Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-08-11
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY


NEL ~ ltlaA 4 AAA1 49, eANN
laugh, though what food for merrimeni
he could find in the hopeless prospect
vas more than I could understand.
@Hoi no! Cap'n John; ] C ez
how ye're ~a-taking that word from
yonder down-hearted boy of ourn
Wait a spell till we're ez old ez / be;
then you'll never say die till ye're
plumb dead"
Now, truly, though / was dismally
disheartened. / could reassure him on
the point OF perseverance. 'Tts an
| Ireton failing 10 lose heart and hope
when the skies are dark; but this is
counterbalanced in some OF us by q
certain quality of unreasoning persist
ence which will go on running long aft
err the race is well lost. My father had
| this stubborn virtue 10 the full; and so
had that old Ironside Ireton from whom
we are descended.
That's the kind o. talk" was the old
mans comment. Now We'll set 10
work In -sure-enough arrest. Ez | said
a spell back, my stummick Is crying
J cupboard till l can't make out TO hear
my brain a-sizZling. Maybe you took
notice o. me a-praying down yonder
that the good Lord'd vouchsafe TO give
us scalps and ~proyender. For u on
f%aithfulness He's seed ht 10 withhold
the one, but maybe we'il iud a raven
r two, or a widder's mite r meal-barl,
somewheres in this bowling wilderness.
yit."
So saying, he summoned the Cataw-
ba with a low whistle, n when I'm
canoola Joined us, told him to stay
with Jennifer whilst we should make
another effort to find the ford.
There's nobody like an Injun for a
nuss when a mans chin-deep into
trouble" quoth this wise old woodsman,
when we were feeling our way eau
tiously along the margin OF the swift
little river. IF Cap'n Dick rips and
tears and pulls the grass up by the
roots, the chief'll only say. 'Wah!' II
he sits up and cusses till he's black in
the face, the chiefll say, 'Ughl' And
that's just about all a man bankers
for when his sores a-running in the
night season, and all Thy waters have
gone over his head. Selah!"
Now you are to remember the sky
was overcast and the night was pitchy
dark, and how the old borderer could
read a sign OF any sort was far beyond
my comprehension. Yet when we had
gone a scant half-mile along the river
brink he stopped short, shifted the air
and stopped TO feel and grope on the
ground like a blind man seeking for
something he had lost.
Right about here-away is where
they made out TO cross" he announced;
'the whole enduring passed. OF EN-, ez
reckon-our seven varmints II the
hoss-captain's powder train. Give me
the heft o. your shoulder till we take
the water and projec' round a spell
on t'other side
We squared ourselves, wholly by the
sense OF touch, with the rivers edge,
locked arms for the better bracing
against the swift current, and so es-
sayed the ford. 1t was no more than
thigh deep, and though the water
dashed and foamed over the shoal like
a torrent in flood, there was a clean
bottom and goo6A footing. Once safe
across, we turneS our faces down
stream, and in a little time came to the
deserted glade with the embers of the
~kidnapers' fire glowing duly in the
midst,
Here a sign of some later visitants
than F~alconnet's horsemen set US war
lily on our guard. The tepee-lodge of
dressed skins, which had been left un-
disturbed by the sham rescuers, had
vanished.
"Umph! The redskins have been
back to make sure o. what they left be-
hind" said Yeates, in a whisper. Il
iingl that's jest the one thing / was
a-hoping they'd forget TO do. reckon
ez how that spiles u last living
CnAnCe y HnuiIlS any lHllAS ludt IiOh6ul
help slack off on the belly-pinch."
So he said, but for this once his wis
dom was at fault and tricky fortune
favored us. When we a found the
covert in the bushes where the two
| horses had been concealed we lighted
upon a precious prize. Twas a bag
OF parched corn In h grain; some
share of the provision Of the captive
party overlooked by those who had
a = a~oAInr ~ Tho lnnx f ~ ern
With this treasure -trove we made all
haste to rejoin our companions. And
now behold what a miracle OF reanima-
| ton may be wrought by a few hand
| fuls OF bread graini In a thrice the
Catawba had found a water-worn
| stone TO serve for a mortar, and an
other for a pestle. These and the bag
or corr were carried back to q shell
tered ravine which we a crossed on
| our late advance; and here the Indian
| fell to work to grind the corn into
coarse meal, whilst Yeates and I kim
| died a fire to heat the baking stones.
In these preparations for the break
ing ef u long fast even Richard be-
stirred himself to help; and when the
| cakes were baked and eaten-with
what zestful sharp-sauce of appetite
none but the famished may ever know
we were all in better heart, and bet
4 Ter dDte 10 ldSc bhC hCW oihU "a ~
desperate plight in which our lack Of
common foresight had e~ntangled us.
For now, since we knew the full
measure of the peril menacing u dear
lady, there was need for swift deter
mination and a blow as swift and sure,
a coup de main which should atone II
one shrewd push for the sleeveless
failure of the night. So we would griI
hands around. even to the stolid Indian
and swear a solemn oath to cut ths
women out or else leave our bones Il
whiten in the forest wilderness.
You'll laugh at all these vowings and
handstrikings. / dare say, and protes
there was q deal of UGH fustian he
roles in your doddering old chronicler':
day.
Mayhap there was. But, my dears
I would you might remember as yol
elder time lived by some half-century
nearer TO that age of chivalry YOU dot'
on-in the story books. Also, / woult
you might mingle with your merrimenI
a little OF the saving grace OF char
ity: letting Ii hint that, perchance
these you call .sheroics" We're but tn,
free. untrammeled folk-speech of tina
sincerer natural heart which you hav,
il learned to silence and suppress. Fol
I are affirm that now. as then and al.
ways. there will be some spark or tbs
Promethean fire in every heart of mar
or maid. else this would indeed be &
sorry world to live In.
So. az / say, we four struck hands
anew the desperate venture: and