Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-08-23

and started the signal fire? Already q
lookout, peering eastward through the
lieutenant's binocular, reported dust
cloud far up the rise toward the new
4post-the coming of the achievements
and If Crane meant to do anything nj
all now was the time.
I'll leave you to find out who did it,
sergeant" he said. 'sWe1l go on after
the mules. Perhaps the Apaches did it
themselves as joke. !"
"Apaches don't joke" growled the
old man, with gloomy face, as the de-
tachment trotted away. There's been
no joke from one end of this night to
the other, but there's been some stupid
laundering on somebody's part, or I'm
a recruit" And then, turning to one
of his daughters, who stood silently by,
he said, briefly: Fetch me the pony,
Kate. I'll ride back to your mother
''Sure, didn't you know yet. father?
Twas Leon took it to ride to the fort
for medicine for Mrs. Downey."
And thus for the first time was the
veteran trooper made aware that his
little friend and founding had dared
that midnight ride. Fiercely he broke
forth:
"And was there no man among YEP"
he turned to the silent group of soldiers
left behind. mo man among We fit to
do mans work that We should let a
boy baby ride into the teeth of them
Indian divils? Where were you, Phil
Downey, that you should send kid
like that for yer wife's poppy saucer"
'sWhere was but tending to my own
business, as you were, Sergt. Kelly, :
answered the other veteran, stoutly,
for between the two ex-dragoons and
rival ranchmen little love was wasted.
'sOf course, if I'd been here, 'tisn't Leon
or anybody else would have gone for
medicine but me, as you ought to have
sense enough to know If you weren't SO
keen to be saddling blame on other fell
lows shoulders and so diverting 1t from
your own. Ne and Mike spent the
night at our ranch, as you did at yours,
and niver came up till we heard the
firing" And Downey's eyes flashed
angrily on his more prosperous neigh
Dor. 81 haven't gov'ment post or a
gov'ment arsenal to dhraw on to defnd
me property and have to do it meself,
he added in whitening sarcasm, and if
anything would stir old Kelly's wrath
to the nethermost depths 1t was the
faintest hint that he ever used sc much
as single cartridge of all the or nance
stores confded to his care.
'''Tis no time for settling our scores,
Phil Downey, or you and / would ex-
pind few ass as soldiers and
gintlemen did In the days when
more gintlemen and fewer frauds
were soldering. Go to yer wife
that's always dyin' if she has an ear
ache, and I'll to mine, that's never
known what it was to whimper, and
she and will see what we can do to
find the brave little lad that's gone to
die for you and yours-for by me sowl
the hand that lit yon blazing signal
! was his, as sure as this" and he
clinched hairy fist under Downey's
nose, lis at yer service in any way yell
have it, Mr.. Phil Downey-an' it won't
be the first batin' it gave ye."
With that he turned his back on a
shame-faced group and strobe fercely
away In the direction of his home.
Never until that instant had 1t seemed
to dawn upon them that by any human
possibility Leon had striven to return
had found the Indians interposed be-
tween him and the old post in the
valley, and then realizing what It's
original projectors had not thought
possible-that the Indians had probably
SO closely invested the post itself as tc
!! prevent anyone's getting out to fire
the beacon-he had risked his own