The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-06-28
MORE EFFECTIVE
AVA THAN RIFLES.
tOriginal.1

i Joseph, Mo-, to cross the plains" OIL
5 John Henderson, his wife, two daugl
: tiers and little son were the member
e OF the family, and Herman Harris,
/. young plain5man was to act as guild,
= Betsy Henderson, the oldest daughter
? was aged nineteen, her sister Belle fiji
! teen and Ben seven. The party starte,
on the 18th Of June.
, Dad" said Ben, as they were abou
to cross the Missouri river, "What'm
goin to do Fourth o July?"
Wen be out on the plains on the
, Fourth"
Won't l have nothin' to fire?"
t I'll let you shoot my revolver"
Il want some rockets m crackers N
things"
I'm afraid you'll have to go without
'em this year"
The girls were listening to this con.
versation, and Betsy begged her father
to take along some fireworks, but the
old man said he had no money to burn
up that way and no room to carry the
stuff. He resolutely declined
Now, Herman Harris had been pick
ed up at st. Joseph to be with the par
ty for matter of few weeks, when
1t was expected he would separate
from them, and they would have no
further mutual interest. 1t never oc-
Cured to John Henderson that there
could possibly be any stronger tie be-
tween them than the journey. He
didn't reckon on but two girls and a
young man to encounter the dangers
OF new country together When Bet
sy Henderson was told that Herman
Harris was to be their guide and, ex-
cepting her old father, sole defense
against Indians and cutthroats she
brought great big pair of eyes to bear
| on him. She might as we'll have lev
| eled Il revolver, so far as his future
| freedom was concerned, for he figura-
| lively threw up his hands, while she
tigurattvely went through him for his
heart.
The second evening out Herman in
formed Betsy that he had something to
show her, and, taking her to the wag-
on, they stopped, and there, tied up
against the wagons bottom, was Il
bundle.
What is it," asked Betsy, looking
at him with her haring eyes.
whats the first thing l ever heard
you say You wantedT
Il don't know"
81 do; l heard you ask your father
FOR fireworks to celebrate the Fourth |
with"
$50 l did"
81 went off and got 'em. There
wasn't room in the wagon, so I put 'em
up there"
The big eyes took on a certain soft
ness, and that was the beginning of it
a couple of dollars worth of fireworks.
The party had been out week when
they met returning train, from which
they received information that there
were some hostile Indians farther on
and they had better turn back. At
least they had better make a detour.
Henderson listened to this grimly,
thought of his wife and children at the
mercy of savages and was inclined to
turn. He finally concluded to make the
detour.
The next evening an Indian was de-
serted on the horizon. 1t was after sun
set, and the form of the warrior stood
out in silhouette against broad strip
of red left on the horizon. Then anoth-
er appeared near the first and another
till Henderson counted twenty silhou-
cites. His heart sank within him.
The line, scattered over half a mile
of alkali dirt, moved toward the
schooner, on whose white top the last
light of day was lingering. If the In
dams were hostile death - horrible
death-was certain. The old man
wrung his hands. The Indians came on
to within rife range, then sent single I
shot
There was nothing to do but get be-
hind the wagon, distribute the rifles
and die Every member took a rife,
including little Ben, who found con-
venient rest on spoke. Harris took
position midway between the front and 7
rear wheels. The Indians advanced ,
with a scattering fire They did not I
know the weakness Of their enemy 1t ,
was now getting dark. s
Suddenly Herman Harris threw down ,
his rifle and, taking his knife from his '
)elt, cut the thongs that held the bun {
lie under the wagon 1
drop your rifles" he said to the 9TH
RS. well try these"
To the mother and her children he /
gave roman candles, to the father U
rockets, while, taking a pinwheel he s
passed under the wagon and, getting +
Up on the other side, fastened it to the n
wagon with nail through its center. h
Then, scratching a match, he ignited h
he fuse. o
The Indians stopped and wondered. !,
n the center Of the schooner they saw 7
great fiery eye throwing out sparks
n every side. Then a fountain Of Y
parks scared into the air, and out q
opped star. In a moment there I,
we're several such fountains, all shoot T
lg stars. But the most frightful dem 81
nstration was stream Of fire direct
d over their heads, out of which burst
cluster of stars. This was too much n
or the Indians superstitious natures. +,
hey turned tail and fed for their q,
YES and their souls. ir
If the display was too much for the
indians, Herman Harris saving of the
'hites from massacre was too much
)r the Henderson family, who the mo- 81
tent their enemies fed fell faintIng ia
'om the effects Of the sudden respite. h;
.arris caught Betsy and in his parox- his
SIN Of joy covered her face with III
sses.
Herman Harris from that time be- no
lme a part of the Henderson family, nv