The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-09-22

Slllll dllO iSSSlISS, Tic WHILE SIulluc Skill
fringe as bright and spotless as if they
had just been placed there. The skin on
the face had shrivelled and dried down
tightly over the bones; the thick black
hair neatly parted and braided, still re.
tanned its shining luster. One of the
dried stiff hands held medicine rattle;
the other grasped the handle of sacred
rouch. filled no doubt with many a curl
Gus thing. These the Scribbler took .s
his legitimate spoils
| mo tCshes here exclaimed the Old
Timer impatiently. Men never move EN-.
| Well, let's open another IA e.5.g :.
| AS quietly as they could and with
many a guilty start when the rails
sQueaked, Of. en- stopping to listen, strain
| Ing their eyes in their endeavo- to pierce
the intense darkness in the direction CT
| the camp, they opened box after box
and unrolled the contents, invariably
bound and wrapped in quilts and blankets
Six boxes lad been opened and not 4
| tush found. The Scribbler, however, had
collected and placed in a pile a lot Of
old-tlme weapons, PIPES, ornaments and
| medicine things, which fully repaid him
| for his trouble, even if he got no tushes.
| They spried open the seventh box, and
when the last wrapping had been removed
the lamp flashed upon a buckskin dress
| garnished with large elk tushes, row
after row Of them extending from the
neck to the waist. That's the one,''
| whispered the Old Timer excitedly, that's
| the one I was looking for and Sitting
the gown lengthwise and down the sleeves
he jerked it loose from the dried bones
and flesh it encased.
| Just then they heard a great conaotion
over at the camp; excited calls and yclls,
and next the rapid beat of horses hoofs
| on the dry hard ground coming nearer
| and nearer. III - .-r..
| Quick get on your horse and ride for
your life," said the Old Timer
| A moment later the two decorators of
| graves were fairly flying up the nil,
setting the spurs inc the horses at eve-y
jump. Up over the ridge, down the otne:
| side and across wide streach of rolling
| prairie, regardless of the darkness, OF
badger holes and washouts, they urged
their animals onward unit! the poor beasts
gasped for breath and could run no fur
ther then they stopped and listened. Not
sound was to be heard save the long.
| drawn melancholy howl of a wolf far to
| the westward. .s-...5 ..-' s.ss 49,.
4
| sueth," quoted the Scribbler -. r.
| "Huh!'' the other answered. eve were
pursued all right enough, but no Indian
eayuse. is a match for these fleet-footed
horses of mine. Thank your stars that
you rode one of them tonight Say, lid
you save any of that medicine stuff?'
mot thing; not even pipe. hadn't
| time"
'Well, I've got the cross here, never
let go of it. Come on, let's get home al
soon as possible
! When daylight came they stopped at 4
| little stream for a drink and then cut
| the tushes from the dress; there we~e
800 of them, nearly all large, perfect an
beautifully colored. Placing them il III:
saddlebags. they hurried on again and az
| rived at the ranch in time for the earl.
| breakfast. Aunt Maria was greatly
pleased with their success. Sell tie:
| as quickly as you can she sai7. ct
think my share of the proceeds viii Il
about pay for that new buggy I We.
and want it right away s
| Several days passed by and thn1
! afternoon an Indian from Elk Moon:
| camp, looking for some stray ro.iss
! came to the ranch. After he had stoWet
| away such large dinner that Aurl!
Maria thought he would burst, and lai
| been provided with pipe and tobacco, hi
| .unfolded a wild and hair-raising sto~,
| of ghost that desecrated the grave,
of his kindred and stampeded sc-,.
| ponies so badly that they had left Ii.
| country. Att least, they couldn't bt
/ found.
| 1--WE were sitting in Elk Moons lodge
The said, talking and smoking, when one
of the women, happening to go outside
suddenly cried out that she could see
| ghost on the hillside by the graves W.
all rushed out and stood looking; W,
knew right away that something wal
wrong, for the six ponies picketed on tn.
fat near our cabins were running about
at the ends of their ropes and snortini
uneasi1y. Pretty soon we saw the ghos.
he was standing near the graves 1ookina
right at us, and his body shone with {
white, bright light. We saw him on1,
for the space of lightning fash ant
then all was dark again. The womer
screamed, the children cried, the horse.
broke their ropes or pulled the picket
pins and disappeared. We were scared
'oh, much scared, and we all ran int
Elk Moons cabin, fastered the door, Gov
;ered the windows and remained tree
until morning. As SCOT as daylight earn:
we were not afraid. for ghosts never no.
lest people in the daytime; they go array
somewhere and hide. So we went OH
and looked around. The graves OF or
relatives had been pulled down We wei
over there and found that the g:,o~t 81
torn open the boxes. Skeletons. blankets,
quilts, were scattered all arourd; . 10:
of weapons ana medicine things had beer
placed in a little pile and the elk t--FI
dress OF Elk Moons dead wife was miss.
ing"
.I suppose the ghost took it, the Old
Timer remarked.
yes, Of course" the Indian replied
1--WE think we know who the ghost was:
long time ago Elk Moon killed sious
medicine man in battle. Likely tho
Sioux's spirit has been wandering around
all these years looking for his slayer, and
| now that he has found where Elk Moon
| lives we fear he will do lis great harm
| Only last night woman heard Elm
| prowling about the lodges, and we had to
get up and build fires to scare him ava .
| All this the Old Timer translated 20
Aunt Maria and the Scribbler, as I.
| Indian frequently paused and took fsry
| whiffs from his pipe. After a little III:
Indian continued: And now, Lefthand,
I did not come here to-day in search CT
ponies alone. also came to ask your
aid. We Indians are poor people; after
our relatives and friends are once dead
and put away we dare not touch them
again, for our religion forbids it Our
hearts are sad to see their remains scat
tered out there on the prairie, food for
the wolves and storms. But white men
3 are different: they fear nothing on this
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