The Iola register., 1900-11-09

bring his horses in in best possible con-
dition, despite all their hard service;
yet now. barely two o'clock on this hot
June afternoon, came most unlocked
for, most importunate interruption
TO his plans. Springing { o the gate at
the sergeant's summons, he first direct
cd his gaze to the distant peaks. recog-
nized instantly the nature of the smoke
puffs there rising. then turned for eX-
planation to the swift-riding courier.
whose horses heels were making the
dust fly from the eun-dried soil. One
ortwo ranch hands. with anxious faces.
came Fastening over from the corral.
The darky cook rushed up from the
kitchen, rifle in hand. Plainly those
fellows were well used to wars alarms.
Mrs. Folsom, with staring eyes and
dreadful anxiety In her face, gazed
only at the hurrying courier. clingiug
the while to the pillar of the portico,
as though needing support. The smoke
puffs on the mountain, the dust-cloud
back of the tearing rider were symp-
toms enough for Dean.
"Get in your herd. sergeant" he
shouted, at the top of his voice; and
over the rushing of the Laramie his
words reached the rousing bivouac,
and saddle blankets were sent swing
ing in air in signal to the distant
guards, and within "a few seconds every
horse was headed for home; and then,
to the sound of excited voices was add
ed the rousing thunder of scores of
bounding hoofs. as. all in Il dust-cloud
of their own. the sixty chargers came
galloping in. ears erect, eyes ablaze,
nostrils wide, names and tails stream
ing in the blaze, guided By their eager
guards full tilt for camp. Out ran
their riders. brides in hand, to meet
and check them, every horse when
within few yards of his master seem
ing to settle on his launches and plow
up the turf in the sudden effort to
| check his speed. long months Of service
on the plains and in the heart of Indian
| land having taught them in times Of
alarm or peril that the quicker they
reached tie guiding hand and bore,
| each. his soldier on his back. the
/ quicker would vanish the common foe.
Even before the painting steed Of the
! headlong courier came within hailing
| distance of the ranch, half the horses
in the troop were caught and the bits
were rafting between their teeth; 4;
! then, as the messenger tore along the
gentle slope that led to the gateway,
his wearied horse laboring painfully
a. the rise, Mrs. Folsom recognized one
] r l., -b1
had lived long years in Wyoming and
could be unnerved by no false alarm,
and her voice went up in shrek of
fear as she read the tidings in his al
most ghastly face.
"Where is HALF" she screamed. "oh,
what has happened?"
Hes safe" was the answering call,
as the rider waved reassuring hand,
but at the instant he bent low.
THANK God. you're here. lieutenant"
he gasped. Mount quick. Halls cor
rallied two miles out there under the
butte-Sioux!" And then they saw
that he was swouuiug, that the blood
was streaming down the left thigh and
leg, and before hand could help him,
dust at his horses feet. and the weary
creature never even started.
"saddlc up, mcn!" rang the order
across the stream. and then while
strong arms lifted aud bore the wouud-
ed herdsmau to the porch, Dean turned
to the wailing mistress, who, white
faced and tcrror-strickon. was wiring
ing her hands and moaning and rum
ming wildly up and down the walk and
calling for some one TO go and save
her husband. Dean almost bore her to
a chair and bade her fear nothing. He
and his men would lose not a moment.
On the floor AT her feet lay the little
card photograph. and Dean, hardly
thinking what he did, stopped, picked
it up and placed il in the pocket of his
hunting shirt. Just as the trumpeter
on his plunging gray reached the gate,
Deans big, handsome charger trutting
swiftly alongside. In an instant the
Lieutenant was in saddle. in another
second a trooper galloped up with his
belt and carbine. Already the men
were leading into line across the
stream, and, bidding the trumpeter tell
Sergt. Shaughnessy to follow at speed
the young officer struck spur to his
horse and, carbine in hand, a single
trooper at his heels. away he darted
down the valley, troop, splashing
through the ford a moment later, took
the direct road past the stockade of
the corral disappeared from sight a
moment behind that wooden fortifca-
tion and, when next it hove in view, it
was galloping front into line far down
the Laramie, then once more vanished
behind its curtain of dust.
1.-TWO miles out there under the
butte" was the only indication the
young officer had of the scene of the
fight, for fight he knew it must be,
and even as he went bounding down
the valley he recalled the story of the