The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-10-20

but that was enough. At a bound ]
reached the 20 An Indian was at
my horses head, loosing the halter, as
L thought, Before he could twist to
face me the point of the Ferara was at
his back.
Luckily, he had the wit not to move.
No kill U~ncanoola," he muttered, this
without the stirring of a muscle. Then,
as IL he We're talking to the horse:
white squaw, she send UNI word; say
'goodby.'"
My point dropped as if another blade
had parted the thrust.
Mistress Margery, you mean? DO
you come from hero
She SEM 'um word: say '%goodby,'"
he repeated.
What else did she say" J. de-
manded.
mo say anything else; say 'goodby.'"
He turned upon me at that and J. saw
why he had kept his face averted. He
had On the van paint of a Cherokee
chief.
"Uncanoola good Cheiakee now" he
grinned. Help redcoat soldier find
Captain L%ong-knife. Wah!"
l saw his drift, n though l
ness of the thing staggered me.
He, too, had penetrated to the
inner lines Of the British encampment
at Charlotte; and when they had
sought an indian tracker to lift my
trail, twas he who had volunteered.
But now my spirits rose. With this I'M
expected ally we might hope to deal
f%orcefully and yet fairly with my rear
guard.
Where are your masters now?" I
asked.
He spat pom the ground. "Catawba
chief has no MASTER he said, proudly.
'Redcoat pale-faces yonder." pointing
back the way I had come. MAX fire,
boil tea. sing song, heap smoke pipe"
wv must take them" sal 1.
He nodded. xii UNI all; take scalp.
Wah!
The bloodthirstiness Of my two al
lies was appalling. But undertook to
cool the Indians ardor, explaining that
the redcoat soldiers were the Long
knife's brothers, in a way, not to be
slain save in honorable battle. 1 am
not sure whether 1 earned the Ca
tawba's contempt, or his pity for my
weakness; but since he was loyal to
the son of his old ~benefactor first, and
a savage afterward, lie yielded the
point.
SO now l made him known to my pa
triarchal host, who all this time had
been standing guard at the cabin door
with the old Queen's-arm for a weap-
on. So we three sat on the door stone
and planned it out. When the night
was far enough advanced, we would
stalk the soldiers in their camp, spar
ing life as we could.
When all was settled, the old man
gave us a upper Of his humble fare,
after which we went into the open
again to sit out the hours Of waiting.
The rain had ceased, but the night was
cloudy and the darkness a soft black
Veil to shroud the nearest objects.
High overhead the autumn wind was
signing in the tree-topS and now and
down a pattering vol!ey of lodged rain
drops ON the fallen leaves.
Cncanoola sat apart in stoical silence
smoking his long-stemmed pipe. The
Old man and l talked in low tones, or
rather he would tell ne of his past
whilst 1 sat and listened, holding the
little maid in my arms.
After a time the child fell asleep, and
! craved permission to put her in the
little crib bed in the chimney corner
The tiiclicrinS light of the fire fel! upor
her innocent face when l loosed the
clasp of the tiny hands about my neck
and laid her down. Again the wave
of %softness submerged me and l ben,
to leave a kiss upon the sween uncon.
sclouS lips.
All, dears, you may smile again, ii
you will; but at Il a momen L had 6
far-otf glimpse of the b%eatitude OF
.fatherhood; l wa no longer the hare
old soldier 1 have drawn for you;
was but a man, hungering and thirst.
ing for the love of a wife and trusting
clinging little children like this sweer
maid.
l rose, turning my back upon the
chimney corner and it's holdings with {
sigh. For now the time was come fol
action. and / must needs be a man o:
blood and iron again.
Lacking the Catawba to guide us,
doubt il either the old man or I coulc
have found my rear guards bivouat
near the trail ! had left. But INCA.
noola led US straight through thu
pttchy darkness; and when we were
come upon the three soldiers we fount
them all asleep around the handful o.
camp fire.
'Twould have been murder outrigh'
to kill them thus; and now l think thu
old patriarch forgot mis- wrongs ane
was as merciful as I. But not SO thu
Catawba. He had armed himself will
u stout war club, and before l was fire,
to stop him he had knocked two O
the three sleepers senseless. and would
have battered out their brains but TO.
the old mans intervention.
AS for the officer, ! had flung myse,
upon him in the rush and was havin,
Il pretty handful Of him. But though
he was broad in the shoulders, and a,
agile as a cat, he was taken at a sleep
ing mans disadvantage, and so 1 pres
entity llad the better of him.
Continued Next Week.)
The Vocation of the Wife.
l. C .rt; ,- ;- $500. ~