The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-10-22
CHAPTER V.

The old Sac, who had guarded her
| rooftree, whether cabin or wigwam,
| every night of her remembrance sat
! upright, holding his knife, on which
| frozen blood was crystallized. Two or
| three dead wolves lay outside the log
on the snow. But not one Of them
was frozen SITTER than the Indian,
who, after his own fashion, had given
! life itself for the safety of his adopted
| child.
Peggy would not believe he was
| dead She chung to his old shoulders,
| and screamed to rouse him. The Sac,
| who loved white men, and had never
| failed to answer the appeal Of his white
child, silently blocked the entrance Of
| the log. His eyebrows were hoar frost,
and the dark ruddiness of his face and
neck seemed crusted with rough silver
Peggy's wild crying might have re-
sounded long in the hollow log, and
| brought no person to help her Fer
all around was the vast prairie stretch
| ing from horizon to horizon, a CLARA
of Wilderness unperced by the smoke OF
| single fire. But two figures toiled
| toward New Salem through the early
| cold, wading with effort, and finally
making for the hummock in which they
| recognized the submerged log. Lincoln
and his chain-bearer encountered
the frozen Indian and the crying girl
as they stopped to enter and warm
| themselves.
High as drifts were piled in New
Salem streets, for this was the winter
| known long afterward as the winter
of the deep snow" people gathered
hastily through the undated storm
when word went around that Shick-
| shack had been brought in frozen to
death. Lincoln and Antywine, In silent
agreement, stopped the OK sled they
had borrowed, at the door of Rutledges
tavern. Neither said, Let us take
him to his own cabin" In death, at
least, he should escape from the en-
sironment which Sally made, and be
publicly honored.
Antywine went directly to carry the
news to the widow, and Sally heard it,
making clicking sound of disapproval
with her tongue.
She knocked the ashes out of her
cob pipe, partly on the hearth and
partly in the dinner pot, which hung
from the crane.
Nov don't tha beat ye! Gone and
froze hisself to death the first big snow
and New Salem seven miles from
ht,r yi,,' 10 al, bo
most ill-convenient old In'jan! Took
him to the tavern, did ye?"
Yes replied Antywine, without
apology.
We'll, keep him there. I'll come to
the funeral. Funerals is no novelty
to me, buryin' men as often as | have"
Neighbors talked in whispers around
the dignified figure stretched on a
white-coyered board under a canopy
Of sheets, But Antywine and Lincoln
had themselves washed it, and dressed
it in the Sac's best buckskins. They
found girded around the waist heavy
belt of ratvlesnake skin.
This is the snakeskin of money be-
longing to Peggy that he told me
about" Lincoln said to Antywine. "He
must have taken it out of its hiding
place before he started to find Dick
Yates. What shall we do with it?"
put it on, Sieur Abe, to wear for
her as Shickshack did"
They say snakeskin in the hat is
good for the headache; but don't
think could bear 1t rubbing against
my naked hide This belt is nearer
your size, Antywine."
me, am boy, Sieur Abe. Shick-
shack put his trust in you. He tell
you am a squaw'"
Il reckon he changed his opinion.
lie only struck out to lind DICK be-
cause we We're away. But you're u
little nearer than nearest OF Kin TO
Peggy, SO II you say I'm to undertake
the thing, III try it. And II Mother