The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-01-30
CHAPTER I-iContinucdD

Woman is alike all owe the world,
and the daughter Of the Rockies had
most of the attributes of her city sis
ter. To desire an object. and to per-
sist in asserting to herself and TO 9th
ers that she does not care for it Il bit.
is one of the Trailer seX's privileges
and idiosyncrasies.
Lucy sat on that log. itfully dashing
away now and then at her knitting:
at other times staring in front of her.
while her work lay untouched in her
lap. and the hours passed by and the
shadows heightened without Lucy per-
ceiving the change.
The girl was accustomed to be left
alone there for days, and nights, too.
for that matter. Bands of Indians
could not approach the spot without
timely notice reaching her. and against
solitary maraudcrS IA couple Of double
barrellcd rifles and half a dozen pis-
tolls. that always hung ready loaded on
the cabin wall, afforded her sufficient
protection. Not Il soul could get near
the place without arOusing the vigi-
lance and the noisy warning of the
watch dogs-huge mOngrel English
maStiffS-that guarded the cabin, and
whose fierce barking re-cchoed among
the mountains for miles when Lucy
took them for a run up the hillside.
The swift dusk waS already set in
on the mountains when the girl shook
herself together, and. fetching a wood
en- platter from the S~tOrehouSe. climbed
among the wild raspberry bushes that
covered the mountain side at the back
of the cabin. and collected a plentiful
supply of the delicious fruit. Then
she entered the hut and set the big,
rough table ready with a joint Of roast
venison. which she supplemented with
corn cake and big-lorn fat.
Anon. the distant thump-thump.
thump-thump of horses feet on rough.
rocky ground vibrated on the mOun
tain air. 1t drew nearer. and came.
clatter-clatter up the hill. The girl
prepared the three great Spouting
branches of the huge and pOnder0uS
Mexican metal lamp with natural wool
wicks and rough oil. and placed it i'll
the center of the biz table.
1t grows dark very suddenly in those
mountain sOlitudes. where the sun dips
down behind the giant crags. lining
their sides with purple and gold. which
4 L vi W II VA NhN i"'h' tAN'
with the softer hueS of topaz and sap
phire, and TO fade away. blue and cold.
In the far East.
1t was nearly night when the clatter
of the horses hOOfS ceased directly in
front of the cabin. ana a ringing
"Wagh" echoed on the hillside.
Lucy replied with a "Wagh."
which had a feminine and cheerful
vigor of its Own and a moment after
ward a tall. wiry man pushed aside
the bearskin hanging which covered
the door. and. with a hearty WAL.
what cheer, Lucy" caught the young
lady round the waist and kissed her
on the forehead.
Thar" he exclaimed. when the girl
disengaged herself. II reckon it amt
every man that's got a daughter like
my Lucy to keep house for him while
he's participating. Heyar. Dave" he
shouted. 'Our meats cut thick and no
snakes"
George Maclane was a man whom
one would have thought a dangerous
customer. Long. gaunt and thin, al
though his shoulders stood out broad
and square. He had a pair of pierre
ing, little grayish-brOwn eyes the cold
glitter Of which contrasted ~curiOusly
with his joviality at that moment. His
lips were thin and nearly hOodless.
the square jaws ~betOkened logged de-
termination. His upper lip was clean
shaven. but his long hair and tuft Of
beard had changed from it's former
indiStinct sandy color to an equally
indistinct mixture Of gray and fawn.
one freckled cheek was distigured by
a deep scar. where a knife had cut
through the flesh and had left a
wound which had never quite healed
up. If Il man had read that face for
its characteristics, he would have
found cruelty and greed written plain
ly there, and he would have wondered
how such Il man came to be the father
of so lovely a girl as Lucy. There
were stories abroad of George Mae
lanes beautiful wife. now long since
dead, about whom even Lucy had but
the faintest recOllectiOnS. and whose
name was never mentioned by or in
the presence of Freckled George with
out the mountaineer barring his head.
Thus. | once saw a tiger cub lick the
face of a dog that had grown up with
ii. There is no mar so vicious that
there is not some corner left pure and
undetiled in his heart.
The bearskin was raised once again.
and a younger man entered. He was
nearly as tall as George Maclane. and,
although his cast Of features betrayed
n family likeness to the elder man.
there was less OF the cruelty about the
lips, and less of the obstinate square
ness about his jaws. He was dark of
skin, which matched c~uriouIy with
the reddish brown of his hair and
beard. Dave Maclane' was Georges
nephew and Lucy's cousin, the son of
n frontierSman who had paid the pen
atty of his pioneerdom and fallen I'M
der a poisoned Pueblo arrow. People