Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-07-26

was TuII or cOnv1cUlOn that the ApacneS
were all around them, and there was no
comfort in being argued out of the idea.
Capt. Foster replied the major,
''knows as well as we do from official
reports that the Indians have raided
the mines and the Prescott road, and
he is gone on, like the good soldier he
isl added he, automatically, ito warn
or rescue these other parties, if they
really exist, and stir upthe Indians if
they get in his way. South of that cur
tain of mountains, I" he ontinued, point
ing to the black mass of the Socorro,
land behind your husbands skirmish
line we are free from danger. West of
this post, which guards the descent to
the Sandy valley, no Indian is going to
be fool enough to venture unless he's
doubly Tonic, which, I'm told, means
mad. Now my advice to the wife of my
good friend, Capt. Foster, is that she
go to bed and sleep. That's what
mean to do"
But, major" persisted Mrs. Foster,
suppose Leon should be cut off by
by anybody He told me you said his
Mexican uncle was again here trying
to get him. Suppose he shouldn't reach
the old post by three o'clock or later,
how would you know?"
''Ah, thought of all that. I told
him to start fire under what's left of
that old stack of condemned hay the
moment he got in. The sentries out
here on Three and Four have already
received orders to watch for a fire at
the old post. If they don't see. it by
half-past three at the latest, we'll start
party in search. But that fre'll be
there all right. Good night, Mrs. Fos-
ter-now don't worry"
But Mrs. Foster did worry. She wor-
ried about Leon exposed, as she be-
lieved, to danger from two sources.
She worried about her husband, even
though her native common sense told
her it was not likely so strong a com
mand as his company would meet with
Apaches that night. If Apaches were
in the neighborhood they would be apt
to keep we'll out of the way. She wor-
ried so that even by two o'clock when
she retired to her own room she could
not sleep W
But she worried even less than her
friend the major, who found himself too
uneasy to lie down at all Bidding
good night to the three officers, he had
gone to his quarters, and as he took a
final look out over the silent and shade
owy prairie, thanked goodness Mrs.
Thornton and the children were safe in
the east Not that they would have
been in any particular danger at Retri-
button, but because they'd be in the
way just now, and when women and
children will ask questions that are
hard to answer, especially of a post
commander. ''Confound the Apaches
and Muncey and Manuel Cardozap' said
he, land especially Mrs. Downey!
What on earth did she get sick for and
have that boy risl5ing his young life to
fetch her camphor julep at three
o'clock in the morning?" He wished he
had sent a sergeant and ten men back
with him, for, if Apaches really were
in the Sandy valley, Crane might need
reinforcements, anyhow, only he mated
to trout out" men and horses in that
heathenish way long after midnight.
If anything should go wrong with
Leon, how his old friend Cullen would
blame him. He looked at his watch
only little after two-a whole hour
to wait before he could hear of the
boys safe return, but surely something
should be heard from Foster. It
couldn't take his couriers two hours to
ride back in the night from Ration
Springs.
Lighting his pipe, the major once
more went out into the still night air.