The times., 1898-11-27
..Frontier storics.n

tlerSmen, tHat the good inuidfS nave al
gone TO the Indian heaven. Some of the
tales are tragic some not so tragic, and
a few are grimly humorous. None of
them is a love story, unless THE Co UNI
bine of Cripple Creek may be called ty
that name. But the Columbine is the real
heroine of that tale, and the Coiumbine
was not a woman but mine which was
more coy and delusive and finally more
satisfactory than are most maidens.
Little Cayuse" is half-pathetic story
of an Indian waif. adopted by white
pioneer. "Cayuse'' will almost take place
with the fascinating youngsters of Bret
Harte. "A Cowboys Funeral is weird
tale of one of the odd characters, partly
poet and partly outlaw 10 be found
here and there in the West. Staying
the Wild Bull is graphic description
of bull-fght; an open prairie, with two
Sioux for matadors, and buffalo for
the bull. "Injun Fin I'm Paper Talk"
is part of the history of band of out
laws, led by one Hatch-a-Kaw, half
breed, whose grinning skull figures in
the somewhat grewsome finale. "A Quiet
Day in Creede" is title which. after
reading the story of that day, one is in
cined to consider a sarcasm. In the
Hospital contains the description OF the
death of Il conductor In early railroad
days-an episode referred to briefly in
THE Story of the Railroad" The con-
ductor went out to shoot buffalo, and
was caught by Indians He took refuge
under a bluff, where he was for a time
safe. as they could not come in range of
his rifle in front. and the bluff overhung
his retreat, so that they could not reach
him from the top. They then began to
crumble away the top of the wall. tumb-
ling the debris down in front of their vic
tim. AS the bits of rock piled up around
his feet he found 1t impossible to move,
and as the cliff crumbled away 1t made
cloud of dust which prevented his us
ing his rifle with any accurate aim.
"Thcn-
says Mr.. Warman. quoting the old rail-
road man who told him the story
an Indian would hang over the wall, two or
three OF his companions holding 10 his feet and
send poisoned arrow after the conductor
When finally found him he was still
standing upright, with the chalk irom the bluh
piled above his waist. A humber OF arrows were
sticking in his arms and shoulders. Only the
small end Of one stood above his coat. Ii had
entered just behind his cOlarbone, on the left side
Of his neck, and passing downward, the point Of
it had pierced his heart. His head hung upon
his breast. while his helpless hands rested upon
!
"It would he as impossible for me to describe the
expression OF the dead mans face it has been
for me 10 forget it. II was 4 sight to take out
of white mans heart any whit of Christian SYM
pathy he may have harbOred there for his red
| brother. 1t was hard TO look upon there, but
when we had carried the poor fellows body back
| TO his home and borne 1t 10 the door OF a little
white cottage, TO the very spot upon which he
| had kissed his wife and baby good-by only 4 few
days before it harder stfll. When his gray
haired mother bent her stiff knees beside the dead
I grlla IA ftis .-i t,fs
| blue.eyed baby stood staring al the cold white
! face, unable to understand there crept into my
! heart feeling of bitter hatred for those red
devils, which | am afraid | shall never be able
| to overcome" and the sick man sighed and
turned away his face to hide whatever he had in
his eyes
| The story of a lost mine, an old Indian
J and two Mormon boys, sent to be brought
up as Indians that they might be used in
| Christianzing the tribe, is in some re-
spects the most dramatic in the book. II
| is called by the old Indians name. Tick
aboo." The Indian promised one of the
young Mormons Shirtz by name. to show
| him the site of the Josephine mine. and
| he gave this promise because he loved
the young man. The closing pages of
/ the tale may be worth the quoting:
After supper Tickaboo called for his pipe, and
| the smart young man filed it partly with gun
powder and partly with tobacco. The aged chief
l.
and as he began to pull at his pipe he unused on
what lie was about 10 do. For half century he
had held this great secret sacredly in his heart
At last his love for his white friend had tempted
him, standing as he was the edge of the
| grave, 10 show him the ruins Of the old mine.
IF II is right" said he, I'VE shall find it
IL it is wrong there will he some token-Inaybc
| so my mothers ghost will come TO me tonight
| and tell what TO do. More blanket, SON.
Waugh, How the fire spits"
| Shirtz wrapped the old chief warmly in an ex-
ira blanket and the two sat apart and convers-
| ed softly. II prowing lion snapped a twig
the Indian started up and looked for his grand
| mothers ghost. lone coyote stood upon the
canon wall and walled precisely where the two
men had stood that afternoon, and the chief said
that il was the voice OF n dead brave warning
him not to show the lost mine to a white man.
81 am afraid" said the aged Indian the hero
| OF hundred battles shakes like squaw Ticka-
boo, the brave, is walking backward in the night
, and he shall fall, and his bones shall lie by the
| trail TO irighten the cayuse OF the paeface.
These hills will swarm with the Hoseen peso-a-k XII
az the ant hills swarm with ants, and like lean
badgers they will grub in the graves Of my peo-
pie. You were wicked not to let me die yesteF-
day when I could die in peace, with this great
secret locked up in my cold breast
did not your father, Bull-face the brave,
give this secret TO your keepng?" said Shirt,
"and not You trust your scn?''
But you are not of my blood; much as ! love
you, can see the face of the Whit man. and he
is my enemy. You think you love now bu,
when you have seen the face OF your own father,
Tickaboo VIII be no more to you.
"Yes. it is so-thc lambs go with the sheen
the calves with the cattle, and you will forget me
when / am gone. Tickaboo has lived long time
and has seen all his people die, but has nevei
been so troubled as he is tonight. The fire burn
low, the yellow moon is ashamed to shine-th
lean coyote keeps his place the ricks above
| there is much meaning, my son, in all this
Tickaboo. the brave, is more-Tickaboo is
squaw tonight the child of white man stand
between him and his people,
Again the coyote howled on the hill. there wa
fash, puff of smoke, and Tickaboos pipe wen
TO pieces. In vain did the white men endeavor t
persuade the old Indian that it was only jok
and that Shirtz's friend had put powder in tn
/ pipe.
I'll was 4 token-a warming the old man said
and they would go further.
All night the old chief sat wrapped in though
and blankets, gazing into the Pickering fire, an
at the dawn of day the little band began tn
, journey back to the village of the Utes. TIL
little joke OF the white man had cost him and hi
| friend 4 fortune. for Tickaboo could doubles
have found the lost mine, but he alone held III
| secret.
S 1t may seem to the impartial reade
that, all things considered, the old Indial
| was not so foolish after all. These tw
stories are in some respects typical of tn
i | Western mans relations with the In
!, dians, and they, with the others in III
book, are worth some study. This bocl
9 is a sort of complement of THE Story o
/ the Railroad" and those who have on
o should have both. (New York: Charlie
| Scribners Sons.)
! Recent Fiction.
/ "Antigone and Other Portraits of Won
I en- by Paul Bourget, is a series G
) | sketches, six in number translated fo
s American circulation by William Mar