Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-08-22

Lavender
|:CreiQhtOn'S
Lovers
By OLIVIA b. STROHM
(Copyrisht, 1905, by Olivia B. Strohmh

the garrison. For news Of the avert
ed duel had spread through the camp,
and she was tired Of questions, of
whispers and looks askance.
The woods were more friendly;
silent, save the signing of leaf1ess
branches in restless wooing of the
spring. Already, promise of her CON-
ing lay in the tiny brown buds of vel
low-green shoots that peeped bravely
out beneath the sheltering heaps of
moldering leaves.
Occasionally Lavender stopped to
pick q twig that the frost had gilded,
or a bit of sumach to which he had
spared the scarlet.
On a sudden, the whizz of an arrow
rang in her ears, and she felt it's wind
on her face. At the moment, an In
dian staggered through the underbrush
He turned upon her the beseeching
look of a wounded stag, then with
a cultural moan, fell as. if lifeless at
her feet.
Her impulse was to run, leaving the
wounded man to his fate. For might
not another arrow follow-herself it's
mark?
But after moments hesitation, she
knelt at the Indians side, and lifted
the unconscious head to her lap.
The CHASTITY bunch of feathers pro-
truded from the buckskin coat; one in
stant's shuddering pause, then with a
quick jerk she wrenched the arrow
from its yet pulsing sheath. Warm,
gushing, the blood followed. Untying
her 'kerchief, she stanched it's flow
In the wounded mans belt was q
flask of brandy with which she moist
ened his lips, and rubbed his great,
limp hands and slanting forehead.
Slowly his eyes opened, and met her
gaze, wide with pity.
"All right?" she murmured.
He nodded, keeping his gaze on her;
then with an "Ugh!" of relief, closed
his eyes again.
Afraid to CALL the girl sat notion
less. Shouts might bring another ar
row, and surely help would come soon!
There was rustic in a tangle of
evergreen near; the bushes were part
ed, and head, surmounted by a tow
ering circle of gaudy feathers, peeped
cautiously forth.
Lavender's heart almost stopped
beating, but she gave no sign. The
Indian advanced, his gigantic, plumed
head brushing the trees. He stopped
over the two figures on the ground, and
without touching the girl, raised the
arm of the unconscious one Pushing
back the sleeve, he examined the
strange tattoo marks which defaced
the dark skin. Apparently the scru-
tiny satisfied him-he rose, and, pick
ing up the arrow, calmly wiped the
blood from it and replaced it in his
own culver. Then without, word or
sign, he departed as silently as he had
come.
In stupor of fright, Lavender sat
mechanically stanching the blood, her
eyes upon the bushes whence the saw
age had intruded.
There we're few hostile Indians about,
and the settlers had grown bold. Laven-
der was as much surprised as alarmed
at this sudden apparition. Familiar
with all the friendly Indians about the
fort, she knew the wounded man to be
stranger, and wondered at his pres
ence in the neighborhood
Suddenly her eyes alighted upon a
packet that had fallen from a small
knapsack he carried. This, with his
travel-worn clothes, proclaimed him a
runner-a bearer Of messages from
camp to camp.
For the second Indian she could not
account, but this one was evidently
come with news for Col. Mitchell.
In her haste to get the brandy, she hal
disturbed the. dispatches, and a few
blood spots dabbled the writing. Care
fully she wiped away the stains, intend
Ing to replace them in the knapsack,
when a name caught her eye-a name
which made her turn from red to white
with alarm-Charles Winslow, and
closely following it the words, spy"
and "traitorous designs"
The writing fascinated her; the char
acters burnt deep into her memory,
and she kept her gaze upon them as if to
assure herself that she read Alright
that the words "spy" and traitor" did.
indeed, stand close to the name of
Winslow.
At the moment she heard footsteps
not stealthy. Firm and sure they
crunched the dead leaves, and the noise
was inspiring after the awful calm of the
nd TO
She had only time to hide the packet
Of dispatches in the folds Of her gown,
when familiar voice called her name,
and Winslow's face, his eyes shining
and mirthful, peered across the inter-
vening thicket. 1--WE caught you, run
away" he was beginning, but the words
froze on his lips. God in Heaven, what
has happened?"
She lifted warning finger, and tried
to speak lightly, though her voice trem-
bled. \"Be careful; there are Indians
about. This one was hurt by a random
arrow; there may DO Others" 49,
Winslow sprang to her side. "Shal1
I take your place; or would you rather
wait minute while go for help?"
To his surprise, Lavender replied:
::Neither-yet." -
Then, with gesture that enjoined ST.
1ence, she handed him the dispatches;
On the bosom Of her gown they had left
tiny red stain: READ those. she
commanded: r..
He hesitated. '''You must be my first
care; let the papers wait" :,> -
But ahe insisted: ''Read!'' W. ".
Indinerently he opened the papers,