Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-28
blow tine place into flinders.

l
There's no fire up there at all. -
| Presently the tramp, tramp Of mar.
tial feet was heard on the crunchiDs
snow, and officer and sergeant hotr
stepped for,h t. receive the relief oi
sentries just taken off post One Of them
was Crow Knife. lie gravely saluted as
he passed his officer and placed his car.
binc in the arm rack, then went cut on
the east side of the little building and
stood there, silent, listening for sound:
from the distant east.
May have the lieutenant's permits.
sion to 90 ont Oh the bluff awhile:" he
asked, as Farrar came by him. Il can
hear the call of the corporal if we are
wanted for anything. and am very anx.
ious." And Will, who at first would
have said no, saw the anxiety in the
Indians face and consented.
Grow is strangely superstitious. 'said
the sergeant, after moments silence.
"He has BEEN like that ever since he
came ON guard. He says the ghost dogs
were bowling the death song last night
and that somebody's to get his death.
blow tonight. We can't laugh him out
of it."
| Will turned away and watched the
rapidly retreating form, growing dim.
mer every second. II suppose he dread:
trouble for his people, and this row
makes him nervous. said he I'm 60
ing the rounds now, sergeant, and will
leave you here III charge
1T is just 1880 now. sir. Shall we
call off,
AYE, aye, let it go, was the answe,
as the young fellow stalked away in tie
direction Of the stables. 1t was his pur.
pose to take the sentry posts in inverse
order, so as to visit first those on the
eastern flank
Without break the watch cry went
from man to man, No. 5 shouting 4
eruff, stentorian. "All's WELL" thai
again directed the attention of the off
Ger Of the guard to his probable condi
tlon. The last sentry had called Off ant
No. had given. loud and prolonged
the final assurance that all along the
chain was peace and security before vii
reached the bottom Of the slope and be
gan his examination of the stables anC
corrals. The last thing he saw as ht
cast u backward glance northward along
the snowy slope that terminated the
plateau on its eastern side was the soil
tary figure Of Crow Knife. standing
mute, mOtiorless and attentive, Just 81
the upper end Of the post OF sentry OF
No. e.
He was delayed unexpectedly among
the stables, for one Of the orderlies. il
the absence of his troop and officers, has
gone visiting among mis- associates il
the adjoining building, and one or tive
spare horses We're loose and roamin,
about the gaHgway. The next thing Ii,
heard of his sentries there were excited
shouts for the corporal of the guard
and, Fastening out into the night to as
certain the cause. he nearly collide,
with little Meinecke. the trumpcter.
Lieutenant" cried the bog breath
lessly Grow knife's killed, sir Stab
bed to death"'
MY Godr' moaned Will, as he has
tened up the slope. There's curse OF
Christmastide at old Fort Frayne''
| When 10, 20 minutes had passed
away and Helen Daunton failed to re
turn, Mrs Farrar had become anxious
and i'll at ease. Leale, too, had beer
listening eagerly for her step on tn,
porch without, and, unable TO contro
his longing to see and speak with her
despite her palpable efforts to ayoit
him, he had early taken his leave ant
gone forth in search. Ellis, slippin.
from the parlor into the dining room
had thence managed to go to her ow,
little chamber for q moment or two t,
herself. Whatever doubt remained as {,
the justice of her suspicious up to Dime
time that evening, it was banished now
and her heart was hard against Ormsb,
that he should have so braved and de
ceived her Looking out from her win
dow she could see much of the walk i,
front of Officers row, but not sign O
Helen Daunton. The clouds had thicI,
ened, the moonlight had grown dimme
all of "a sudden. Once more tie SHOW
was sitting down. She could not dream
where Helen had gone.
1t was a desperate woman who sto,,
silently out of the little army hons
and intercepted Lieutenant Farrar a
the gate In few words she made know,
her errand and asked for the note Mr.
Ormsby had placed in his hand, ant
VIII for the first time remembered it
He had slowed it i'll the pocket of tn,
overcoat he was wearing as he returned
with Ormsby from the colonies and wa
compelled to run back indoors again t,
find II. Absorbed though he was in hi
own trouble. Will could not but remarl
how strange it seemed that his mother
companion should be seeking and Orms
by sending those mysterious notes a
night. He made such explanation an,
excuse as he could, however. then hur
ried away
With nervous fingers Helen counted
over the money i'll the envelope Twt
hundred dollars! Ormsby was indeed
generous Then. desperate. determined
thoughtless of the military crime sh,
was about to urge upon her husband
thinking only of the dreadful uenac.
his presence was TO the friends who haf
harhored and sheltered her. she speC
away up the row and, turning throu Oh
the broad open space near the colonel,
quarters, came cut upon the snow coy
cred brow of the heights oyerhancire