Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-15

their errand.
1t was bright, warm day. The beautiful
meadows and hillsdes of the Connecticut Val
ley lay smiling in the May sun, and the river
Itself, seen at intervals through the trees,
hone like silver.
The broken piece of corn ground lay at no
,reat distance from the house, stretching
away toward hillock covered with growth
of wood, which rose from the banks OF the
long river" There were about two acres IN
the piece, one-half of which was already
planted.
BY Z O'Clock the young folks were all in
The field, Mother Locke remaining at the
stockade, both to act as sentinel, and also
to prepare the frugal dinner for the hungry
pioneers.
Sally, a wee little figure dressed in red,
busy dropping the seed, counting one, two,
hree, four, five, as she placed the yellow ker-
nes in the hill.
Prudence, stately in her gray, kirtle and
ed kerchief, with thick, heavy shoes on her
ieet and a worn hat tipped far down over
her glossy hair, and sunburned checks. was
helping her, while Elhanan,, his sturdy hgure
clad only in linsey-woolsey shirt and trowsers,
was covering the seeds as if life depended
upon his industry.
and the stamp he made upon each hill was
as energetic as could well be expected from
boy of twelve. His new musket lay not lar
from him, under bunch of hazels, on the
edge of the grass ground Its polished barrel
acted as a magnet to his eyes.
Several times the darting of solitary hare
through the ferns and bushes, Or the flight
of a plover from the adjacent river, tempted
Elhanan to desert his task, but he resisted
manfully. He thought of his father anxiety
June was looking in at the spring door, and
the season, on account of frequent rains, was
late.
1t was getting to be about II o'clock, and
the sun beat down hotly upon his head. His
arms ached, and his throat was parched
Prudences CHEEKY voice, who was singing
quaint song, old as the days of Queen Bess,
did not seem to animate him. She had ex-
changed the pail of yellow seed for Nathan's
hoe, which she welded with skill which
might have made the young pioneer envlous,
if that sentiment could have found place IN
his generous character.
Sally had tired long since, and was sitting
on log at the upper end of the broken
ground, tanning her warm cheeks with her
sun bonnet. The little, childish figure looked
curls sweeping down upon her scarlet packet,
and her brown feet half buried in the green
grass.
Sally" cried Ehanan, his voice ringing
over the lot like clarion, run to the spring,
and bring 5asn me SoIp pail of water won't yOu'
The "springp was at the opposite side of
the field, sixty rods distant, where rl gush-
ed out benath rock, forming a small basin,
and, as the water was clear and cold it was
highly valued by the pioneers.
Sally rose slowly to obey her brother but
she had not taken dozen steps, when she
found her progress stayed by "a tall Indian,
who rose from behind the very log where
she had been sitting. Her startled scream fell
like knell upon the ears of her alarmed
"The savages are upon u.s. cried Prudence,
land there is mother alone at the house. We
must save her."
And she ran almost with the speed of a
deer toward the stockade Not SO Elhanan!
AS soon as he grasped his gun, he turned
coolly round to count the enemy To his sur
prise, he saw only one Indian. His courage
rose.
The savage was indeed alone He had come
down the river in his canoe, and, hearing Pru-
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