The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-08-22
THE LEGEND OF
BONNIE FEMME.
Story of Early Days in Mis-
souri,.
BY SIDNEY e. POWELL.
Notn First Published.

CHAPTER II.-A MOONLIGHT RIDE.
But what Of Annette all this timer
When she saw the red brawny hand
on the bride rein, and the red face
begrimed with paint and dirt, the
the head bristling with feathers and
tawny hair, she knew she beheld the
terror of the settler, an Indian.
Grasping her bride and grunting out
between closed teeth q gruff sem
tence she could not understand, he
flourished his tomabawk over her
head. Her heart seemed to stop
beating and her breath almost to
cease, although she was a brave girl,
and had eve felt fear before. 81
40 kill YOU" he muttered in his
harsh voice. "I take you home"
This much she understood, but his
strange words in his own language
seemed, she thought, harsh and
threatening. With all her strength
she tried to make her pony break
away from his hold.
"Let me 60 home," she cried, "my
father will pay you money-anything
Jet 60 my bride, and I will go
home and bring my father, and
money, and guns" Her e%ntreaties
had little effect. The savage dis.
dained to answer her, and coolly
wrenched her gun from her grasp,
giving it to an old Indian who stood
on the other side of the pony.
Holding the bride tightly he led the
pony down the little path near the
bank of the creek. She saw they
were not taking her home, but were
going deeper into the forest. The
thought of her dear mother, and
loving old father came to her and
added to her agony. What would
they think? How could they bear
the dreadful suspense and anxiety2
The old Indian saw the tears on
her face and the agony and fear in
her eyes. She thought she saw pity
in his look. His face did not have
the ferocious brutal look his com
panion's had, but it was a stern,
grim look almost as forbidding. He
did not speak, but strobe on in
silence at her side, SO close some-
times he touched the pony's name.
The other turned often to look at
the girl, and his dreadful fierce eyes
sent a thousand terrors to her trem-
bling heart.
But her sobs and tears were SEEM
ingly unheeded by these strange
creatures, who were more like beasts
than men.
On they went down the trail over
fallen trees and rough rocks. Some
times in woods SO dense you could
not see fifty yards ahead, and some
times the fallen brush and drifts
stopped their progress, until the old
Indian cleared the way before them.
He seemed to be a kind of body SER
want for the young chief, and obeyed
his grunts and signs without a word
being said.
Suddenly the chief stopped down
and examined with great are a few
sticks they had come to, that were
placed in a peculiar fashion in the
path. One little forked stick was
stuck down in the ground and an
other resting upon it pointed across
the creek, thereby showing that
their tribe had crossed over and was
going In a southeasternly direction,
as the point of the stick leaned that
way. So the pony's head was
turned that way too. Annette by
this time was so i'll from fatigue and
agony of mind that she would have
welcomed death as a release.
The old Indian stepped out in front
of them and removed a fallen Dough
from the creek so the pony could
carry the captive through the lar
row ford where huge rocks o%verhung
and made the way difficult for a
horse to pass. Annette noticed with
surprise that as her riding dress
caught on the edge of a rock the
grim old Indian waded in the water
and loosed it. So hard and unbend-
Ing and even naughty in appearance,
his thoughtfulness seemed out of
place to her. Some how, in the
midst OF her terror and trouble this
strange man awakened her interest,
and the little hope she had, turned
to him. But her hope was very
little indeed. 1t was only a glimpse
of softness she caught in the proud
hard eyes. Only a suspicion that he
had that within him that made him
akin to humankind, q heart of feel
ing and pity.
1t was perhaps close to midnight
when Aunetta paaripo into tho foreat