Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-11-20

AND now Sno came TO place Wn0ro
she had to push through deep, narrow
gorge, which opened out into an amphi
theaterlike space where there was a
thicket Of cottonwood trees. and which
had been used in the old days as bury
ing ground for the Indians 1t was a
horrible place, and even this healthy.
prairie bred girl experienced that sense
Of awe and fear which will steal over
one-unless one is dead to all human
emotions-when one is in the presence
Of relics of mortality. This little valley,
surrounded by high banks. had an evil
reputation. Some renegade Sioux or Pie
gan Indians had some few years before
committed some bloody atrocities near
this spot, andSthe dead had been buried
here. Upon rude platforms were ranged
human bodies wrapped in buffalo robes
and blankets, which were now coated
and crusted with drifting snow. The
great gaunt, scraggy branches OF the
leafess trees and that significant scat
folding with it's awful burdens, when
viewed from the frozen bed of the creek
ON which she walked, stood out with 8
horrible distinctness against the starllt
sky. Time or the bears had broken
down some of these stages, and she knew
that hideous, shapeless and unnamable
things lay strewn around and partially
buried in the snow. It was a veritable
Golgotha. And now cold shiver ran
through the frame Of the girl as she lift
ed her eyes and gazed fearfully up at
number of grinning skulls which play
full mounted policeman or wandering
cowboy of decorative turn Of mind had
fixed on the scraggy limb of gaunt
and blasted oak tree Even as the girl
looked there rose weird, eerie moan on
the still night, and a startling crash
that drove the blood to her heart and
chilled the surface of her body In spite
Of herself she sank down on her knees,
and clasping her hands before her NUT
tered prayer as best she could Marie
was not naturally timid, but that place
had an evil reputation, and the law Of
association is a powerful thing. But it
was only stray breath Of wind, stray
ing down the gorge, that had caused the
moaning, and the weight Of the snow
upon one Of these awful burdens had
been too much for the rotten supports,
and had borne it.with crash to the
ground. For moment she felt as if her
strength had deserted her; she was left
weak and trembling. But the thought
of her father and the danger he was in
came to her aid. Tremblingly she rose
from the snow covered ice and went on
again, but with weary steps.
It grew colder and colder, the Their
mometer must have dropped to at least
30 degrees below zero, and King Frost
was doing his best or worst to paralyze
every living thing. But still Marie could
not be said to suffer from cold; she on
" began to feel strangely drowsy and at
times caught herself walking in an al
most tranceike state. That subtle and
fatal land of forgetfulness, which she
knew was exercising its potent spell
over her, aroused her to renewed exer-
tion. At last she passed out Of that
loathsome valley where the high ground
ceased, and stood once more upon the
banks Of thu creek on the rolling prairie.
And now, with heavy and ever weak
ening steps, the girl assembled q little
ridge where she could get good view of
the surrounding country. But as far as
the eye could penetrate in that clear
moonlight there was nothing in sight.
She had told herself that at this point
she must necessarily see some signs Of
her fathers approach with the teams,
and that hope had buoyed her up till
then. She was bitterly disappointed.
She had walked for several miles, and
now what was she to do? Could she go
back without having seen her father
and listen to the low minded taunts of
the mounted police officer? Or would
she wait there, in the hope that her ia
Their might soon come up, running the
risk of that insidious death sleep which
even then threatened her? AS for going
back, when she came to think of it, she
felt utterly unable for the task And
now the real nature of Marie began to
show itself She hardly for a moment
thought of that fate which might SO
soon overtake her She had none of that
enervating, half plying compassion for
herself in the abstract that some less
unselfish ones have. She did not even
regret the step she had taken, though it
now threatened her life. She only knew
that if she had not come on this vain err
rand she would have regretted the stay
ing behind still more. Her only thoughts
were for her father, but as her eyes wan
dered over the CHASTITY prospect her
heart sank within her.
At last in the east the gray dawn
was breaking; the stars began to disap-
pear one by one, like lights in great
city at break Of day. A thin, ghostike>
mist began to creep from butte to cou
lee across the billowy prairie, like the
phantom sea that it was. Tt hung low
and converted the tops of the little
buttes and ridges into mimic islands,
until the earth somewhat resembled one
of those landscapes that the imaginative
mind will conjure up in the clouds.
But, away to the left, a couple of miles
off the girl saw a unique sight. She saw
the entrance to the DEVILS Playground
that weird, nightmarish valley into
which the boldest Indian will not enter,
but only gaze upon fearfully from the