The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-07-25

Wnlcn DTOkc up into little knOts WITH
much noisy jest and babbling. Old
Teenat strobe through the dissolving
groups without answering any of the
wouldjse witticisms flung Mt him.
Blue Heron linked his arm through
that of Homework. and said: ''Come
on! Let us get the woman; I want
to be Off"
They found her standing by her
fathers wickiup; her mother, sit
ting on the ground before smolder-
ing FIRE of sage brush, appeared to be
absorbed in watching the contents of
O tin can which was simmering on the
Goals. Teenat was occupied in cinch-
Ing up blind old pack horse, and
paid no attention to the young men.
"Looesa, this is Blue Heron" said
Homework, at once, sulky and shame
faced. you belong to him now."
The girl regarded them with blaz-
ing eyes. II belong neither 10 you
nor to him." she said. with concen-
trated fury in her tones. ~ will stay
here"
"You will not" asserted Kone-
woc&, taking hold of her, none too
gently.
The girl screamed, and old Teenat
turned, but did not stir from his
place. He was man of substance
and character, much respected among
his people, the Yakimas. Let be-"
he said, briefly; my daughter is not
a slave to be gambled for over n
blanket. She goes with me-"
Homework dropped the girls arm
and turned to Blue Heron, question:
ingly. The latter only laughed, as
usual, observing (freely translated
into English vernacular): "Well, it
seems you can't deliver the goods!
I'm not looking for a fight. I am
satisfied With the plunder 1 have. 1
only accepted the wager to please
you. Ta-ta!" Turning lightly on his
heel he went away.
Homework shortly followed, sulky
and sore, and half an hour later the
two might have been observed, il
every one had not been too busy
with his own affairs to give them
any further thought, plotting to-
gether under the high banks Of the
coulee. AS q matter of fact, Blue
Heron was not so indifferent to the
girls rejection as it had pleased him
to appear. He rather piqued himself
upon his personal appearance. and
was not wont to sue in vain. He con-
sidered that he had fairly won the
young squaw, and lent himself read
hy to Konewock's suggestions, with
the result that when Teenat's family,
several miles on their home
ward trail, camped for the night, two
horsemen hobbled their ponies be-
hind q hillock not far away. The
first time Looesa ventured abroad
among the uncertain shadows search
ing for fagots to feed the dying fire.
two pairs of sinewy arms seized and
gagged her and bore her away with
out sound of struggle or cry to alarm
her relatives, and five minutes later
little Indian pony was making record
time, despite its double load. in the
Of the Blue mountains. amid
whose recesses Blue Heron intended
to lose himself until the pursuit ives
given over. For he did not doubt
that the young men Of the Yakimas
would make Teenat's cause their own.
When Blue Heron considered that
II was safe to do SO, he removed the
gag from between Looesa's teeth and
set her down on the ground beside
his pony's head; he still retained his
hold of the RATA with which his cap
tive's wrists were bound, and thus
forced her to walk beside him until
his windcd steed had recovered itself,
when he lifted her in front of him
and again loped away at full speed.
the unshod hoofs of his pony beating
softly on the sandy plain. 1t was
Blue Heron's intention to reach the
Walla Walla, ford it by break of day,
and. following it up into the foothills,
cross over the divide at his leisure
hiu CoiuC uO"h ihto Ohc CdhyOu VI
the Grande Ronde. This he could de-
scend to its junction with the Snake,
and thence get him home to Fort
Lapwai with his prime without much
danger Of interruption.
For n week the days had been like
the opaline chamber of a hollow shell,
the nights like crystal goblet inlaid
with gems, saturating the earth with
balm from its inverted bowl. But
this night was black and breathless.
the moon, in its third quarter, was
not yet risen, and though the sky
seemed cloudless, few stars were Wis
ible. The heat which rose from the
desert, instead of losing itself as usual
among wide, cool spaces of fluent air,
settled back on the earth, as II shut
in by . great lid; not even cricket
chirped; the death-like, brooding 81
lence was pregnant with menace.
The fleeing trio, horse and woman
and man, were oppressed for breath
and damp with sweat as they hurried
through the night, pausing
now and again for moments respite,
and anon racing through the black