Arizona silver belt., 1894-04-21
A HEROINE.

l A AAAIAlOAAN Ls
 When Floyd Gardner and his wife de-
 cided to leave home for few days, for
 the purpose of making some necessary ! purchases, they did it with many mis- | givings. Little Crow and his band had
 been committing some recent depreda- uons several miles away, but had been followed by two regiments of govern ! ment troops and driven over the Dakota ! border. There was really no cause for
 alarm, they said, but a neighbor had
 kindly offered to send hIs colored woman
 servant, lately brought from Kentucky,
 10 look after household matters aud stay
 with the children. and Mir. Gardner told
 his wife that they could not leave the house ID better care. The family con
 sisted of Katherine, a girl of IA; Harvey, aged 2, and Bruce, the baby. years old.
 With many injunctions as to the care
 of the colt in the stable, to look out for
 prairie fires and to keep the children
 from straying too far away on the prai-
 rie. Mrs. Gardner departed. feeling that
 she was very unreasonable to entertain
 for a moment the vague fear that filled
 her mind and made her pause with her
 foot on the wagon step, uncertain wheth- CT even at this last minute it would not
 be better to abandon the journey.
 AT lact, however, they were of, and once out of sight of the house sho felt
 her mlssiyings grow weaker.
 A few hours after they went away strange sultriness was apparent in tie atmosphere.
 What makes the light 90 queer, sis. terF' asked Harvey, standing in the open door.
 Katherine went to the door and looked around. Twelve or fifteen miles 10 the north belt of wooded countrywide Great Wood of Minnesota-ros clear against the horizon, while in every other direction the prairies stretched away in undulating slopes, yellow with golden rod. No clouds were 10 be seen in the sky, which hung above them. dull and mur&y, like q copper dome. The sun looked liAe brassy sphere suspended in uhlSir.
 A close. sultry atmosphere surrounded them. dead calm, only relieved by an occasional puff of hot wind that passed by and left the same dead calm as be. fore
 Beulah. the colored woman, came to the door and stood looking of 10 the west her hand shading her blinking eyes
 Laws! Miss Katherine. dat ar colt am whinnyin right smart. Kain't be he gwiue 10 die on us. honeyl Yer paw tuk good look at him las ting fo he lit out. shuahy
 She waddled along slowly. for the day wus warm and Beulah WIS fat. toward the lumber shop, or stable, where the colt was kept at night. being tethered on the open prairie during th9 day in sight of tho house. Katherine. more swift of foot flew on before and quickly gained the summit of the gradial ascent on which the barn was built.
 Her hand was on the latch and she | was about 10 enter. when on the distant 1 horizon she saw sight that held her lhouonless with sudden tt trror.
 The Indians were comiI e!
 Away to the northwest an irregular | line of horseineu were riding directly | down upon them. and thoilgh at that dis tance she could not dist uiguish clearly she knew by their peculiar mode of rid ing that they were not wi ite men For | one moment her heart san in terror, the uext her resolute spirit as, erted itself.
 Save themselves they n ust, but how2 Poor foolish old Beulah. clever enough lt concoctiug choice dishes over the kltch- sn range. was an added burden in this Could Kathe rine take the children with her on the C olt's back and -ide with them to the nearest cabin? What in such case would become of Beuldh.
 She and her brothers might gain the 'ides of the rayine near ly unobserved md hide securely in the caves along the tides. but there was Beulah.
 If papa were only here" she thought md with the thought came. like an in ipiration. suggestion of hiding place.
 She turned to Beulah, who had just yaddled up 10 the stable. Unite the ,olt and turn him loose, Beulah"-she poke rapidly and with authority-"and hen hurry back to the house and help lie put the childrena and some things we hall need down in the cistern. The In- lians are coming"
 Great day in de Thawninr exclaimed 3eulan, turning a sickly gray and sink ng. mass of quivering flesh. to the round.
 "Get mp; they'll catch you screamed Katherine in Beulahs ear. but she night have talked to stone as well, so tupefied was the poor creature witb right.
 "Fm going to leave you here,H added Katherine in the hope of reusing her, md started for the house, when Beulah, nut of sheer terror, gathered her wits to- ether and ran clumsily after. The cistern had been newly plastered nd was yet little damp, but no'water ad been conducted into it. "Go down that ladder commanded Katherine, pointing 10 the ladder thai ad been left in the cistern by the wol1r zen. and Beulah, not without difficulty, nd indeed not without danger, since it ad been constructed for no such weight