Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-07-31

DttIl IlbTTlBu NlA lllDhNnS btloAbi bhb law
land was ordered off on a scout, and three
months after that she had been at the
point of death So now, though the season
was unpropitous, they had determined to
take time by the forelock, make the most
of the chance visit Of a clergyman and be
married in the middle of July.
At this juncturc Rowland was being
sent away, and he grew desperate.
Nevertheless he said goodEy to little
Miss Trowbridgc with exemplary calm
ness and was more careful than she not
to show depression.
"Youll come back surely, won't you?'
she begged
"Of course l will, Roosey. Don't go
TO the agency on an average of twice
month nearly all the time?"
Il know. But, some way, this seems
different"
Rowland agreed with her, but he
laughed at her for all that.
"Its like the legend of Sir Olof, isn't it9
He went away the night before he was to
be married, and an erl maiden made him
| die. "
"Thero's nothing so fascinating as an
erl maiden at the agency more S the pity"
! he told her.
Then he went and rode off under the
searching sun in a cloud of dust, two sol
diers behind him and all well mounted
The girl watched him until she could
see him no longer and went back into the
tent to sit with white face and closed
lips and dry eyes, looking at the sands of
the parade ground
Rowland held a long council with the
chiefs and very nearly succeeded in set
Ting the difficulties before nightfall They
talked, sitting under shelter of willow
| sticks and branches There was n half
cured OK hide on the ground, upon which
they squatted.
Two of the Indians played monte with
pack of grotcsque rawhide cards, and one
whitfield n stick for an arrow shaft. They
liked Rowland, and they trusted him.
| This was known, so missions of the sort
usually fell to him. He talked now and
waxed very eloquent and the chiefs grunt-
ed as the interpreter translated. They
were almost won to him, but they post
poned their decision until they should have
time to talk matters over; so they babe
him RETURN after dark. Rowland went
away after having given the daughter of
one of the bucks n bright handkerchief and
having said "A few words to her out of his
scanty vocabulary. The girl looked at him
intently, with her little, birdlike eyes
twnkling, and said nothing in reply, but
smoothed the handanna on her knees.
When he was gone, she arose and stood in
front of her tcpcc to watch him out of
sight, as the fair haired white woman had
done n few hours before.
After time she put the handkerchief on
her head and went in the direction he had
taken.
When she found him, it was dusk and
the coyotes had begun to whine and bark
all about them, and one faint star glim
mered in the purpling sky. Her eyes were
wonderfully bright and her wild graceful
ness would have been alluring to another
man.
She went up behind him and touched
him on the shoulder. He faced about and
asked what she wanted But for the bright
kerchief on her head he would not have
remembered her When he saw that, he
smiled, and the girl, encouraged, began a
protestation of desperate, savage love in
the most even of voices and broken of Eng
fish, intersperscd with Apache and Next
can.
Rowland answered her kindly, and to
her calm toned Headings smiled in her
tense face and turned away.
POGO TEMPO, You ccme,4' she said, Gid
ing after hiih and graspng his hand. She
followed him for a fcw yards, still holding
his hand. You cone" she insisted.
, Yes, POGO tempo, l come see your IA
ther. ~
She flung the hand from her and hurried
off into the shadow with Il low snarl
Late at night, as Rowland left the coun-
Gil Of the braves 100 yards from the camp
"a woman strobe up to him and without
any preface dropped at his feet and caught
his hands and repeated the story of hel
savage passion in the sane monotone, "A:
t tinkling and musical as the sound of q
) crystal bell.
4 But Rowland had completed his embassy
Q successfully ard was in haste to return Il
the camp during the night and compare
tive GOODNESS, SO he pushed her away Will
5 disguised "Namoose!' and hurried on.
l
1 Years ago there were still poisoned ar
= rows used occasionally, weapons deadliel
than the moro popular rifle or carbine, fol
g their scratch was fatal. The head wa.
+ dipped in n poison curiously made. A bi
l. of liver, quite Vutrid, was held before
rattlcsnuke until he had injected his venom
into it time and time again After few
u more days this virulent substance was pu
upon the points of the arrows, to carr.
agony and dissolution to whatsoever the.
S touched.
!, 1t was one of these arrows that Howlent
jerked from his arm Il few moments late
70 as he went into the hut where his two sol
diers were waiting.
He held it in front OF the candle and ex
80 amined it intently, while the blood drippe'
!, over his dusty boot. One Of the men aske'
o him how it had happened, while he Gu
10 open the sleeve "A mistake, very likely
IS 1t was not one OF the bucks. We parte'
T. good friends. The woman he did no
II mention. He looked at the arrow again
l. Its poisoned, / guess Rather har
{. luck he said. He passed one hand acros
" his face wearily and repeated, HAIR
luckp Then he gave the men detailet
account of what he had done and accom-
II plished, that they might tell the major II
70 case he himself should be past speaking
$ The agency doctor was off on "A two days
u IN