The Irish standard., 1901-03-23

Dc eSCOfIeu. Dean nau not yet July
recovered strength, but anxiety lent
him energy.
eff Mr.. Folsom says there is need
of cavalry guard at the Laramie, it
is because he breads another Indian
visit, colonel. l have nine men in
good shape. Our horses are fresh, or
will be after a few hours rest. May
push on to-night??"
And to the young soldiers surprise
, the elder placed trembling hand
upon his shoulder and looked him
earnestly into the eyes. "Dean, my
boy, it's my belief you cannot start
too soon. Do you know who Lii
Zette is?"
'l've heard the Story" said Mar
shall, briefly. "She must have been
lowering about there for some time"
eyes, and now her people know it,
and it will rekindle their hatred. The
moment l heard of this I sent old
Bat to watch the crossing at La
Bonte. Not an hour ago this came in
by the hand of his boy" and the
colonel held out a scrap of paper.
1t was rude Photograph, rough
sketch, map-like, of winding river
another and smaller one separated
from the first by a chain of noun
tains. The larger one was decorated
by a fag-pole with stars and stripes
at the top and Il figure with musket
and bayonet at the bottom. The
smaller one by a little house, with
ice,
Il woman beside it. Above all, its
head over the mountains pointing to-
ward the house, it's tail extending
north of the bigger stream, was a
comet-the "totcm" or sign of the
Ogallalla lover of LiZette. The story
was told ut a glance. Burning Star
was already south of the Platte and
lurking i'm the mountains near Fol-
SONS ranch.
That night. toward ten o'clock, an
anxious council was held. Halbert
Folsom, fevered by his severe wound,
was lying half-unconscious on his bed,
his unhappy wife wandering aimlessly
about at times. wringing her hands
and weeping, evidently unbalanced by
the terrors that had beset her of
late and the tidings of that awful
Indian revenge along the Big Horn.
Silent. helpful. almost commanding,
liinor spent the hours sometimes at
her brothers bedside, then at that
of her sisterinlnw when the poor
creature could be induced to lie still
a moment. The burly little son and
heir, long since sound asleep in his
cradle, was watched over by Jessie,
whose heart huttcred in dread she
dare not say of what. Twice that
afternoon she had seen whispered con-
fercnces between old Folsom and Lam
Mon. She knew that for some bet
ter reason than that he was over
persuaded by Pappoose, Mr.. Folsom
had not carried out his project of
sending them back to Gate City. She
saw that he made frequent visits to
the cellar and had changed the ar
rangement of the air ports. She
noted that the few ranch hands hung
about the premises all day. their
rifles ever within reach, and that
often Mr.. Folsom took the glasses and
searched the rold to Frayne. She saw
that earth was being heaped up in
| places against the ranch where the
walls were thin or made OF boarding.
She saw that water and provisions
were being stored in the cellar, and
she knew that it could all mean only
one thing-that the Indians were
again in force in the neighborhood,
and that an Indian siege was immi-
nent.
And all this time Pappoose, though
very brave, was so still and SO intent
upon her duties. Even when supper
was served for the ranch people in the
kitchen that evening. as the-sun went
down, Jess noted that two of the
men kept constantly in saddle, rid
ing round the buildings and anxiously
scanning the open prairie on every
side. There were only six men all
told now, including Folsom (of course
not counting Hal, who was defense
less), altogether too small number
to successfully protect so large knot
of buildings against an insidious and
powerful foe.
Darkness settled down upon the VAL
ley, and, though calm and collected,
Folsom seemed oppressed by the deep
est anxiety. Every now and then he
would step forth into the night and
make circuit of the buildings, ex-
change n word in low tone with some
, invisible guardian, for, heavily armed,
| the employees were gathered at the
| main building. and the wife and chill
| dren of the chief herdsman were as
| signed to Il room under its roof. Par
| ticularly did Folsom pet and encourage
the dogs. two of them splendid mastiffs
in whom Hal took unusual pride. Then
he would return to his sons bedside,
bend anxously over him and lay low
ing hand on l'appoose's lustrous hair
1t must have been ten o'clock and 9
night wind was rising, making the oc'
casonal cry OF the coyotes even more
weird and qurrulous, when they heard
the sudden. fierce challenge of Troop
err. the kccncst finest of the mastiffs
and instantly his bark was echoed by
the rush and scurry of every canine or
} the place. The men on the porch
sprang to their feet and Folsom
FASTENED out to join them. The dog:
|, had charged in the darkness toward
the northeast, and somewhere out II
that direction were now all furiousl,
barking. Aloft the skies were heavily
clouded. The moon was banked ana
, not a glimmer of light shone on eartl
or heaven. Suddenly, afar out over thu
| :,,s. ,,1,, I,