River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-08-22

and her fingers held the paper of
death. The night was very black.
Suddenly she heard a crying out.
Women and men were shouting back
there by the town. She walked in
that direction. The shouting was in
creased, and there was a scurrying
about near two matched huts.
"The ants! The warrior ants" was
the shout.
She came nearer to a hut. Men in
sandals went leaping with torches.
There was a strange cracking in the
matches. Behold the ground was
black with marching millions. scor-
pions, lizards, spiders ran terror
stricken from that army. The matches
were being pierced by thousands Of
unseen marauders. Human beings,
selling all things of value, fled crying
into the night.
These ants march in terrible bat
talions. There is no way known to
man to stop them. They have their
officers. They select a goal. On they
come, and all things fee before. a
hous is overrun. Every living thing.
or piece of food, vanishes. All other
insects are devoured. Men must absent
themselves till the ants depart. Re
turning, all is bare. The army has
conquered, devastated, passed on.
Fascinated, she stood with some
sandaled laborers, who. on the out
skirts Of this scene of ruin, watched
it by torchlight.
"Where will they 90 next?" cried
one.
"Yonder, yonder, IN that direction.
See! The vanguard is already advanc-
ing thitLer!"
She beheld the leading battalion
forming in tours, and heading away
across the barren field. She looked
up. A strange chill ran over her. That
ironpost, yonder by the gorge stood
in their track.
At midnight she passed Stirge's
house, and he was going in. His door
was open and faint light shone on
him. She paused, where he saw her.
She looked at him, with her soul in
her eyes, and he spurned her. Her
bad self famed up. She ran away,
wild with hate. She stood a moment
under the palms, and there diabolic
purpose came to her.
1t had long been custom in this
district to lead the culprit out very
early in the morning. Chained in
darkness to the post, he was con
fronted by priest. The black hours
dragged on, giving the criminal that
most solemn season for repentan, l.
Five soldiers and an officer were sta
toned near. When dawn came, and
they could clearly see, they fred.
At eleven o'clock a detachment of
soldiers had arrived. About one, Otilia
came to the door of the decrepit bar
racks. The captain had orders to
obey the chief of police. She came to
him and said: my brother is i'll. His
servants are sitting with him. So he
sent me with this order"
She disappeared. The captain read
the command for the Immediate exc
cution of one Stirge, American.
Saxon schemer was seized in bed.
They put on him clothes somewhat
similar to those worn by runners in
athletic contests, so that he was near
~ naked. In the night they led him
out and on through the black mango
grove. In that stony field hy the
gorge they chained him to a post. A
priest came, was received with
naughty contempt, and went away.
Silence, darkness, weird waiting for
the dawn. The gold-maddened dream
er was stole. He was as iron as the
post and chain, Out of the night shad-
ows ghost-yoice called from Wonder
in the rocks:
Il can free you. I can yet free you.
Tell me once more you love me, and
life is yours"
He did not answer. The soldiers be-
loved her crazy, or thought that St.
Mary had come down.
at is l who brought you here. Give
me your heart, and it is / who shall
take you away"
AlI lAE Nv " as Ntb OlclChs ne tlItl IlOD
answer. What stole, beyond mans
dreams of stoicism, was that man of
Anglo-SaXon blood! Ay, Indians can
endure. Savages can suffer and emit
no sound. But of all Gods creatures
there is none so strong as the Ameri-
can steeled to bear.
There was wild war in her. She had
meant to torment him. She had not
meant that he be shot. She could
never consent to kill, her better self
was too timid. But his spurning had
crazed her. At dawn, she thought,
sinking down on the rocks, she would
confess the substituted name, release
him. But the second self joyed in tor
ture.
The dawn came. Yes, the chained
mans face began to show a little,
white, out of the shadow. The cap
tain formed his five men and babe
them be ready. So, the day thus slow
ly coming, they stood waiting till they
could see; and he stood yondcr, his
arms chained high up on the post.
The minutes went by. The scene
was wild and rocky. The east began
to family glow. Strange-strange
As no aDrearad vet n li++lo ,lo,,,.,.