Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-14
49,
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Continued From Preceding Page

ts him, judy" .
And l fairly hallooed with joy and boyish
Hes my uncle" 1 said, turning to Captain
Smith, who seemed rather nonplused at my
extravagqnt demonstrations.
"So-ho!" said he. "No wonder you're
body,s uncle, the colonel is, and" he NUT
tered under his breath-"its good thing Tor
the both of you"
The captain evidently entertained no very
hattering opinion of our ability to take care
of ourselves-a fact which we ever after re-
scnted.
We started at once for his house. leading
Nero after us. But let me stop right here,
IN order to give The reader some information
IN regard to this uncle Of mine.
lie was my fathers youngest brother, and
left his home in Massachusetts, at the age OF
fourteen, to take care of himself. Evil pro-
phesies followed the headstrong boy, whose
father was dead, and whose mother could not
manage the self-willed fellow.
, Hc made his way to the State of Illinois
and worked out year upon farm; then,
becoming fired with the ambition to get an
education, he went to Indianapolis, worked
for his board, and attended the State Uni
versty of Indiana, and finally succeeded in
graduating from college in Ohio.
lie mastered every difficulty in his way,
studied law and had begun its practice in a
Western town at the outbreak of the Rebel
lion. when he Immediately entered the army
colonel, and then established himself at Oma-
ha, Nebraska, as a lawyer.
lie was now the man of the family, the
light and life of his aged mother, and had
been been, my ideal man and hero ever since |
could remember. | had not seen him since
the close of the war, and no wonder | was
overjoyed to meet him under the present cir
cumstances
| have not time to dwell upon the surprise
of my uncle at the appearance of Jud and
cnlf I.Vna. hnfA l., tnIr,
Smiths best room," nor upon the eager and
earnest conversation which followed His
presence there was easily explained. He had
come on business connected with a lawsuit
involving the title to some land near Yank-
ton, and which he and his partner were con-
Quoting.
He had arrived late in the afternoon, during
the storm, and gone at once to Captain
Smiths, an old army eomrade; had heard
the story of Charlie and the team of mules,
without even a suspicion that it was his own
nephew (the reader will remember that Char
lie stood in the same relation to him as my
self, and had not heard even that we had
come to this country, which was rather
strange, considering that father, and mother
had both written to him OF the intention,
previous to our departure.
He expressed great concern in regard to
Charlie and walked the floor, asking the cap
tain the same eager questions which we had
asked and then questioned us in regard to
the gang of thieves.
The captain informed us that Alf and Jim
Salinger were at the head o ia band of horse
thieves who infested the Missouri Valley and
Eastern Dakota, and that the former was
supposed to have the mules in his possession,
rs he had been seen in the neighborhood of
Yankton the day before He described the
desperadoes infinitely, and when he said that
dim Salinger is a SLIM smooth faced, white
eyed, snaky-looking fellow" Jud and both
started to our feet
hin, ayactlytv said .Tud
And now we related our adventure of the
dov before. from which we had thus far only
been prevented by the eagerness and hurry
of the conversation, and our anxiety about
Charlie, which had almost made us forget
about our own escapade
eyes. that's him." said the captain, after
he and nncle mad laughed heartily over the
lucky for you that you came off as well as
Wv We talked over affairs while longer,
when Uncle Ben, turning to Jud and me,
told us we had better go to bed.
eve can do nothing tonight" said he
"and we will be up early in the morning,
when I hope some plan of action may have
occurred to me-, by which we shall bring
things out straight"
We we're finally prevailed upon to take his
advice but we both entertained strong sus-
melon that he and the captain went out some
Where. and were not back again until far into
the small hours Of the night.
When, about daylight, we arose, we found
them both up, and breakfast upon the table.
"Good morning, boys" said Uncle Ben.
care YOU ready for long ride to-day"
We expressed our eagerness to be upon the
road without delay. He now told us that he
had the night before, sent a telegram over
The Government wires, connecting the post at
Yoniton with Sioux City and Omaha-which
,nos then and is yet the headquarters of the
loYDo ri mont nf the Mort hWpSt-to tha