The Coconino weekly sun., 1895-05-30

thrusting his quid into one cheek, drawled, lazily: Wal, now, where's the hurt eff the or sot do gin us the shake? Oh, doan't be in CT rush naowl I guess there's a can CT mustard raound somewhers." Reaching long, lazy arm under the counter. he clat- tered among his possessions and brought up fistful of yellow-brown dust. This here huff? Never mind payin'" In two minutes more Pete Oberlin laid violent hands on the roll ing heap of agony in his cabin, and sternly commanded: Drink this here" She drank it. Then the from tiersman dragged her bodily outside the shanty, and left her alone with her misery.
 After some time Pete returned to his patient, bearing a tin plate with a generous share of his dinner. He presented this with a flourish, and I grinned sympathetically as the morsels of food disappeared.
 When the shadows of the blue gums stretched long and gaunt to the east ward and mellow pink flushed the | Nopo o4 OiiC S uio, uiSvuhb ts tipsy and squalid old squaw, in tattered blanket, trailed slowly up the dusty road through the foothills; and for six months neither Ike Dempsey, nor Pete, nor even Pat Grogan at the saloon, saw any more of Wawaga.
 When Pete Oberlin reached up to the shelf behind the stove that night, and, after feeling vainly around in the darkness, struck match and examined the surface, he let forth volley of oaths that would have shocked the ears of mule driver, finishing up wrathfuliy with: "Wisht I'd let the old thief die afore ever she got away with my hand-carved briarwood pipe. VI
 Week after week, Pete Oberlin, in his capacity of mail carrier, jogged over the dusty plain, wound in and out through the foothills, with a stop here and there at the ranches, and climbed over the ridge to the fort on the reser'
 vation, always the destination of the
 biggest part of his budget
 After the early rains had carpeted the bare brown hills with green and given glossier tinge to the mournful bark-stripped eucalyptus, he began tc hear ugly rumors on his trips from farmhouse to farmhouse. There had not been an Indian outbreak for twen . ty years in that section, but some dis
 quieting influence was hard at work on the redskins Some said the Indian , Messiah was coming, others that ona of Geronimo's lieutenants had been . sowing this excitement among them be that as it may, there was watchfuI
 anxiety at the fort and growing feel ing of danger in the breasts of the 3 neighboring ranchmen. Every bit ot 7 this came, of course, to the ears of the l mail carrier, and, in the snug barroon , of the Oasis, he would regale a little t knot of cronies with highly-colore6 f tales of the secret dances, the weapon. and war preparations to be seen 1T ! wild hooks in the hills, if white mar knew where to look for them. Yet fol 3 all these notes of warning no one . dreamed of an actual dangerous up I rising. '. F One soft winters night, when the a damp-laden rain-wind blew heavily - from the south and the low-hung cloud l blanket shut out every wee ray of sun s light, dark mounted figures met in l, 2 sheltered hill basin. Ten, twenty , fifty, they gathered; then in single file s with untitled hoofs they wound away
 from their prison. Several hours later r as the mischievous band stealthily !, made it's way out on the plain, stunt
 ed figure, in a ragged blanket, shrunl v silently into the bushes to let the cav
 alcade pass, and then emerged one, - more from her cover and struck into e swinging trot in the rear of the swift
 moving riders.
 S A faint, angry flush of dawn.peepeC e over the somber mountains as the red Q skin braves surrounded the few scat s tering buildings composing Rush Sta - ton. A dog parked in the rear of tn, l saloon, and in response a sharp re e port rent shudder through the chil h morning air; with howl of anguisl < the poor beast rolled over in the dust l At the crack of the pistol the hal !, dozen men in the shanties came tum = bling out from different doorways. No
 one was more than half dressed, but eacl
 one had snatched up his rife. Wha | odds are six men against fifty? As tn
 hastily-wakened settlers stumbled ou 0 from their cabins, a leaden hail rattle, n around them; two of their number fell !, struck off at once by the raiders.
 @ ''Injuns, by the tarnal heavens! q cried Ike Dempsey, and the four re I maining defenders, now very thorough z ly aroused, drew quickly into the stor q and blazed away from this cover a
 their numerous assailants. They hat : ammunition in plenty and spare guns [! Ikes wife put her two little sobbin, r children into big box in the center o q the building, as the point that wa r furthest from danger and herself fillet
 the hot smoking rifles. The fuSillad Q was thick and fast, and the bullets f flew in through the openings. Pa e Grogan's right arm was shattered, bu k he rested his gun on the window ant q fired away vindictively. Poor Smitl h was shot through the lungs and fell il