Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-12-26
By ELEANOR GATES.
"Notbine since old I,ancaster''

Nothing since old Lancaster
81 heard that-Fraser wrote me-"
Lounsbury gritted his teeth.
"And our poor CusterT'
"Ah. poor Custer! The casts talk
ing about nothing else
Awful. Awful.' The officer turn
ed away to hide the twitching of his
face.
Going RI yincoln nowY' asked
Lounsbury.
Not right away"
Then I'm Off"
For Lincoln?'
mo: for Brannon."
"Brannon! Alone? Lounsbury? why,
the Indians
I'm going just the same" He hail.
ed a neighbor to bargain for cayuse
of reputed wind and speed, and in an
other half hour he was ready.
He rode as light as possible. Behind
the cantle rolled in Il poncho he tied
some hard tack. jerlied beef and
brandy. His revolver was REINFORCED
by Henry, which he carried in a
holster under his leg. For the ''.45"
he took fifty rounds. A second fifty,
designed for the rife occupied the
loops of his belt. Thus armed and pro-
visioned he logged out of town.
Good fortune made the journey al
most uneventful. He saw but one In
dian. who Hoped into sight from Il
wooded bottom and turned tail when
Lounsbury leveled his gun. Twice only
did he come upon signs of savages.
Toward the middle of the first night
he passed pile of glowing embers,
where food had been cooked and eaten,
and fifty miles lower down, the next
afternoon. as he dismounted ut a rivu-
let, the cayuse SHE'D from an antelope
kid that had dragged itself to the wa
ter for n last drink. There was an ar
row through its neck, and the little
body was still timber.
Just before dawn the second morn
| ing he turned with the river. crossed
| the coulee and refined upon the yellow
| ing bend.-To his left, black dot,
stood the shack. Three smaller dots
were near it-Simon and the mule
| team. South, on the opposite bank,
| were the low, whitewashed buildings
| of Fort Brannon. He barred his dust
powdered head in thanksgiving.
| The cayuse was warm and dripping
| He rode to Shanty Town. loosened the
cinch and led the animal up and down
| before the deserted huts. When ii
stopped blowing and reached for grass
he picketed it on lariat north of the
| Troopers Delight Then he descended
to the building The light was grow
| ing Already he had been seen from
| the post. on his hallooing a small
boat showed off toward him, dancing
its way against the current. Old Mi
chael was not in 1t. only his citizen
helpers. Fearing their tittle-tattle
| LOunsbury curbed his Impotence tC
ask about the shack. Landed. he made
for the bach" quarters on the line.
Fraser was not up. To his Come
| in" Lounsbury entered. They shool
hands without a word, and the store
keeper sat down on the edge of tht
bed.
After awhile the lieutenant reached
out to put a hand on the others knee
'Lounsbury," he said, II feel like {
criminal, but l never dreamed any
thing would go wrong if 1 kept tract
of Matthew'S
"Why, we both thought that, Fraser
You're not to blame any more than
ann
"Oh, If I'd only
But we can't spend any time kick
ing ourselves. After this there mustn'
he loophole. Besides watching Mat
thews, we must
Matthews isn't here"
"What?"
"Kicked out. We don't know wher
he is" Rapidly Fraser related til
story of Simon's gallantry.
There was another piece of news o
lesser Importance. An Indian gir
named Brown Mink was seriously IL
Her wigwam had been moved to tn
western curve Of the stockade, wher
the ground was clear, and bee
changed from tepee shape to the forr
of a walled wickiup. Mrs. Cum
mings, touched with pity, had sent he
a comfortable bed, while Captain Oh
yer, touched no less and pleased b
the good humor of his prisoners, ha
ordered that during the daily scare
of the Enclosure the tent of the sic
girl be left entirely undisturbed
The young officer omitted to tell G
: his share in the interpreters departur
and was distracted over an accider
that had befallen him. On visiting hi
wild pets the previous evening he ha
found that box containing reptile
had been broken open somehow an
that all his rattlesnakes were gone!
With the first call for the trumpe
ers Lounsbury routed the sutler in
quest for breakfast. Then once nor
he sought the river. There was n
waiting for men to row him. Fl
found the small boat, headed for th
beach below Shanty Town, mounte
the cayuse and climbed the steep roa
= to the prairie. Before him>on gree
stretch between river and shack L
saw Dallas.
She was cutting grass in that SAN
swale across which month befoi
n - Il