Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-07-21

!. ALICE Of OLD !
{ VINCENNES !
! By MAURICE THOMPSON )
8 copyish. 1900. BY TIC BowEw-ifEERiLL
CHAPTER XIV.
VIRTUE IN y LocRET.


tions were simple and quickly made.
Each man armed himself with Il stick
three feet long and about three-quar-
ters of an inch in diameter. Rough
weapons they were, cut from boughs of
scrub oak, knotty and tough as horn.
Long Hair unbound his body down to
the waist Then the lines formed, the
Indians in each row standing about as
far apart as the width Of the space in
which the prisoner was to run. This
arrangement gave them free use of
their sticks and plenty of room for full
swing of their 1.-THE bodies.
In removing Beverley's clothes Long
Hair found Alice's locket hanging over
the young mans heart. He tore it
rudely off and grunted, glaring vicious
ly first at it, then at Beverley. lie
seemed to be nightly wrought upon.
"White man thiefr' he growled deep
in his throat 'Stole from little girl!''
He put the locket in his pouch and
resumed his stupidity Indifferent express
sion.
When everything was ready for the
delightful entertainment to begin Long
Hair waved his tomahawk three times
over Beverley's head and, pointing
down between the waiting lines. said:
ugh, rum
But Beverley did not bulge. He was
standing erect, with his arms, deeply
creased where the thongs had sunk,
folded across his breast A rush of
thoughts and feelings had taken tu-
multuous possession of him, and he
could not move or decide what to do. 4
mad desire to escape arose in his heart
the moment that he saw Long Hair
take the locket 1t was as If Alice had
cried to him and hidden him make a
dash for liberty.
ugh, rum
The order was accompanied with q
push of such violence from Long Hairs
left elbow that Beverley plunged and
fell, for his limbs, after their long and
painful confinement in the rawhide
bonds were stiff and almost useless
4ong Hair IN no gentle voice bade him
get up. The shock of falling seemed to
awaken his dormant forces; sudden
resolve leaped into his brain He saw
that the Indians had put aside their
bows and guns, most Of which were
leaning against the boles of trees here
and yonder. What if he could knock
Long Hair down and run away? This
might possibly be easy. considering the
Indians broken arm. His heart jump
cd at The possibility. But the shrewd
savage was alert and saw the thought
come into his face.
"You try git way, kill deadv' he
snarled, lifting his tomahawk ready
for n stroke "Brains outi'
Beverley glanced down the waiting
and eager lines. Swiftly he speculated
wondering what would be his chance
for escape were he to break through.
But he did not take his own condition
into account.
ugh, rum
arm pushed him toward the eXpectant
rows of Indians, who fiourished their
clubs and uttered impatient grunts.
Beverley made direct dash for the
narrow lane between the braced and
watchful lines Every warrior lifted
his club. Every copper face cleaned
steadily, mask behind which burned
a strangely atrocious spirit. The two
savages standing at the end nearest
Beverley struck at him the instant ne
reached them, but they were taken
quite by surprise when he checked him
self between them and, leaping this
way and that, swung out two powerful
blows, left and right, stretching one of
them fiat and sending the other reeling
and staggering half a dozen PAGES
backward with the blood streaming
from his nose.
This done, Beverley turned to run
away, but his breath was already short
and his strength rapidly going.
Long Hair, who was at his heels,
leaped before him when he had gone
but few steps and once more flour
ished the tomahawk. To struggle was
useless save TO insist upon being
Drained outright, which just then had
no part in Beverley's considerations
Long Hair kicked his victim heavily
uttering laconic curses meanwhile, and
led him back again TO the starting
point.
The young man, who had borne all
he could, now turned upon him furi-
ously and struck straight from the
shoulder, setting the whole weight OF
his body into the blow. Long Hail
stepped out of the way and quick as q
flash brought the fiat side of his toma
hawk with great force against Bever-
ley's head. This gave the amusement 4
sudden and disappointing end, for the
prisoner fell limp and senseless to the
ground. No more running the gantlet
for him that day. Indeed it required
protracted application of the best In
dian skill to revive him so that he
could fairly be called a living man
There had been no dangerous concus
sion, however, and on the following
morning camp was broken.
Beverley, sore, haggard, forlornly
disheveled, had his arms bound agair
and was made to march apace with his
nimble enemies, who set out swiftly
eastward, their disappointment at hay
ter enough, not in the least indicated
by any facial expression or spiteful act
Was 1t really n strange thing, or was
1t not, that Beverley's mind now busiet
itself increasingly with the thought that
Long Hair had Alice's picture in hi:
pouch? One might find room for dis
cussion of a cerebral problem like this
but our history cannot be delayed will
analyses and speculations. 1t must rur
its direct course unhindered to the end
Suffice it TO record that while trampins
at Long Hairs side and growing more
and more desirous of seeing the picture
again Beverley began trying to con
verse with his taciturn captor. lie hat
a considerable smattering of severa
Indian dialects, which he turned upor
Long Hair to the best of his ability
but apparently without effect Never
theless he babbled at intervals, always
upon the same subject and always en-
deavoring to influence that huge. stol
i'd, heartless savage in the direction oi
letting him see again the child face oi
the miniature.
When night came on again the bant
camped under some trees beside swolI
en- stream. There was no rain falling
but almost the entire country lay under
flood of water. Fires of logs were
soon burning brightly ON the compara