The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-12-11

one morning. in the first autumn
after Capt. Conan ana his sons had
gone, the alarming news came 10 the
CONAN home that the Indians were
gong 10 make an attack upon the few
white families in that region 10 kill
and plumber. Cal noticed ms mothers
lace grow pale with fear Wa@n she
heard the story Of their Threatened
danger.
It's time for Col. Camcron's st Leu
tenant to act though. hc. ana he
said:
"Don't worry mother. You know
that cave just below the grave yard
hill? There Is room for all Of US in
there, and with our two guns Dan and
|. with my company Of soldiers. san
keep away all the Indians III this
county"
But Mrs. stone and her poor baby
away up the creek!" exclaimed Mrs.
Conan. There is not u soul with
them but old NANNY sylvie. ana she
partly crippled"
"Ill go after them" lacon'caIly an
sWered Cal.
All that morning Cal and his com
pany were busy transferring Il supply
of provisions to the ave. Mother and
the girls we're trying to hide the house
hold treasures.
Al noon Ca! left his family pre-
pared for the attack. and started with
the horses, eight miles up the creek
~ l ~ III D3bNs t'Iid III
Sylvie. He found them in Il panic OF
terror, for they too, had heard OF
the proposed attack.
They mad haste to gather up such
light valuables as they could carry.
and then Ca said lauguIngly hat
ned load them up" He put unit
Sylvie on the Stones morse. Mrs.
Stone with her bundl OF treasures
on his extra horse, and he took little
Kate UP behind him. He never felt
I In In. q ~ al Ga - Of hir r1-lta9 nlsclai -
50 much in al his life as he did
when he felt the chubby little arms Of
Kate press against his sides and saw
the short. fat myers cling like spider
feet around the two lowest brass but
tons on his coat.
Thu sun had passed entirely out Of
sight when our four travellers alight-
ed before the cave. u warm supper
had been cooked at the house and
brought over, but everyone was too
excited to eat. All the afternoon the
indians had been seen creeping about
The hill above the house, and one had
wen Ventured into the ward.
Cal sent The horses TO the pasture
by Dan. and sat down to rest. For q
long time he was silent. but his brain
he arose and said:
"MOther, I'm going over to the
smoke house. I'll be back soon"
oh! no, my SON" h answered,
"everything is here. There is no need
to go"
"Oh! yes, mother. Don't be alarm
ed" and with those WORDS he was
gone.
Very soon he returned with q sack
swung over his shoulder. In each
end was an immense pumpkin. AND
ms of mother Coman's snowy coun
]terpanes. AS he sat his load down re
told the family what he meant u
do:
You know the Indians are a SUPER
s~t.tious people. They hate and feal
General NJ who was once engaged
in war against them in these noun
tains and treated them very cruelty
They believe hat his bones rest IN
one of the few graves in this section
and they think that his spirit still
move about to dotthem harm. They
lay pipes on all the graves for miles
around to appcase the angry spirit
Now I'm going to make q tWO-head-
I'd. eight-faced spirit with these pump
kins and cut them etWee thos
rock covered graves of grand fathers
and grandmOtner'S."
They all felt as much amused as
they could under the circumstances
II secretly thought Gals idea Tidicu-
louS. However. there were no visible
signs Of incredibly on the scared
faces, and they couldn't help hut adj
mire the righteousness of Cal as he
made four faces stare IN grueSon1e
! 9 n2SCllltSS from the 1ODI SlueS OIL eclc1
pumpkin.
At length the last tooth was cut il
the grinning mouths and Cal placet
a lighted candle in each head. h
took a stout stick and pat 4 pumpkin
on each end, and then draDed the
counterpanes in ghostly folds from The
stick. 1t was such scary, unearth-
ly looking arr&yInent that even thOs,
who had watched its construction fel
a kind OF fear Of il.
Cal and the whole company carrie
thu spirit up to the crest of the hill
and placed it between the graves ol
their return Lieutenant Cal ordered tn
whole party to go to sleep while III
and Dan kept watch.
The night wore on cold and silent
No Indian war WlOOp disturbed tn
tranquil hours. Cal. and Dan IEcit
CasiOnally crept to the top OF the hi
to see thai the lights in the spirit he3t
were burning Drightly.
The next morning Il pie of pipe
were fomd lying near the Srove ward
Later in the day when they returnct
t., the lnuse they discovered Il litti'
Indian boy. fa:nt and sick. by TIL
roadside. In broken English he toli
them that the Indians had meant t
kill them the night before but the,
saw the spirit of that awful pale fac,
Gen. NJ watching them from TIL
grave yard. They were filled with ter
ror and fled With 6 panic, glad. how
ever, that they now knew eNactl,
where their hated foes spirit stayed
Mrs. Conan took the poor little In
dian to the house and gave him
home, and called him HiaWath2
When he grew we'll and strong h
became a m of Lieutenant Car
company.
Two years drifted by and Cal cele
brated his fourteenth birthday. Wit
a sham battle at the foot of gray
yard hill.
News from Col. Conan and the boy
came more irregularly now. and moth
err Coman's hair was turning 7
FURNISHED gold to frosty silver. ca
noticed that she grew more and NOR
fond of solitude. and one DAY he fOunt
her sitting with her knitting unde
fathers faVorite apple tree. But ne
eyes were not watching the stitches q
they flew from one needle to anothe
with a soft click. click. They Wer
looking up through the SWaying leave
and her EItS were moving IN Sllel