Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-11-17

| He was laughed at by those present
for being more excited than they who
witnessed the whole thing. One Of
them, leathery faced and grizzled old
sinner, leered at him contemptuously
and said In queer French, with a
curious accent caught from long use
Of backwoods English:
"Iisten how the boy brags! Ye
might think to hear Rene talk that
he actually amounted to big pile"
This parsonage was known to every
soul in vincennes as Oncle Jazon, and
when Oncle JaZon spoke the whole
town felt bound to listen.
"An' how well he shoots, too," he
added, with an lntOlerable wink.
"Aimed 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 though"
"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. II you could
have hit even doorpOst 1t might have
been better"
Oncle Jazon took off his cap and
looked down into 1t in way he had
when about to say something final
"ventrebleu! | did not shoot at Long
Hair at ALL" he said, speaking slowly.
because the scOundrel was unarmed
BE didn't have on even knife, and he
was havin' enough to do dodgin' the
bullets that the resi- Of 'em were
plumpin' at i'm without any compli-
ments from me to bother i'm more"
WELL" Rene replied, turning away
with laugh, IF Id been scalped by
the Indians as you have | don't think
there would be any particular reason
why | should wait for an Indian thief
to 90 and arU himself before l ac-
cepted him as target
Oncle Jazon lifted hand involuntar-
fly and rubbed his scalpless crown;
then he chuckled with grotesque
grimace as il the recollection Of hav-
| ing his head skinned were the funniest
thing ina aginable.
"When you've killed as many Of 'em
as Oncle Jazon has remarked u by
stander to Rene, you'll not be so
hungry for blood, maybe"
Especially after ye've took tifty-nine
scalps TO pay for yer one," added Oncle
Jazon, replacing his cap over the hair
less area of his crown.
The men who had been chasing Long
Hair presently came struggling back
with their stories-each had distinct
one-of how the fugitive escaped. They
were wild looking fellows. most OF
| them somewhat intoxicated, all pro-
fusely liberal with their stock Of pic
turesque profanity. They represented
the toughest element Of the well nigh
lawless post.
"Im positive that he's wounded,
said one. Jacques and shot at him
together, so that our pistols sounded
| lust as II only one had been fired
bang. that way-and he leaped side
WAYS for all the world like bird
with a broken leg thought he'd fall;
| but We. he ran fnstern ever, and all at
once he was gone-just disappeared.
"Well, tomorrow we'll get him. said
another. You and | and Jacques,
we'll take up his trail, the thief, and
| follow him till we find him. He can't
get off SO easy"
81 don't know so well about that,
said another. Its Long Hair, you must
| remember. and Long Hair is no COM
mon buck that just anybody can find
| asleep. You know what Long Hair is
NobOdy's ever got even with i'm yet
That's so, amt it? Just ask Onclc
Jazon, if you don't believe it,
The next morning Long Hair was
| tracked to the rivers edge. He had
| been wounded, but whether seriously
or not could only be cOnjectured. a
sprinkle of blood, here and there quite
| dash of 1t, reddened the grass and
| clumps of weeds he had run through.
| and ended close to the water, into
which it looked as If he had plunged
with a view to battling pursuit. In
deed pursuit was batiled No further
trace could be found by which to fol
low the cunning fugitive. Some of the
men consoled themselves by saying
without believing, that Long Hair
was probably lying drowned at the bot
tom Of the river.
"Pas du tout" observed Oncle JaZOn
his short pipe askew far over in the
corner of his mouth; mot bit OF it Is
that Indian drowned. He's jes' as
live as fat cat this minute, and as
drunk as the devil He'll get some o
yer scalps yet after he's guzzled all
that brandy and slep' week"
1t finally transpired that Oncle Jazon
was partly right and partly wrong.
Long Hair was alive, even as a fat
cat perhaps, but not drunk. for in try
Ing to swim with the rotund little
dame Jeanne under his arm he lost
hold of it and it went to the bottom
of the Wabash, where it may be lying
at this moment patiently waiting foi
some one to fish 1t out of its bed deep
in the sand and mud and break the
ancient wax from its neck!
Rene de Ronville, after the chase OF
Long Hair had been given over, went
to tell Father Beret what had hap
pened, and, finding the priests hut
empty, turned into the path leading to
the Roussillon place, which was at the
head of a narrow street laid out in q
direction at right angles to the rivers
course. He passed two or three dimin
utive cabins, all Us much alike as bee
hives.
AS Rene passed along he spoke with
gay French freedom to the danes
and lasses who CHANGED to be visible
His air would be regarded as violently
brigandish in our day. We might
even 20 so far as to think his whole
appearance comical. His jaunty cap.
with tail that wagged as he walked
his short trousers and leggings of buck
skin and his loose shirtlike tunic. drawn
in Mt the waist with broad belt, gave
his strong figure just the dash OF wild
ness suited to the armament win
r,,;.b q xx,os waiphted A heavy gun