Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-01-10
THERE was no skeleton in the armor

snake. and the tumb weed and sane
he emptied out. Then he had the ar
NOR done up in shelter tent and put
upon a pack mule. After which, the
column moved on. II should not have
hated at all, for it was in pursuit of
band of Indians. But there were bands
of Indians every day, and the finding
of a full suit of armor lying under a
mesquite bush beside their trail was
rare.
When he got back to his two-eom-
pany post on the banks of the ella, he
found the interest in life, which had
been lacking for him up to then, in
charging that knowledge. He sent
east for books and histories and trea-
tises concerning coats of mail and the
men who have worn them, and he even
went so far as to write to the Smith
sonian institution, at the risk of having
a government commission sent out at
once to seize his treasure. And IN the
interval of two months which elapsed
before he received a reply-for the
railroad was only to Kansas in those
days-he set about cleaning the armor
himself, and with his own hands join
ing il together.
He was so occupied, what with that
and the histories and the other books,
that he forgot TO have ella bottom ma
laria and had no time TO worry about
the flies. Then, when the steel was
once more bright as the azure shield OF
Achilles, and he had proved to his own
and to everyone's satisfaction that il
must have once protected the body OF
one Of Coronado's men, and must date
from the middle of the sixteenth cen
fury, or thereabout, he hung it up in
his one-room adobe quarters, a.ong
with the Indian trophies that were as
nothing now and the bottled reptiles
Of many sorts; and the fame OF II
spread through the land. An English
lord, in a pith helmet and gray linen,
who was going about the country, tray-
eled miles out of his way to look upon
it; and a scientific party from Boston
did the same. Hartpole was beginning
to be very proud, when, one day, he had
a visitor of another kind.
II was a man he had seen sometimes
hanging around the agency and the
post--a small, 1.-THE fellow, part Coy
otero Apache, part Mexican, possibly a
very small part white, who had some
reputation as a medicine man with the
tribes, but not much as anything else.
Hartpole was sitting under his
ramada ON a late summer afternoon,
reading a book whose covers curled up
with the heat, when something came
between him and his light, and, looking
up, he saw the medicine man peering
in the opening. He said: "Hullo,
Ciego," and added: "What do you
want, eh?"
Ciego spoke excellent Spanish, and,
as Hartpole did, too, he had no trouble
about making himself understood. He
explained that he would like to see the
suit of iron Clothes which he had been
told that the lieutenant possessed.
The Lieutenant was so pleased to think
that it had been spoken of even in the
OF the Sierra Blanca and Of
the Tonic Basin that he forgot how
dirty Ciego was, and straightway rose
and invited him into the one room.
The medicine-man stood looking at
the armor with an interest and evil
dent appreciation that touched Hart
pole very much. After the manner of
his kind, he said no word, but pres
emily he went nearer and felt of the
plates and chains with his finger-tips,
and put his good eye close and looked
inside. Then he turned to Hartpole.
''Where did you find it?' he asked.
The lieutenant explained at some
length.
as it very old2'
Hartpole said IT was at least three
hundred and thirty odd years old, and
went into little history.
Ciego nodded his head. 81 know"
he said. But that was so manifestly
absurd that Hartpole did not pay any
attention to It. ut is very fine" said
Ciego. For how much will YOU sell
II TO me?" Naturally, Hartpole only
laughed but the Apache was in earnest.
mo" he insisted. look
ing him sharply in the face. "No, de
reras, wish to buy it from you"
''Well, don't wish TO sell, !" answered
the lieutenant, rather vexed at the
mere idea.
II have $500" said the Indian.
'If you had a thousand You could
not have it,"
81 have thousand"
Hartpole laughed again, a little i'm
patiently.
'You do not believe me-look here.
Ciego drew buckskin bag from he
folds Of his sash. IL was fun OF gold.
There are $500 here. In three DAYS I
can bring you $500 more"
HartpO.e guessed how he come by il.
and his temper rose. THAT is stolen
money, he said. angrily: sput Il np.
You can't have the armor. Ukashee."
''You let me have st." begged Ciego:
81 wish il very much. l will do many