Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-04-01
THE INDIANS MILL SA w

II IlI llXDlhlN0Sl1 l1lA1 liza w
"Oh, dear, was there ever such 9 lonesome
country as this = II
And Milly Rogers stood IN the door Of the
little log house that was her home and gazed
desolately across the river valley to the hills,
two miles away, and up and down the length
of the valley, winding but level, as far as she
could see. d
The early spring landscape did not please
her eyes, for they had gazed upon the wooded
| hillsides of Ohio during the IL years Of
!: her life, and to them the new Kansas, the
Kansas Of IL years ago, was barren and lone
some. x 81 FIG
The green had not yet begun to assert itself
in the dried brown of the prairie grass, nor in
the strip Of trees that followed the narrow,
high-banked river, upon whose edge their
house was built-the bare-boughed trees that
now roared and crashed in the strong wind
that swept off the hills /
Papa and mamma said they would surely
be home by noon, and here it's quarter
past, and I'm getting so scared. Last night,
when they thought was asleep, papa was
reading about those dreadful Indians that
have broken away from the reservation and
are going back to the north through Kansas,
and they are burning all the houses and kill
ing all the people, and they are only hun
dred miles west of us"
She was shivering now until her teeth
shattered and her brown eyes were large and
bright, as she went on, speaking in half
whisper.
And mamma was scared, too. know,
cause she commenced to cry and said: oh,
John! what if they should come here! What
would we do?'"
Milly turned and looked up the valley. The
high, bleached prairie grass waved and bent
in the roaring wind, and save for that the
valley was unbroken-but yet, what was
that, so far away, rising above the waves?
Milly turned winter yet and her heart
seemed to stop beating.
A dark line rose in sight afar of-a con-
fused mass, with something bristling aloft
That surely was not there when she had
looked before. To her frightened eyes that
narrow streak of black was band of the
dreaded Indians, bearing aloft their battle
spears.
She looked helpelssly out south, where, at
the foot of the first hill, their nearest neigh
Dor lived-two long miles away.
|Somers have big family" she painted,
"and they would just as soon take care of
me, too, and they won't be afraid, cause
Bert's most Is, and l heard him say the
other day that he would like to have a
chance at Indian fighting. I'll saddle Pony
and hurry right over.'
Still white and trembling, though now &C.
tive, she ran to the barn and buc5led the
saddle on her little pony. She was too hur-
ried to go off after her bonnet, so she
snatched off her Bingham pinafore and tied it
about her head
AS she urged her pony out of the barn
yard she could almost hear the yells of the
Indians and the sound of their horses feet,
but she could not be certain because of the
wind roaring in her ears, and she did not
have the courage to turn her head and look
at them.
Milly had always boosted that Pony, the
only consolation she had in her enforcement
from her old home, was feeter, in spite of
diminutive size, than any horse in the coun-
try, but to-day she told herself that he posi-
lively crept, and that it was two hours be-
fore she neared her place of refuge.
The Somers family, finishing their dinner,
heard hoofbeats on the road and rushed out
doors just as a black pony clattered up, bear
ing white-faced little maid with unbranded
brown hair flying and blue bingham apron
tied over her head, and followed by lolling-
tongued yellow dog.
The pony suddenly stopped and Milly
dropped off, breathless little heap, into big
Bert Somers' arms.
'.Bless the child" exclaimed good, mother
ly Mrs. Somers, in concern. "Whatever is
the matter? If your mas sick, or your pa
hurt, tell us, and we'll go right over.'
Milly chung to Mrs. Somers in her struggle
for breath and articulation, and pointed
trembling finger down the valley as she
stammered:
''The Indians! They must be at our house
by this time. Papa and mamma had to go
over the hills to Lime Rock ranch this
morning to sign some papers, and I was at
home alone when saw the Indians coming,
so I saddled Pony and came over here as
quick as could. They were right down
there when I first saw them, and-well,
declared"
This in more natural, if astonished tone,
as her gaze followed the direction Of her fin
ger. Marshaled in battle array off to the
west, with the spears still held bravely aloft
in air, Milly saw the same dark column that
had SO frightened her at frst-and in the
same place. The Somers' house was in di-
rect line south of her own home, and on
higher ground, so that now the dark line was
not obscured by the tall grass and she could
see that though the lances still waved in the
wind, the Indians were not advancing-the
column was as indistinct as when she
first saw it.
"What is it," She turned perplexed
and questioning face to Bert, but he was
doubled over in an ecstasy of boyish laugh
ter. ', . III -
"What is it, Mr.. Somers?" she asked,
turning to the boys kindly-faced father.
II thought it was a lot of those terrible In