Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-09-08
xxx.
IN WHICH. HAVING DANCED, WE
PAY THE PIPER.


Measured by the sense which takes
cogniZance of pauses it seemed no
more than a moment between the
stamping out of breath and it's gasping
recovery. But in the interval the scene
had shifted from the open savanna to
a thinly set grove of oaks with the
stream brawling through the midst.
To the biggest of the trees / was
tightly bound; and a little way apar
a fire, newly kindled. smoked and
blazed up ftfully. BY the light Of the
fire a good score of the Cherokees were
gathering dead-falls and dry branches
TO heap beside me; and from the camp
below, the Indian lodges of which were
in plain view beyond the intervening
horse meadow, other savages were hur-
rying to join the wood carriers.
So far as these hasting preliminaries
applied to me, their meaning was not
difficult to read. / was to be burned
at the stake in proper savage fashion.
But Richard Jennifer-what had be-
come of him? A sound, half sigh, half
groan, old me where to look. Hard
by, bound TO a tree as / was, and so
near that with a free hand / could have
touched him, was my poor lad.
'Dicki"I cried.
He turned his head as the close
drawn thongs permitted and gave me a.
smile as loving-tender as a woman's.
AYE, Jack: they have us hard and
fast this time. | have been praying
you'd never come alive enough to feel
the fire."
w were taken together" So much
I dared ask.
an the same onset. Twas but a
question of clock ticks in that back-to-
back business. But they paid scot and
lot" this with an inching nod toward
a row of naked bodies propped sitting
n peninCf a fnllGn fPnns nina of thnnn {n
all, one with it's severed head between
it's knees, and three others showing
the gaping hacks and hewings of the
great b~roadsword.
They've fetched them here to see us
burn" he went On. But by the gods,
we have the warrant of two good
blades and Ephraim Yeates' hunting
knife that the only fires they'll ever
see are those of hell"
"Yeates?" I queried. Then they
have taken him and the Catawba, as
well?"
Not alive, o may be sure, else we
should have them for But
1t has a black look for our friends that
the flying column we met in the stream
cave came back so soon. Moreover, the
bodies of the three peace-pipe smokers
were found and brought in; thai will
be the Great Bear holding his head In
his hands at the end of yonder bloody
masquerade"
II guessed as much. God rest u
O O comradeSi"
Aye; and God help Madge? 'Tis no
time for reproaches, but amongst us
we have signed her death warrant with
our bunglings."
IF it were only DEATH" / groaned.
"Tis just that, Jack" said he; mo
better, mayhap, but no worse. When
we were downed by that screeching
mob, she was out and on her knees to
Falconnet, beseeching him to spare us.
He put her off smoothly at first, saying
twas the Indians affair-that they
would not be baked of their vengeance
by any interference of his. But when
she only begged the more piteously, he
showed his true colors. ripping u that
we should have as swift : quittance as
we had meant TO give him. and that
within the hour she should be the mis-
tress of Appleby and free to marry an
English gentleman"
"Well?" said I, making sure that
now at last he must know all.