Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-07-12
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
Never unless sure of it's ground and
the weakness of the adversary does the
modern Indian band attack at night.
Folsom and his people well knew that
Yet not five minutes after the Indian
girl, faint with exhaustion and dread,
was carried within doors, the big
mastiH challenged again. The dogs
charged furiously out to the northeast
and would not be recalled. For nearly
half an hour they kept up their angry
clamor. Time and again during the
night, suspicious and excited, they
dashed out again and again, and once
sone of them, venturing further than
his fellows, broke suddenly into loud
cries of mingled pain and rage, and
when at last he came whining piteous-
dy back to the ranch it was found that
he was bleeding from cash along the
flank, where an Indian arrow haG
scared him. Only by fits and starts did
any man sleep. Hour after hour Fol-
SONS little garrison was on the alert.
The women had all been moved to the
deep, dry cellar, Mrs. Hal moaning over
her baby, utterly unnerved, Jessie
silent, but white and tremulous; the
ed the right to have a gun and fight by
her husbands side; Lizette, the Indian
girl, faint and starved, asked nothing
but to be allowed to crouch at the door
of the room where Halbert lay, fevered
and unconscious, and Pappoose, scorn-
ing danger, fitted from her brothers
bedside to her fathers log-barricade at
the east porch. In dread anxiety the
4, L. Ice
reached forth his hand and pulled the
shirtsleeve of his comrade Jake, half
doing at his side. In an instant the
latter was kneeling at his post. ''What
is it?" he queried, and Lannion, point
ing to the first faint, pallid CLEAN i'll
the eastern sky, whispered: thine to
be up, man. It's coming"
For half an. hour, except for the rush
ing of the Laramie, a silence almost un-
earthly had brooded over the prairie,
and even the dogs seemed lulled to
sleep. But now, as the cold light crept
slowly over the distant range, and
soft flush began to overspread the pal
ior of the dawn, far out over the valley
the yelp of a coyote began again and
all men strained their ears and listened,
while strong hands grabbed the growl-
ing dogs and pinned them to earth, for.
beginning at the east, the cry was
taken up on every side. Folsom's
ranch seemed beleaguered by the
gaunt, half-famished wolves of the up
Land prairies. "Look to your sights,
now, men! Down into the cellar, Pap
poose!" exclaimed Folsom, kindling
with fierce excitement. '.Tve been the
friend of all that tribe for 80 years,
but when they break faith with me
and mine that ends it! Look to your
sights and make every shot count" he
cautioned, as he made the rounds of
the little shelters thrown up during
the past two days. 1--WE can stand off a
hundred of 'em if you only keep your
grit"
Perched as it was on little rise. the
ranch stood forth conspicuous oyer the
valley. At the foot of the slope to the
south lay the corral and some of the
buildings, about 100 yards away, where
the shallow Laramie curled and Tapped
beneath their walls, and now the dogs
seemed to concentrate their attention
on that side. Folsom, rifle in hand,
was kneeling on the porch, listening
intently. Two of the hands were with
ILL., OdhC anu
and reliable, had been given independ-
ent posts on the other front, and just
as objects could be dimly recognized
along the flats, there burst upon the
ears of the little garrison a sudden
chorus of exultant yells. A tongue OF
fame leaped upward from beyond the
Iuts lately occupied by the ranchmen
The half-used haystacks caught and
held one moment the fiery messenger
and then in a broad glare that Redeemed
the flood of the Laramie for miles anC
lighted up the ranch like a sunburst
gave forth huge column of blaze an6
smoke that could be seen far over the
Black Hills of Wyoming, and all thu
valley seemed to spring to instant life
On every side arose the stirring wal
cry of the Sioux, the swift beat O
pony hoofs, the ring of rife, and brave
John Folsom's heart sank within hin
as he realized that here was no mer,
marauding party, but powerful bant
organized for deliberate vengeance
The bullets came whistling through
the morning air, biting fiercely int,
the solid logs. scattering the climbing