Mower County transcript., 1903-10-28

road, for which he had waited SO long,
could at last be heard approaching. He
withdrew carefully from the head of
the sleeper, and went out to intercept
the riders. 535 Ri @5$ Il
They were splashed with mud and
jaded, moving side by side, their tired
horses snorting flakes Of foam. Thus
more than once the men of New Salem
had come back from chasing horse
thieves, less ready, perhaps, to give
the details of the exploit than were
Shickshack and his companion. Both
drew rein when they saw Antywine,
and he told them directly where Peggy
was. 49, j., =. ( u ... VIA E s5 z.g
Shickshack asked where he found
Aer. He pointed to the road beyond
the cabin, and in his brief Canadian
English repeated what had happened.
Your squaw boy doesn't put up
many tizzlegigs and fireworks, but he
seems to be worth two men," observed
Lincoln. aa5. - : ~..s2 ~. !" T.
His lank hair dripped moisture. He
was haggard with hard riding.
you catch the man., inquired
Antywine. - s7.
NO." Shickshack answered in dis
gust +: - 49, ~"
~''You know him? ?" =
mo. Me not care now" s~, =
"'.He winked out" )" said Lincoln.
1--WE lost him this side of Beardstown.
The closest view we had was when
we nearly ran him down back here.
We intended to raise a party and hunt.
reckon you better bring the little girl
now, so I'VE can get home to break
fast" & -
Shickshack's red face revealed itself
through growing daylight polished like
copper. He gave a strong grunt> of sat-
isfaction when Antywine set Peggy
behind him on the horse. The Cana
dian boy mounted lightly to seat be-
hind Lincoln, and as they rode toward
New Salem a clear whiteness like the
promise of fair weather appeared in
the east. Water hung beaded on the
stems of trees, but great commotion
OF robins came out of the woods.
1t was the general opinion in the vii
lage that Don Pedro Lorimer had
"done it," Why he should put him
| self to the inconvenience of trying to
| carry off such poor little thing many
declared they could not understand.
| All day Lincoln was visited at the
store by inquiring friends, who sat
on counters and salt barrels and inter-
| rogated him about his nights ride.
! He joked, as any man among them
would have done about the hard serv-
ice taken out of borrowed horses, in
| stead Of dwelling on the Indians af-
fairs and the labors of the night
| Lincoln had the strength of three ordi-
nary men.
IT allow" said one of the Carolina
settlers, "that it was an ornary trick
of one of them Grove boys.''
II guess you are wrong there,' put
in Massachusetts man. tfThe Grove
! boys know better than to pick the runt
out of litter. If one of them want
ed to steal a girl he wouldn't go so
nigh the tavern and stop on the out
side.''
The outrage was resented as mu-
nicipal indignity, whoever had at
tempted it; but it stirred less resent
ment than it would have stirred had
| any other young maid in New Salem
been the sufferer. It was talked about
fortnight with zest and much repe-
tition. BY the end of month it was
still good material, when women took
their knitting and visited one another
OF afternoons. But by muster day
other slow happenings had covered it.
If Sally knew more about it than
any one else, she kept the secret. The
Sac brave often fixed his eyes on her
with speculation in them.
'In my tribe," he said once to Lin
coin, "a warrior can take tent-pole
and beat his squaw, or he can give her
plenty goods and drive her out of his
wigwam. But me marry white woman:
me have to stand her like white man."
TO BE CONTINU ED.
--s"@'s-