The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-02-08
A LONG SMOKE

We were celebrating i'm Black
stoue'S wooden Wedding aud had load
81 us wife down with this wash.
bo.lFsis, bread boards rolling pins and
sle NE After ealing good supper
SAID e tie husband
Come; Inn; time for you 10 tell
die stofs toai Your wedding night
iou,Ye heasil tliat Story annually for
Ten years
Nine. Iiiis'Il be the TENTH
Well, Il MS q part az the festivities.
here goes It's not much Of q story,
with only a horse for hero. When
Don ana I agreed d get marFied We
were both living IN The northeast corner
IL Now Mexico. Her father gave Us a
quarter section Of land on the Canadian
river moi far below rs source. and i
built d house on 4 was delayed III
getting some furniture I'd bought Al
Santa Re, ana on the wedding day. All
er the ceremony, which occurred about
4 O'Clock in the afternoon. I started out
to look for il. Il was agreed thar IL I
didn't get hack by sunset the family
were 10 80 to the new house and walt
for me there
rode my sorrei horse, Pete. and
made for the road leading past the mill
itary post, for that's The route by which
FL expected the furniture I met the
wagon numbering along and. looking at
my watch, calculated that II wouldn't
reach the ranch before 8 or 10 O'Clock
atnight. 1t was then about an hour be
fore sunset and | hesitated whether to
90 back TO my father.ln-l VS. or to the
riinch. I decided FOR the ranch. When.
I reached it darkness had come down.
but filll moon was rising i was rid
Ing through some timber, from which i
emerged IN sight OF the house, when
Pete stopped suddenly. His ears were
standing stfaight 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
place was sitting in his chair on the
porch, with his heels up on one Of the
pillars smoking. supposed / could
lust see him by the light OF the rising
moon. Thcu 1t occurred to me that
iince the.p place was not lighted the par
y had notHrriyed and I would go AMI
meet them, made Que more effort to
get Pete to'move forward, but failed.
! rode all the way without meeting
he party and when I reached DORIS
lone found them all anxious for my
safety, for they had heard that Apaches
lad been seen during the afternoon In
The neighborhood Doll would have
doubtless thrown herself on my neck
md wept for joy at seeing me, only
'he hadn't been married long enough
% do such things In company.
1t occurred TO me that Pete had
imelled Indians But they couldn't
ave been at the ranch house. for the
aired man was sitting ont unmindful
II them. However MIR. Gunther. my
vife's father; Tom Williams, man
working on his place. and all took
Winchesters aud started on foot for
he ranch. When we neared Ii we
kulked through the timber and came
tut ON the edge OF the. clearing, near
where Pete had stopped The moon
yas partly ohscured by clouds, but
here was enough light for us To see
hat the hired man was stfll sitting in
he position in which | had left Linn
Which must have been an hour before.
thought lie was taking pretty long
noke or something was wrong. While
re We're wondering two dark figures
anne out Of the house we at once rec. \
gnized them for Indians and. scraps
lg- up some loose pieces OF. wood, put
hem unler the porch and set it afre.
Il didn't propose TO have my house
destroyed. especially on my wedding
light, ana whispered the order TO crawl
quickly forward The burning sticks
lghted up several Indians, who were
oined by half dozen others from the
inside Of the house. told each of.,my
ompanions which savage TO pick of,
nd taking third myself, we all fired
ogether Two OF the Indians dropped.
nd tue others ran. More caned ashing
ut Of the house; but, our rides being
'epeaters, we pumped lead briskIy, and
ne Indians, not knowing how many
4 Us there were, ran away. was
,leased to see that they took their
lead and wounded with them, for
didn't want them around on my wed.
ding night As soon as they were gone
we ran forward, kicked The kindllng
from under the porch, and a bucketful
OF water put out the Gre.
Having examined the Inside 10 see II |
the Indians had put any ire there, we
approached The hired man, who through
all the melee sat with his heels on the
pillar, apparently uninindfui OF what
was going 81. The first thing no
iced about him was bald spot ON the
top Of his lead-for his hat was not
on it-and | knew at once what 1t |
meant. He had been scaIped. The
man was stone dead. re had been
placed rs a ,lccoy.
About this time tie furniture wagon
lrove MP, and the man In charge, not
showing what had taken place. began
% unload 1t. When he heard OF my |