Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-03-04

the cabin, and in his brief Canadian
English repeated what had happened.
your squaw boy doesn't put up
many fizzlegigs and fireworks, but he
seems to be worth two men" observed
Lincoln.
His lank hair dripped moisture. He
was haggard with hard riding.
"You catch the man." inquired
Antywine.
NO." Shickshack answered in dis
gust
"You know him?''
"No. Me not care now"
HE winked OUT" said Lsncoln.
I'VE lost him this side of Beardstown.
The closest view we had was when
we nearly ran him down back here.
We intended to raise party and hunt.
1 reckon you better bring the little girl
now, so we can get home to break
fast"
Shickshack's red face revealed itself
through growing daylight polished like
copper. He gave strong grunt of sat
isfaction when Antywine set Peggy
behind him on the horse. The Cana
dian boy mounted lightly to seat be-
hind Lincoln, and as they rode toward
New Salem a clear whiteness like the
promise of fair weather appeared in
the east. Water hung beaded on the
stems of trees, but great commotion
of robins came out of the woods.
1t was the general opinion in the viii
lage that Don Pedro Lorimer had
done it." Why he should put him
self to- the inconvenience of trying to
carry or such a poor little thing many
declared they could not understand.
All. day Lincoln was visited at the
store by inquiring friends, who sat
on counters and salt barrels and inter-
He joked, as any man among them
would have done about the hard serv-
ice taken out of borrowed horses, in
stead of dwelling on the Indians af
fairs and the labors of the night.
Lincoln had the strength Of three ordi-
nary men.
81 allow" said one of the Carolina
settlers, that it was an ornary trick.
of one of them Grove boys"
Il guess you are wrong there" put
in Massachusetts, man. "The Grove
boys know better than to pick the runt
out of litter. If one of them want
ed to steal a girl he wouldn't go so
nigh the tavern and stop on the out
side"
The outrage was resented as mu-
nicipal indignity, whoever had at
tempted it; but it stirred less resent
ment than it would have stirred had
any other young maid in New Salem
been the sufferer. 1t was talked about
|. a fortnight with zest and much repe-
tition. BY the end of a month it was
still good material, when women took
their knitting and visited one another
of afternoons. But by muster day
other slow happenings had covered it.
If Sally knew more about it than
any one else, she kept the secret. The
Sac brave often fixed his eyes on her
with speculation in them.
"In my tribe" he said once to Lin
coin, "a warrior can take a tent-pole
and beat his sQuaw, or he can give her
plenty goods and drive her out of his
wigwam. But me marry white woman;
me have to stand her like white man."
He was at first concerned, and ques-
toned Peggy about the loss of her
wooden leg.
II will not wear it," she repeated
stubbornly. 1T hurt, and 1 threw it
away"
She hoped about the street on her
crutch, which Ann Rutledge had found
| by the hand-mill the night the alarm
was given, her injured leg hanging
| straight beneath the deerskin gar
ment. Some change in her was no
ticed, even by her scho6lmates.
"Who cut Peggy Shickshack's hair,
Viane Rutledge?" inquired Nancy
Green, when the girls sat outdoors with
their dinner reticules the first warm
| day. The budding woods were then
alive with bees.
| "Ann," responded AIMS younger sis
ter, with asperity. 1--WE have her tag
| ging to our house all the time, now.
! 1 allow the Indians might as well
move in with U.S.
''Shickshack's wife doesn't visit the
neighborS, does she?"
mo. She stays at home and heats
water to scald the boys with"
Peggy looks nicer with her hair cut
straight around below the ears and
combed smooth. And 1 am glad she
lost her wooden leg when Satan or
something tried to carry her of"
MY brother Red" exclaimed Mar
tha Bell Clary, told me the horse
blanket that was throwed over Peggy
Shickshack that night smelt of brim-
stone!"
Your brother Red" retorted Nancy
Green with impatience, 'gets threat
ened with birthstone so much in meet
ing that he smells it on everything!"
well, how do you suppose the boat
Antywine La Chance went down the
river in, got back to the mill by morn
ing. when he rode home on horse
back?'