Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-04-21

q mile or two back into the country
on the farther side OF the river. Alice
and Jean went over in pirogue to see
| IL the water lilies, haunting a pond
there. were yet beginning to bloom.
| They landed at convenient spot some
| distance up the little lagoon, made the
boat fast by dragging its PROV high
| ashore, and We're on the point CT setting
| out across neck Of wet, grassy land
| to the pond, when deep grunt, not
| unlike that Of self satisfied pig, at
| tracted them to the willows, where
| they discovered Long Hair, badly
wounded, weltering in some black mud.
His hiding place was cunningly
chosen, save that the mire troubled
| him. letting him down by slow degrees,
and threatening to engulf him bodily;
| and he was now too weak to extricate
| himself. He lifted his head and glared.
| His face was grimy. his hair matted
with mud. Alice, although brave
enough and quite accustomed to start
ling experiences, uttered cry when
she saw those snaky eyes glistening so
savagely amid the shadows. But Jean
was quick to recognize Long Hair. He
had often seen him about town. q figure
not to be forgotten.
They've been hunting him every
where" he said in half whisper to
Alice, clutching the skirt of her dress.
''Its Long Hair. the Indian who stole
the brandy. l know him."
Alice recoiled a pace or two.
Lets go back and tell EN-" Jean
Gdded, still whispering. "They want to
kill him; Oncle Jazon said so. Come
7! on.''
/ He gave her dress jerk, but she
Gid not move any farther back She
was looking at the blood oozing from q
wound in the Indians leg.
"He is shot; he Is hurt, Jean; we
must help him." she presently said. re-
covering her self control, yet still pale
I'VE must get him out of that bad
place.
Jean caught Allce's merciful spirit
with sympathetic readiness and
showed immediate willingness to aid
her.
1t was q difficult thing to do, but
there was will and of course a way.
They had knives with which they cut
willows to make q standing place on
the mud. While they were doing this
they spoke friendly words to Long
Hair, who understood French little,
and at last they got hold of his arms,
tugged, rested, tugged again and finally
managed to help him to a dry place,
still under the willows, where he could
lie more at ease. Jean carried water
in his cap with which they washed the
wound and the stcIid savage face.
Then Alice tore up her cotton apron, in
which she had hoped to bear home
load of lilies, and with the strips bound
the wound very neatly. 1t took n long
time, during which the Indian remained
silent and apparently quite Indifferent
Long Hair was man Of superior
physique, tall, straight, with the mus
cles of Vulcan, and while he lay
stretched on the ground, half clad and
modonless, he would have been
grand model for q heroic figure in
bronze. Yet from every lineament
there came a strange repelling influ-
ence, like that from snake. Alice felt
uliuOSl uOlt 5NlSl w mt doihB
her merciful task, but she bravely per-
severed until it was finished.
1t was now late in the afternoon and
the sun would be setting before they
could reach home.
1--WE must hurry back, JEAN" Alice
said, turning to depart. 'It will be
all we can do to reach the other side
in daylight. I'm thinking that they'll
be out hunting for us, too, If we don't
, move right lively. Come"
She gave the Indian another glance
whes she had taken but a step. He
grunted and held up something in his
understanding that shone with n
dull yellow light. 1t was a small,
oval, gold locket which she had al
ways worn In her bosom. She sprang
and snatched it from his palm.
THANK you," she exclaimed, smiling
gratefully. II am SO glad you found
it,
The chain by which the locket had
hung was broken, doubtless by some
movement while dragging Long Hair
out of the mud, and the lid had
sprung open, exposing miniature por-
trait OF Alice painted when she was a
little child, probably not two years old.
1t was sweet baby face, archly
bright, almost surrounded with fluff
of golden hair The neck and upper
line of the plump shoulders, with
trace of richly delicate lace and n
string of pearls, gave somehow a sug-
gestion Of patrician daintiness.
Tt. t,1t1 20
eyes when she stopped to take the |
locket from his hand, but said nothing. |
She and Jean now hurried away, and, |
so vigorously did they paddle their |
pirogue, that the sky was yet red In |
the west when they reached home and
duly received their expected scolding
from Mime. Roussillon.
Alice sealed Jeans lips as to their |
adventure, for she had made up her |
mind to save Long Hair IL possible, |
and she felt sure that the only way to |
do 1t would be to trust no one but |
Father Beret. |
1t turned out that Long Hairs wound |
was neither n broken bone nor cut |
artery. The flesh of his leg, midway |
between the hip and the knee, was |
pierced. The bullet had bored neat |
hole clean through. Father Beret took |
the case In hand and with no little |
surgical skill proceeded to set the big |
Indian upon his feet again. The affair |
had to be cleverly managed. Food, |
medicines and clothing were surrepu |
tiously borne across the river, a bed of |
grass was kept fresh under Long Hairs
back, his wound was regularly dressed /
and finally his weapons-a tomahawk,
knife, a strong bow and a CULVER of |
arrows-which he had hidden on the
night of his bold theft, were brought to
him.
"Now go and sin no more" said good |
Father Beret, but he well knew that his
words were mere puffs of articulate
wind in the ear Of the grim and silent
savage. who limped away with an air
of stately dignity into the wilderness.
A load fell from Alice's mind when
Father Beret Informed her OF Long
Hairs recovery and departure. Day
and night the dread lest some OF the
men should find out his hiding place
and kill him had depressed and worried
her. Long Hairs imperturbable calm
ness, his stolid, immoblle countenance. J
the mysterious reptilian CLEAN of his
shifty black eyes and the soulless ex-i