The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-03-20

| "SAS " 81 w w Az " AAOS ~~e~~> w.
for me there.
l rode my sorrel horse, Pete, and
made for the road leading past the mil
itary post, for that's the route by which
| expected the furniture. I met the
wagon numbering along and. looking at
my watch. calculated that it wouldn't
reach the ranch before 8 or 10 o'clock
at night. It was then about an hour be-
fore sunset, and hesitated whether to
! go back to my father-in-law's or to the
ranch. decided for the ranch. When
| reached it darkness had come down.
but full moon was rising. was rid
ing through some timber, from which
emerged In sight of the house, when
Pete stopped suddenly. His ears were
standing straight forward. and he trem-
bled all over. couldn't see what trou-
bled him. Everything looked peaceful
enough at the house. A man I had
hired and in whose care had left the
porch, with his heels up on one Of the
pillars smoking. 1 supposed. could
just see him by the light Of the rising
moon. Then it occurred to me that
since the place was not lighted the par
ty had not arrived and I would go and
meet them. I made one more effort to
get Pete to move forward, but failed.
1 rode all the way without meeting
the party and when I reached Dolls
home found them all anxious for my
safety, for they had heard that Apaches
had been seen during the afternoon in
the neighborhood. Doll would have
doubtless thrown herself on my neck
and wept for Joy at seeing me. only
she hadn't been married long enough
to do such things in company.
1t occurred to me that Pete had
smelled Indians. But they couldn't
have been at the ranch house, for the
hired man was sitting out unmindful
wife's father; Tom Williams. a man
working on his place. and all took
Winchesters and started on foot for
the ranch. When we neared 1t we
skulked through the timber and came
out on the edge of the clearing, near
where Pete had stopped. The moon
was partly obscured by clouds, but
there was enough light for us to see
that the hired man was still sitting in
the position in which l had left him,
which must have been an hour before
I thought he was taking a pretty long
smoke or something was wrong. While
we were wondering two dark figures
came out of the house-we at once rec
ogniZed them for Indians-and, scrap
ing up some loose pieces of wood, put
them under the porch and set it afire.
Il didn't propose to have my house
destroyed, especially on my wedding
night, and whispered the order to crawl
quickly forward. The burning sticks
lighted up several Indians. who were
joined by half a dozen others from the
inside of the house. l told each Of my
companions which savage to pick off,
and taking a third myself, we all fired
together. Two of the Indians dropped,
and the others ran. More came dashing
out of the house; but, our rifles being
reporters. we pumped lead briskly. and
the Indians, not knowing how many
Of us there were, ran away. l was
pleased to see that they took their
dead and wounded with them, for 1
didn't want them around on my we'd
ding night. AS soon as they were gone
we ran forward, kicked the kindling
from under the porch, and a bucketful
Of water put out the fire.
Having examined the inside to see If
the Indians had put any fire there, we
approached the hired man, who through
all the melee sat with his heels on the
pillar, apparently unmindful Of what
was going on. The first thing l no.
ticed about him was bald spot on the
top Of his head-for his hat was not
on it-and l knew at once what it
meant. He had been scalped. The
man was stone dead. He had been
placed as a decoy.
about this time the furniture wagon
drove up. and the man in charge, not
knowing what had taken place, began
to unload it. When he heard Of nv
narrow escape, and consequently his,
he wilted
doll and 1 spent our wedding night
at her fathers house. She declined to
live at the ranch, which l sold to
man who lost his scalp a year later
We stayed awhile at the home of Dolls
parents, and as Doll wouldn't go on to
the ranch I brought her here"
What became Of Pete"
''Well, seeing that Pete had saved the
groom's life, the wagon drivers life
and the lives Of the others who when l
appeared were preparing to go to the
ranch in search of me- Doll fed him So
high that he'd have died If she had
stayed there. When we left, we solo
him to man who forced him against
bis will among lot Of Apaches, and
his owner lost his scalp"
GUNNER CHILDS.
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