Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-12-23

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 a foot Of snow, which had been
swept and frozen by the winds until the
plains were like 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 hill. Twenty years ago, when
be was young brave in the mighty
camp of Gall, when the tepees covered
five miles of the valley from river to
bluff, he remembered how they had
swarmed up the rayines and surrounded
the pale-faced horsemen. and raked them
off their feet with 5000 bullets. in the
time it takes to pull trigger. ''All same
fight heap hard" was as much as
Charley would ever say about it; and
that, in connection with the unbroken
line OF dead men, was enough.
One day this bad Indian felt cheap
sick, and that evening he took the trail
up the Little Horn to the camp Of
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 tepee. All agreed there
was better sense in the Screeching of
an owl, or the bowling of a 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 came
to the agency, and of all the wonderful
things he brought on his back-the sleds
tbO .f,,1
jackets of red and yellow, and the hand
kerchiefs 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 and painted gauze. All this
caused great flutter in the breasts Of
the red folks. and they began to ask
questions-both men and women.
He spirit" Charley Big Foot in
CURED, anXiously.
''No-he no spirit said one of the
boys. He white man--heap fat, smoke
pipe-he rich man, too"
Come on chu?"
Make snow hy-make Whiskers how
get there pretty quick And they said
that he came from. the East over the
Rosebud trail, leaping the ravines and
bounding over the hills. The hoofs of
the reindeer, striking the snow, were
like the wings of the wild goose in his
hIght-sWlft and tireless. And, as he
moved. the fine snow rose about him like
cloud, SO that no eye could see him.
but you could hear the swish of his WhiD-
lash, which was thirty PAGES long So
sklllful was the big fat father that even
as his sleigh went Slowing and bouncing
over the plains he could swing his lash
in the air and sting the withers of the
leader. When he stopped the white frost
lay III drifts upon his shoulders and his
hairy head was like a mountain summit.
When he shook it an avalanche came
down, and the wind was in his lungs
and his voice was mirhty-like the
breaking of timber in the whirlwind
When Charley went back to the agency
over the lonely trail that night, he was
Wadlng up to his neck in thoughts that
were rank with cupidity. He reckoned
that he would be a very rich and happy
Indian Ii he could manage, somehow, to
capture Santa Claus, and that wonderful
pack filled with golden gew-ga1Ys and
things to make his body gay and his
tongue glad Now the temptation that
shines before the robber throws back of
him the shadow of evil, and murder
steals up to him and enters his heart I'M
der the cover ef 1t. At first the crafty
Sioux was afraid, AID he shrugged his
high shoulders, grunting audibly, when
he thought OF the long lash of the big,
fat father. But he had his gun, and that
would fix him ''a1I same" He felt sure
no spirit would have the bad taste to
wear Whiskers and smoke a pipe.
1t was Christmas eve and darkness had
settled on the land Of the Crows Char
ley Big Foot was burrying eastward on
the Rosebud trail, his rifle slung on his
SHOULDER. The wind was bowling in the
hills and the drift OF snow and frost Kissed
like sea spray, dashing full in his face so
fiercely that it made him gasp Where
the trail strikes the valley of the Little
Horn it leaps off the ridge and Big Foot
stopped below this point. turning his
darkness. Then he laid down his gun
an ak, and Il long rope on which four
stakes were knotted. 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