The Red Cloud chief., 1905-04-07
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.

Ne SllOuteu.
why not?" answered Lige, and. like
the others, was increasing his speed
when old "Wimby" rose up suddenly
from the roadside ahead of them and
motioned them frantically to go back.
They're laid out along the fence wait.
In fer ye," he warned them. cit out
the road. Come by the fields. Fer the
Lords sake, spread!' Then as sudden
ly as he had appeared he dropped down
into the weeds again. Lige and those
with him paused, and the whole body
came TO a halt while the leaders con.
suited. There was a sound Of metallic
clicking and Il thin rattle of steel. From
far to the rear came the voice of old
Wilkerson:
"John Browns body lies a-moldering in
the ground,
John Browns body lies a-moldering I'm
the ground"
A few neal him as they stood wait
Ing began to take up the burden of the
song. Singing it in slow time like a
dirge. Then those farther away took
1t up. 1t spread, reached the leaders.
They, too, began to sing, taking off
their hats as they Joined in, and soon
the whole concourse, solemn, earnest,
uncovered, was slnging-a thunderous
requiem for John Harkless.
The SUI was swinging lower, and
the edges Of the world were embroider-
ed with gold, while that deep volume
of sound shook the air, the song of q
stern. savage, just c~ause-sung perhaps
as some of the ancestors of these men
sang with Hampden before the bris-
Ting walls of q hostile city. 1t had
Iron and steel in 1t. The men lying on
their guns in the ambuscade along the
fence heard the dirge rise and grow
to its mighty fullness, and they SILVER
ed. One of them, posted nearest the
advance, had his rifle carefully leveled
at Lige Willetts. a fair target in the
a When he heard the singing he
turned to the man next behind him
and laughed harshly, 81 reckon well
see q big jamboree other side Jordan
tonight, huh?'
The huge murmur Of the chorus eX-
banded and gathered in rhythmic
strength and swelled to power and
rolled and Numbered across the plain.
"John Browns body lies a-moldering in
the ground.
John Browns body lies a-moldering in
the ground.
John Browns body lies a-moldering I'm
the ground,
His soul goes marching on!
Glory, glory. halleluiah!
Glory, glory, halleluiah!
Glory. glory, halleluiah!
His soul goes marching on"
A gun spat fire from the higher
ground, and Willetts dropped where
he stood, but was up again in a second,
with a red line across his forehead
where the ball had grazed his temple.
The mob spread out like a fan, the
men climbing the fence and beginning
the advance through the fields, thus
closing on the ambuscade from both
sides. Mr.. Watts, wading through the
high grass in the field north Of the
road, perceived the barrel Of a gun
shining from the fence some distance
In front Of him and the same second,
although no weapon was seen In his
hand, discharged a revolver at the
clump Of grass and weeds behind the
gun. Instantly ten or twelve men
leaped from their hiding places along
the fences of both fields and, firing
hurriedly and harmlessly into the scat
tered ranks of the OncOming mob,
broke for the shelter Of the houses,
where their fellows were posted. TAX.
en- on the TANKS and from the rear,
there was but one thing for them to
do to keep from being hemmed in and
shot or captured. CThey excessively pre-
ferred being shot.) With a wild. high,
joyous yell, sounding like the bay of
young hounds breaking into view of
their quarry, the Plattyille men fol-
lowed.
The most eastward Of the debilitated
ediices of Six Crossroads was the sa-
loon. 1t bore the painted legends, on
the west wall, Last Chance" on the
east wall. First Chance" Next to
this and separated by two or three
acres Of weedy vacancy from the cor
ners. where the population centered
thickest. stoOd-if one may so predi-
cate of a building which leaned in sew
en- directions-the house of Mr.. Rob-
ert Skillet, the proprietor of the sa-
loon. Both buildings were shut up as
tight as their state Of repair permit
ted. AS they were farthest to the east,
they formed the nearest shelter, and to
them the Crossroaders bent their flight,
though they stopped not here, but dis
appeared behind Skillett's shanty, put
xipn a. hofvyaan tham and thair mr.