Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-04-30

prOacneS from the uOOr TO the Deu.
A dog, mongrel cur that no i'll
treatment could drive from .Judy's
side, growled at him, whereupon Judy
spoke to the dog and, looking at the
little boy, said in her queer Donovan
English, "What you name?"
archibald Morrison Baynot," re-
piled the child, with his hands be-
hind him, and then added, "That's a
nice dog; is it yours?"
eyes," said Judy, with grim smile
at the only good word her wretched
companion had ever received. Then,
in spite of curling of the dogs lip
over its cleaning teeth, the boy ven
tured to pat its head. And somehow
Judy thought of Dancing Flame. And
when Archie went on to tell of dog
that he owned, she showed SO much
interest that he got quite enthusiastic.
And she asked the little fellow to
come and see her again, which he did,
and they talked together, he with the
pretty braggadocio of boy child and
she with ready assent and quick SYM
pathy.
Finally the doctor pronounced Judy
we'll and the captain dismissed her
with few words; 81 hear that you
are an honest, Woodworking woman,
Judy" he said, $50 I've had the men
build you wooden house of your own
that you are to pay for in work. I'll
give you plenty of time. I only ask
you to keep it clean and to take care
of yourself. Now you may CO."
There is no word in the Wachapi
for "Thank you," but Judy shook
hands with the captain and said, "All
right, sor."
And after this when Judy, with old
Comachsen, was fairly established in
her wooden house, Archie came often
to visit her and she gave him queer
woodland treasures, things that boys
love, such as birds eggs and the skins
of small animals. the rattles from a
fve-button snake and strings of wam-
pun and red berries. And she made
him bow and arrow in true Indian
style, with q quiver of martens skin
head and tail complete, and taught
him all the lore of the forest, so that
he talked knowingly of "signs" and
knew the notes of many beasts and
birds.
1t was Archie who took me, the
writer of this chronicle, to call on
Judy one summer when I was the
guest of his father. This was two
years after the captain had taken
charge of Wachapi and Judy was liv-
ing III comfort, with vegetable patch
and cows and pigs, all of which she
had acquired by her own thrift and
labor under the new order of things.
Often have I seen her and Archie
hand in hand entering the verge of
the forest just back of the captains
quarters on their way to examine cer-
tain traps that they had set upon the
hillside near the hume, the child's
fair, bright face upturned to the dark,
melancholy features of the Indian wo-
man as he eagerly prattled of their
ventures.
I had been at Wachapi about n
month and summer was drawing to u
close. The season had been unusual
ly hot and dry and vagrant fires start.
ed by careless hunters and prospectors
had spread in the bush.
One night the trees were ablaze
along the edge of the road q mile be-
low the agency and the Crazy river
turned on awful red as it crept by
beneath the shelter of its banks. The
next morning the mountains were
hidden behind blue veil and out of
this concealment came ut intervals
great pillows of yellow smoke, rolling
upward in a pale, lurid glare. Indeed
it seemed at times as though the
world was all. on fire.
The captain and I were standing on
his porch looking at this threatening
display when one of the Indians came
in and reported that a fire had
started on the hills back of the post
l could see that this made the captain
uneasy, although, as he explained to
me. the clearing for the fume, which
extended along the side of the hill for
several miles, would act as safe
guard in a certain measure. He had
just said this when Mrs. Baynot ap-,
peared at the front door and called
out in that quiet, tense tone that pre-
ludes tragedy, George, can't find
Archie"
'Tsn't he in the house?" asked the
captain.
"No." replied his wife, her voice
trembling, ave looked everywhere,
and she clasped her hands so tightly
that the knuckles grew white.
"Maybe he is with judy" said the
captain.
"No, no, no." protested Mrs. Bay
not. "He was in the yard little
while ago. He couldn't have crossed
the parade grounds without our seeing
him. He must have gone into the
woods" And at this she burst into
tears.
The captain, somewhat alarmed,
hurriedly gave her word of comfort
and passing through the hall went ont
into the back yard, I following. The
woods were so hazy with smoke that
we could see but a short distance, and
the cries of frightened birds and small
creatures constantly deceived us and
decoyed US hither and thither to no
purpose. Then as we stood for min
ute rubbing our infamed eyes and
getting our breath, for the ascent vas
steep. we heard an ominous sound
from afar off; a ripping, tearing noise,
like water forcing itself through the
nozzle Of hose, ending in dull, muf-
fed crash.
"What is it?" I said, staring at the
captains face, which had grown pale
"a tree has fallen" he replied.
And than nv oloi IN oil. ssyVa'ro 1oo;no