The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-12-26

watching. but did his work as if he
were getting pay, and when it was done
went and came quite as he chose 1t
was early in December when Charley
went into captivity. and the naked ridges
along the valley Of the Little Horn were
under foot Of snow. which had been
swept and frozen by the winds until the
plans were Ike a great white rock hold
ing the vault of heaven on its rim.
Charley knew every ridge and hollow in
these lonely wastes, and he could tell
You what the white graves meant on
Custer hIlI. Twenty years ago. when
he WAS a Young brave in the mighty
camp of Gail. when The tcpecs covered
i've miles OF the valley from river To
bluff. h" remembered how they had
sWarmcd up the rayiHcs and surrounded
the pal"-iaC"l h0TSom"n. and raked them
off their feet with J00O bullets. in the
time it takes to pull a trigger. All same
fight heap hard" was as much as
Charley would ever say about it; and
that, in connection with the unbrolen
line of dead men. was enough.
One day this bad Indian felt cheap
sick, ana that evening he took the trail
up the Little Horn to the camp of a
medicine man. Sitting ON warm furs
before the fire Of the Crow doctor, he
heard the young men tell of what had
happened at the white mans school
The shame and horror Of reading. writ
ing. spelling. figuring and praying were
all described, and there was great fun
IN the red mans tcpac. All agreed there
was 2 better sense in the Scrppching of
an owl. or the howling of coyote.
Suddenly the laughter ceased and the
shadow Of a serious curiosity rested on
the dark faces around the fire. The
boys were telling how Santa Claus cam"
TO the agency, and of all the wonderful
things he brought on his back-thc sleds
and skates and SnowShocs, the wonderful
jackets of red ANA yellow. and the hand
lcrchicfS as bright as the clouds in the
sunset sky and as soft aS the coyotes
ear, the shining knives and guns and
pistols. the nuts and candies tied in bags
Of dyed ana painted gauz". All this
caused 4 great duttcr in the breasts of
the red folks ana they began to ask
qUcstions-hoth men and women.
He spirit" Charley Big Foot in
quired. auNiou>ly.
'No-hc no spirit" said one of the
boys. lie white man-heap fat, smoke
pipc-hc rich man. too
Come on chu:'
NO; he drive reindecr-heap hard
Make snow IL make whiSkerS how
get there pretty quick. And they said
that he came from the East over the
Rosebud trail, lraping the rayincS and
bounding over the hills The hoofS of
the reindeer, striking the snow, were
like the wings of the wild goose in his
tliGht-SWitt and tirclcSS. And. a. he
moved. the fine snow rose about him like
n cloud SO that no eye could see him.
hUt You could hear the swish of his whip
lash, which WAS thirty PAGES long. So
Skil!fUl was the hiG fat father that even
aS his sleigh went Slowing and bouncing
over the plains he could swing his lash
i'm the air and sting til" wItherS of the
leader When he stopped the white frost
II IN drifts hi- Ghnrl,iar-S and his
hairy head was like 4 mountain summit.
When he Shouk II an avalanche came
down. and the wind was in his lungs
and his voice was michty-like the
breaking of timber in the whirlwind.
When Charley went back 10 the agency
over the lonely trail that night. he was
wadiu@ up To his neck in thoughts that
were rank with cupidity. lie rcckouod
that he would be Il very rich and happy
Indian if he could manage. somehow. To
capture Santa Claus. and that wonderful
pack filled with golden gcw-gawS and
things to make his body gay and his
tongue glad Now the temptation that
shines before the robher throws back of
him the shadow Of evil. and murder
steals up to him and enters hlS heart un-
der the cover Of it. At first the crafty
Sioux was afraid. and he shrugged his
high shoulders. ZruUtluE aUllby. when
ly thought uf the long lash of the big.
lat IHtUtI. tUl ne liaI MS = VA. anu tiisil
Would fix him "all same. lie felt sure
no spirit would have the had taste 10
wear WhiSkcrS and smoke pipe.
Ii was Christmas eve and darkness had
settled on the land of the Grows. Char
ley Big Foot was hurrylng eastward on
the Rosebud trail his rife slunG on his
shoulder. The wind was bowling in the
hills and the drift Of snow and frost hlSSed
like sea spray, daShin- full in his face 50
hrrcrIy thar it made him gasp. Where
the trail strikes the valley Of the Little
Horn il leaps of the ridge, and Big oot
stopped below this point, turning his
back To the wind and peering into the
darkness. Then he laid down his gun
an Ak. and long rope on which four
stakes were kuutted. Removing his
blanket he drove two stakes through the
snow into the frozen ground on either
side of the trail. Then he Cut the rope
m two pieces. which he tied firmly TO the
stakes. one a little higher than the other,
81 that they stretched across the tran,
one about knee high tc q man and the
other as high as his hip. lhIS done. Big
Foot Law fiat on his belly close beside the
IRAN and let the snow drift over him. tie
held his gun under his blanket 50 as 70
keep il dry. and waited.
some miles northeast Of the spot Where
Big Foot lay listening 10 near Jhe 'Itdu
of fha reindeer pack. one Of the herd>meL
on the foot hills Of the Rosebud kanGe
had been having serious trouble with MS
sheep. OF all Gods creatures that nave
frcI and legs under them. sheep are lAe
most hopeless idiots
When the wind began bowling late in
lie afternoon the hcrdsman started tor
his flock with a dog ant pony. Inc WING
is Wogse than W olives when II blows nara