San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-06
,nnv axe one OWE % the. saodle.

boring By a strong effort he con-
trolled himself, and then asked:
Where's your fatheS, Miss Lois?"
Hes gone to Scrub Station" Lois am,
severed. drawing her bonnet down over
her, eyes that young Hutchins might not
see how flushed her face had grown at
his abrupt arrival.
The ewes of love have distinct keen.
ness all their own, however, and some
thing'in the girls pretty countenance
thrilled him with hope, he had neyel
felt beforeA
Could it be possible that Lois, was
growing to care for him at last!
The thought almost. drove from h.
mind the important mission on which
he had come
There are occasions when love mus
be rudely jostled aside for the perform
.ance of duties that will not endure pu,
ting off. Lee Hutchins felt this to / 3
one of them, and RELOCATING his neare
feelings by the exercise of his strons
will, he said:
when did your father go to Scrph
Station"
Yesterday" Lois replied.
When will he get back?
I'VE don't know exactly. He couldn't
tell us when he left. It's nearly sixty
miles from our place to the station, and
father had great many things to attend
to. We don't often get to town, and ia
Their intends to make this the last trip
until spring. But he will come home
just as soon as he can, probably tomor'
row evening"
Pm very sorry he's gone" remarked
Lee Hutchins, a cloud crossing his face,
as is the case when we are forced to tell
disagreeable or alarming news to one
whom we would gladly shield.
"Did you want to see him on particu-
lar business. Mr.. Hutchins?"
Eyes, or-that is-well, the fact is,
Miss Lois, my news is not pleasant, and
/ don't like to alarm you. but the truth
is the Injuns are coming"
THE InjunsT she repeated
Eyes, the Cheyennes," he answered.
They've broke loose from the territory
and are cutting up Nick generally"
''Are they coming this way?" .
I'm sorry to tell you, Miss Lois, they
are could see the smoke of cabins
they'd set on fire south of US when |
started to give warming to the settlers
up this way. The settlers in our neigh
borhood have gathered at fathers ranch,
which they are turning into a sort of
fort. Silas Jordan is turning his cabin
into blockhouse for the common pro-
lection of the sett lers up here. and l
think, Miss Lois, you and your mother
ought to start there without delay. The
Cheyennes will reach the Arkansas be-
fore night, if not sooner. | don't want
to scare you, but want to see you in
place of surer safety than your own
home affords before the red impS get
here"
You are very kind. Mr.. Hutchins,
to bring us word of the trouble so soon.
If you have time we will ride up to the
shanty and report to mother. She will
decide what is best for u.s."
Lee Hutchins was not prepared to be-
hold the GOODNESS with which Lois Gil
bert met his announcement of the In
her grow pale and show feminine ter
ror. l think, too, he was guilty of
hope that she might faint away on re-
ceiving the news, just to afford him the
coveted opportunity to clasp her inSlis
arms and hold her there, like futter-
ing bird, for few delicious moments.
She did nothing, however. that he ex-
pected her to do, and he was fain to be
content to gallop away by her side up to
the shanty on the bluffs.
Mrs. Gilbert came to the door as the
young pair rode up, and Lee Hutchins
was soon telling her all he knew of the
Cheyenne raids.
Mrs. Gilbert, like her daughter, was
not one to be easily excited and fright
ened, but from Lees account she felt
certain it would be the wisest course
that she and Lois could take to place
themselves in safer quarters.
Her husband had gone to little sta
ton about sixty miles northeast of their
claim and would not return for day
or two. 1t would not be safe to await
his return to the shanty if the Indians
were coming in as large numbers as re-
ported. Had any one but Lee Hutchins
brought the warning, Mrs. Gilbert
would very likely have regarded it as
an idle Indian "scare," such as are not
infrequent on the frontier. But she
knew there was nothing of the alar1nisG
in the ranchmans son, and she listened
to his advice.
AS soon as it was decided that she and
Lois should seek safety at Silas Jordan's
cabin, three miles down the river, they
began preparations to abandon the sod
dwelling.