Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-04-09
MISCELLANY.
A WILD NIGHT AT woODR1vBR.


hoarse whisper.
"rm doing the best can" said his wife,
trying to hush the little one who was sob
bling and moaning in her lap. In the baby's
milk-wagon bitter fight was going on be-
tween paregoric and pain, and the latter
was dying hard. The wind drove the rain
against the side of the car, and made it
rock to and fro. Emma" said Mrs.
Bankers to her friend, take that bottle
and hold it between you and a crack in the
car, and when it lightens, drop ten drops
into the spoon-I suppose we must not
strick light"
"You bet you don't strike any light here
unless you are ready to give up your CHG
non" said Bankers, without taking his eyes
from the crack through which he was peep
ing. Emma took the bottle, and at each
flash of lightning dropped drop of hush
medicine into the spoon, and when she had
put in ten drops they gave it to the baby.
That made twenty drops: it was dangerous
but it was sure death to all of them if
the baby cried aloud.
The rain came in great sheets and with
such force that it seemed that the car could
hardly hold the rail. 1t was not Pullman
car; just a common red stock car, standing
on siding, with few armfuls of straw
upon the floor. Occasionally Bankers
turned to glance at the two women, who
were crouchiDg in one end of the car, and
when the lightning lit up their faces they
were fearful to behold. Now the rain, cold
as sleet, came through the cracks in the
car, and stung the faces of those within.
Mrs. Bankers had seen three winters at
Woodrver, but her friend, young woman
who had come out to western Nebraska to
fpapb school i'm nvnrv oapea q
foot" and the experience of this wild
night had almost driven her mad.
"There they are" whispered Bankers.
The women put their eyes to a crack,
and when a flash came they could see
reef of feathered heads that formed half
circle around house, like a feather boa
about a woman's neck. Half the band
dismounted, and made rush for the cot
tage. The door was broken, and the red
devils swarmed in. One of them took
newspaper and lighted it at the open fire.
place to make torch, and by the light of
it the little party in the stock car could see
the Sioux running, half crouchng, from
room to room, in search of the occupants.
Finding the place deserted, and smarting
under their disappointment, the Indians
now set fire to the house, and by the light
of it started to loot the railroad station,
which stood less than a hundred Yards
away.
The station agent had been warned, as
the others had been, by a Pawnee scout,
but had bravely refused to leave his post.
He had made no light, but sat in one end
of the dark little room which served as
ticket office, telegraph office, and sleeping
room, and, as the Indians approached,
opened fire. AT the very first shot the
leader of the murderous band leaped high
into the air, came down on his feet, leaped
up again, and again, and finally fell in
heap to rise no more. With a deafening
yell the angry band made a rush for the
door, and began to beat against it with
tomahawks, clubs, and guns.
Having emptied his rifle, the agent now
took up pair of forty-fve caliber revolvers,
and the lead fairly ratified against the door,
and no less than half dozen ir-lifters
sank to the platform, causing the besiegers
to fall back space. From distance they
began to pour the lead into the building,
but the agent, crouching behind the little
iron safe, was still unhurt An Indian
brought torch from the burning cottage
and attempted to fire the station, but the
rain and wind put out the fire. Two or
three Sioux, noticing string of cars upon
the siding, began to search for stock or
eatable freight. From car to car they ran,
thrusting their rifles into the straw. "Uh,"
said an old buck, as his rifle found some
thing soft in one of the cars, and Bankers
felt pain in his short ribs. Laying hold
OF the side OF the car, the Indian began to
pull and strain. By the merest chance he
had taken hold of the car door, and now,
as it opened, he thrust his hideous head
inside.
Bankers could have blown the top of the
head off, but he knew that to fire would be
to attract dozen redskins, against whom
he could not hope to hold out long. The
women scarcely breathed. The baby. full
of paregoric, slept as though it had already
entered upon its final rest. The other two
Indians had given up the search among
the empty cars and gone back to the station,
where the agent, having reloaded all his
weapons, kept the gang hopping and dane
ing about the station platform. The old
Sioux at the car door cooked his head and
listened. He must have fancied he heard
something breathe, for now he put his
hands upon the sill and leaped into the car.
lie had scarcely Strengthened up when
Bankers rifle barrel fell across his feather
ed head, and he dropped like beef. The
young woman uttered faint scream, and
CHdG was Ilc ldSJ SOunu JlaG came from
her corner for some time.
The Sioux never moved a finger, and
Bankers, having removed the warriors |
gun and ammunition, gave the gun over |
to his wife, and then covered the dead
Sioux with straw. Already the little |
frame cottage had burned to the ground. |
and the rain had nearly quenched the fire. |
Every attempt made by the band to fire
the station had ended in failure, and the
Sioux were now preparing to storm the
fort. 1t was hard for Bankers to keep
quiet in the car while the agent sold his
life so bravely and so dearly to the Sioux;
but there were his wife and baby and the
helpless schoolmistress, who had been per
suaded by the Bankers to come to this wild
region, and he felt it his duty to protect
them as best he could. Presently he felt
the car vibrate perceptibly, as though it
were being rolled slowly along the rail.
His first thought was that the Indians were
pushing the empty cars down near the sta
ton, and that they would set fire to the
straw, and then there would be no posi-
BILE escape. Now there was a roar as of
an approaching train, and an instant later
a great dark object hove in sight and rolled
past the car. II was locomotive drawing
A dozen box cars and running without a
headlight. The shouts of the besiegers,
,he rattle of rifles, and the wild cry of the
night prevented the Sioux from feeling the
or hearing the sound, of the ap-
train.
The agent, who had been severely
wounded, now CraWled tO the kav and |