Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-11-11
ALICE OF OLD
V|NCENNES
BY MAURICE THOMPSON
Copyright, 1900, by the
Bowen. MERRILL COMPANY 4
BY MAURICE THOMPSON
CHAPTER III.

THE RAPE OF THE DEMIJOHN
~HE row down at the river house
was more noise than fight, so
far as results seemed to indi-
cate. It was all about small
dame Jeanne Of fine brandy which an
Indian of the name of Long Hair had
seized and run off with at the height Of
the carousal. He must have been So
berer than his pursuers or naturally
deeter, for not one Of them could catch
him or even keep long in sight of him:
Some pistols were emptied while the
race was on, and two or three of the
men swore roundly to having seen Long
Hair jump sidewise and stagger, as if
one of the shots had taken effect. But,
although the moon was shining, he
some way disappeared, they could not
understand just how, far down beside
the river below the fort and the church.
1t was not an uncommon thing for an
Indian to steal what he wanted, and in
most cases light punishment followed
conviction, but it was felt to be a cap
1tal OffenSe for an Indian or anybody
else to rape a demijohn Of fine brandy,
especially one sent as present by
friend in New Orleans to Lieutenant
Governor Abbott, who had until re-
Gently been the commandant of the
post. Every man at the river house
recognized and resented the enormity
OF Long Hairs crime, and each was for
the moment ready to be his judge and
his executioner. He had broken at
once every rule of frontier etiquette and
every bond Of sympathy. Nor was
Long Hair ignorant of the danger in
volved in his daring enterprise He
had beforehand carefully and stolidly
weighed the conditions, and true to his
Indian nature had concluded that lit
tie wicker covered bottle of brandy
was we'll worth the risk Of his life. So
he had put himself in condition for a
great race by slipping out and getting
rid Of his weapons and all surplus
weight Of clothes.
This incident brought the drinking
bout at the river house to a sudden
end, but nothing further came Of it
that night and no record Of it would be
found in these pages but for the fact
that Long Hair afterward became an
important character in the, stirring
historical drama which had old Vim
cennes for its center of energy.
Rene de Ronville probably felt him.
self in bad luck when he arrived at the
river house just too late to share in
the liquor or to join in chasing the
bold thief. He listened with interest,
however, to the story of Long Hairs
capture of the commandments demijohn
and could not refrain from saying that
It he had been present there would
have been quite different result.
II would have shot him before he
got to that door," he said, drawing his
heavy flintlock pistol and going
through the motions Of one aiming
quickly and firing. Indeed, so vigor-
tomime that he actually did fire, unin-
tentionally of course, the ball burying
itself in the doorjamb.
He was laughed at by those present
for being more excited than they who
witnessed the whole thing. One Of
them, a leathery faced and griZzled old
sinner, leered at him contemptuously
and said in queer French, with
curious accent caught from long use
OF backwoods English:
"Listen how the boy brags! Ye
might think to hear Rene talk that
he actually amounted to big pile"
This parsonage was known to every
in,
when Oncle Jazon spoke the whole
town felt bound to listen.
'An' how we'll he shoots, too," he
added, with an intolerable wink
AHMED at the door and hit the post.
Certainly Long Hair would have been
in great danger! Oh, yes, he'd ave
killed Long Hair at the first shot,
wouldn't he thought
"All right, Oncle Jazon," said Rene,
laughing and blowing the smoke out
Of his pistol. "'Twas you, all the same,
who let Long Hair trot off with the
governors brandy; not I. If you could
have hit even doorpost it might have
been better"
Oncle Jazon took off his cap and
looked down into it in way he had
when about to say something final.
"Ventrebleu! l did not shoot at Long
Hair at ALL" he said, speaking slowly,
because the scoundrel was unarmed.
He didn't have on even a knife, and he
was havia' enough to do dodg1n' the
bullets that the rest OF 'em were
plumpin' at i'm without any compH-
ments from me to bother i'm more"
."Well," Rene replied, turning away
with a laugh, IF I'd been scalped by
the Indians as you have l don't think
there would be any particular reason
why should wait for an Indian thief
to go and arm himself before 1 &C
cepted him as target.'.
Oncle Jazon lifted hand involuntar-
i1r p1131 ho1 Iv1o