small cellar which had been dug,
at her special request, before their
cabin was bcgunr How little she had
dreamed then that this very cellar was
to furnish grave for one of the
bravest young chiefs,of Hop River val.
ley!
But it was SO. After long, hard
labor on the part of the far-sceing, de-
tcrmined settler, the burial-placc was
safely hidden from sight or sound OF
any of the tribe. 1t remained forever
unknown to them; and the beaver .rap
of Asa Parker was never again mo
Tested.
For days and weeks and even months,
the father and mother and Oldest son
OF this little family kept strict
watch for any signs of revenge on the
part OF possible spectators of the trag-
edy. But time passed on, ,and at length
they became convinced that, if, in
deed, observed at all. it had taught
wholesome fear of the speaking
gun"
One hundred years later, the children
of Phineas' children built n handsome
residence upon the very site of the log
house. Before the foundations were
laid, the cellar was dccpened and en-
larged. In the course of this work, the
spades of the men ratified against some
strange objects. One by one they were
taken out and laid side by side upon
the grass. Bones, and human bonesl A
shu6der crept over the blue-eyed boy
and the darll-haired, dimpied little
Esther who came from their play to
sec them. They turned to their father
with eyes full of wondering questions.
AT first he did not see them He was
recalling the thrilling narrative he had
SO often heard from his grandfather's
own lips. With careful hand he ar
ranged the crumbling remains of the
culprit for burial, and then he told his
children the story of their great-grnnd-
fathers lndian.-Elizabeth Olmis. in
N. Y. Ledger.