The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-08
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Bachdlerl
ltopyright 1895 by Irving Bacheller.l
But l have my own


theory all the same!
A shot from my rifle brought half
dozen men from the camp-and still
that senseless form never stirred. How
his soul would have rebelled could II
have known.
Among the half dozen who came.
hurrying were at least two who had
spent the greater part of the lives upon
the plains. They had no great admira-
ton for the Indian character and one
of them rather petulantly asked why
had wasted yammunition? Why had
fred into the air instead of into the In
dian. | had hard time to secure my
own way. hut | prevailed at last. We
took the poor wretch into camp. l set
his broken bones. l bound NJ the wound
in his head. l nursed him back to
health again.
The man-shall | offend any preju-
dice. antagoni2e any judgment. by so
designating hGn?-was young. l
should net call him over twerty- -tive
at the outside. He had no bad habits
in his past to draw him down and drag
against him-that Is. he had meme that
his race did not have before the white
man came. He recovered rapidly-as
any healthy animal will do If given u
fair chance.
or captive-could net speak a word of
English. | feel sure he could under
stand little. if anything. of what was
said to him--or in his presence. What
he must have thCught-if creatures OF
his sort can 'think-when he came 70
himself surrounded by white men, and
something of white mems comforts,
can only dlmly imagine. How he must
have regarded his treatment. given The
sJt,est bed in the easiest wagon day
after day ard fed on the most nourish-
ing Of foods. reinforced by the host
wine the train could furnish, is quite
beyond my ability to say. HE may
have rad the truth in our faces, our
hearts in our actions. and realized.
dimly and vaguely. that. beyond the
great gulf God has placed between the
white race and the red. there were men
who knew and loved golden rule of
which mis- low intelligence had never
dreamed He may have guessed that
our kindness was simply assumed, our
fcrbearance merely temporary, and
that he was reserve ed for thu torture
that would have been the pitiless pre-
scription of his devilish creed. or. h"
may have made a short cut, stunning
even the exercise OF primitive savage
logic and decided we We're FOOLS
In due time he was well. We gave
him his pony. We gave him a supply
of food We saw him ride away and
disappear. i never thought to see him
again. But this is a small world, even
to an Indian. and with steam and cleo
triC!ty left out of the count,
/ returned home by sea. 1t was six
years before | found myself crossing
the plains again. and again with a
wagon train. Characters-much the
same as before. Some of them rather
m-re strongly emphasized than of
yore. possibly because of the years of
added experience humanity had reaped
on the lonely plains and beside the
Western trail. 'Scouts-rather better
shGts-rather more reluctant to let a
'rtenderfoot' have his own way.
Poughs-rather tougher and with more
determination and ingenuity. But. hu-
man nature gains or loses, in marked
degree. only with changing cycles:
years and more years-count little and
slowly. SO that | may repeat, and
truthfully: Characters-tnuch the same
as before.
"Experiences-much thu same as be-
fore That is what | would have writ
ten at the end of a week. That would
have been correct---as history. AS pro-
phecy-it would have been absurdly
inaccurate. Events took a decidedly
new course after that.
In the first place. I fell in love with
Millie Davis, the daughter of sturdy
New Englander who was going to open
a ranch In some impossible and un-
heard of locality out near the setting
sun. Mile Davis was the most
But I was her lover! You know all
that I would say. What Is the use of
taking the time and space to say it?
In the second place, Tige Black fell
in love with her too ! would gladly be
fair with Mr.. Black. 1t would please
me to give his name in this narrative,
and | don't believe his mother ever
called him Tiger--or that his father
ever shortened and intensified so san
culinary an appellation. But Tige is
the only. name by which I ever heard
him called; Tige he must go, to the
very end Of the story
| claim to be a moderately modest
man. | would gladly avoid drawing
comparison between Tige Black and
myself. Were, 1t possible, I would let
him do this part of the work in my
stead. As it Is, I must state that 7
was young. good-looking--a well-edu-
Gated physician, and that rumor cor
rectly asserted that I had n good dcll
OF property. Black was old. He Rad
never been handsome. and hard work
and hard weather had dealt most un-
handsomely with him. He had no e1u-
cation, save the practical sort driver
on the great plains used to pick up in
those old times. And no man who
loved liquor as well as he ever accumu-
lated or kept property. He was the
most picturesquely profane person I
ever listened to. Miss Millie Davis. in
addition to almost numberless other
traits-posse ssed sound sense. So
was a very happy man-and Tige Black
q very angry one!
The man deliberately picked a quar-
rel with me. He called me vie rame.
slapped his insolent mouth for him
He talked gravely. quietly and not
at all profanely, when that had hap
pened. But his demand was a terrible
one. He asked that meet him in NOR
tai combat-that ! fight with him to
the death. ] spoke to thu commander
of the wagon train about It, He was
greatly troubled, for he liked me renu-
fnely. ard was. perhaps. Just n little
afraid of Tige Black and his influence.
He said he'd see the thing was p,rt off
for a day or two. at any rate. But
knew. from the way that he talked.
that he feared ] would. have to fight.
Public opinion. In those days. had a
peculiar power on the frontier: personal
pr0wess rankedhieher among the hardy
fighters who were crowding the hor-
ders of civilization slowly and bloodl1v
further and further West. than did
aught else: a man. to he ae good
other. must be ready to prove himself
so when occasion demanded: even in
the boundless domain that was being
conquered SO slowly and painfully