The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-10-16

oo[T[OSJO, turning abrupt.
Z H6)J(/NcSNN)jcC. ly, dove under
SVhMNSfWUTQ' the turbid wa
C0UNSI6CNI~ ters and reap. |
MlU NSlN'>NlT pcarcd, dripping
lS9N ~ and bedraggled,'
- W. on the opposite
bank, where it was speedily lost in |
the thick underbrush as it wound,
away eastward. Time was when the
trail followed the canyon itself a
mere mule path-but ever since the,
night of the big cloudburst that swelled'
the stream to the force and fury OF a
Niagara and drowned old Sanchez and
his whole party of prospectors, packers,
and pack mules, even the Indians
seemed to shun it. The only survivor
of the tragedy was q lad of twelve, the
son of a Yankee miner, and his Mexican
wife-a lad whose name was Leon Mac
Mutt (MacNutt being the patronymic
and Leon the Christian name given him
by his darll-cyed, darl-haired, dark
skinned mother; and Leon, swept
away in the flood. was fishcd out at
dawn several miles below by q squad
of troopers from old Fort Retribution.
The little fellow was more dead than
alive, half drowned and sadly battered
and bruised by the 1lotsam and jetsam
of the wreck whirlcd along with him
by the raging waters, and for time all
effort to revive him failed. When at
last he was able to speak and tell his
name he was lying in a dainty little
bed in cool room, with such gentle,
pitying, motherly face bending over
him and such soft hands caressing his
heavy crop of coal black hair, and be-
side the sweet womanly face was that
of sturdy Saxon boy Of about Icons
own age, whose blue eyes were full OF
anxiety and sympathetic interest. The
first.handclasp the little orphan seemed
to recognize was this other boys. 1t
was in answer to his questioning that
the bewildered patient feebly ymurmured
his name, Leon MacNutt, and could
not at all understand the merriment in
tie room when his questioner turned
with grave, perplexed, incredulous
face to the two gentlemen in uniform
standing by and wonderingly an
nounced: "Hc says his names Lay on
MacDuff."
And that was how the first boy of our
story came to be hailed thereafter by
his trooper friends as MacDutf instead
Of the patronymic to which he was en-
titled even officers and ladies seemed
to find the title more whimsically at
tractive than the pretty Spanish Mex
lean name Of Leon, by which Mrs. Cul-
len, the captains wife and Randall's
mother, always addressed him. One OF
the soldiers once referred to him as the
Waif of Apache Canyon, but the big
tears that arose to the boys dark eyes
at any reference to the tragedy that
left him alone in the world crushed
that would-be witticism in the bud.
Without adoption, either formal or in
formal, Leon had become an inmate OF
Capt. Cullen's household from the mo-
ment of his arrival in Sergt. Kclly's
arms, and there he lived as Randall's
friend, fellow-scholar and playmate for
sixteen months, by which time he had
forgotten his sorrows and had trans
ferred to his protectors about all the
measure of love and gratitude he had
ever felt for his own parents.
And then came changes. For nearly
year the boys had roamed together
over the ncighborhood, hunting and
fishing, riding their ponies, living a
healthy, active, outdoor life except
when at their lessons or asleep
and the bond between them hat
grown stronger and stronger a
the days went by. But old For
Retribution, which was one of thu
relics of the great war of the rebellion
and had been located" by the volun
teers for temporary occupancy only
was ordered moved from the flats a
the southern side of the range over t.
plateau several miles to the east. A
the same time the regiment to whicl
Icons kind friends and protectors be
longed was ordered eastward afte
several years of exile, and a new ant
strange command was to take it's place
Captain and Mrs. Cullen had done wha
they could for their foundling. The
fed and clothed, taught and cared 10
him as they did for their own, becaus
''Randy" had been pining for q plaJ
mate, and this little fellow came or
portunely into his life. They ha
furthermore done all that lay in thei
power to secure for the orphan spcl
property as might have been his ia
theirs, but this proved a difficult tasl
MacNutt had had a partner in his mir
ing ventures, but the partner swor
stoutly that Mac hadn't cent in tn
world that wasn't swept away in tn
food of Apache canyon; he even wer
SO far as to declare that Mac owed hil
money, and more than once appeare
at Retribution when times were har
at the mines saying he thought the o
fcers or somebody ought to pay it b.
cause they now had Macs boy as s.
curity, He generally compromised,
he called it, however, with requests
be supplied with bacon, flour, cofft
and sugar at commissary prices, whic
were far less than those at the mine
The soldiers found out that this mai
Muncey, by name, was in bad r