The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-19
WOMAN NOVELIST OF KANSAS
MRS. MfIiRTER'S FIRST WORK
FINDS FAVOR THERE.
wrote o. IN the Intervals "f h"usr~ ess
amt ntribu,ing To n New spap~r =
stirring IIfrnkr story of the Early
! Inv. Of IlOr,irr Indian warfare.

STIRRING lIfriisr story of the larry
Da,s Of nordrr Indian warfare.
History j. stranger than fiction. and
IN. story ~ the Kansas Frontier IL more
trasIcal than all the Wild West yellow
backed novels ever turned of the press
To me the campaign of the Arickare'
has always read like a piece OF bloody
drama 80 terrible IN its reality n puts
the Imagination ont Of service. says
Margaret Hill McIart.r the new novelist
Of Kansas. IN her first novel. The Price
of the Prairie Just published by A. 4
AIcCiurg 4 Company Of Chicago,
The Price Of the Prairie which in
it's three weeks run IN Kansas has broken
all records Of Kansas books. not sxclud-
ing William Alien Whites "A Certain
Rich Man and which called for second
edition within thre- weeks OF tn" first
publication. IL, a. indicated by the tiiie.
word pictur. OF the Western prairi"
dating hack TO war days and the period
following and an exposition OF the price
paid for It's possession by the settlers
''vhsre did get the stun for it?' says
Mrs McCarteI 1t Is all in the sod and
the sky out here II you are Kansan
you know the tragedy and comedy OF
the history that has played along the
years out here"
Il is IN its historical descript ions that
the Kansas 81 DRY probably appeals most
to its readers although the whole is made
into the giise OF fiction. and that history
in no, vet 80 old that the author could
not get her setting and its details from
men who themselves figured in the cpl
sodes The chapter entitled In the VAL
~ of the Arickaree- tells how fifty white
men stat toned OH an island in the Arick-
aree withstood the attack Of ! 900 Chero-
KEGS for six DAYS. one Of the most dra-
matte incidents in the white man Indian
conflict annals:
For Ave days every movement Of ours had
been ntch.d by indian scouts. Night and
day they had hung ON our borders Just out
OF sight. WAITING their time tn strike Had
We made full mar,h on that sixteenth dar
81 September instead of hating 10 rest and
graz.. our horses should have gone.
Stillw.ll pred vtrd. straight into hell : avs
A II vas he'll To~. NJ AID CTeI -'"aIthily
coward Us.
Morning was gray IN the .a., and the
little valley was tull Of shadows. when sud
denly the ~entinel'- cry 81 Indians In
dians'- aroused the sleeping force The
shouts % our guards. the CHATTER ~ ponIe,
hoofs the ra.iling III dry skins. IN. So ing
ing Of blankets the fierce y"ll- Of the TN
>adins Zoe made - seen. ~ tragic con-
upon H. Liz" whirlWind In rh- mad AT
tempt To -'anl-d- our stock nothing but
di-.frlin. saved ~ lew al the mules
ana horses not properly plck-t"L broke
ooss and galioped on before the attacking
force. 'h- r-mainn- animals held as the
Indians ned away before the sharp IRE OF
our soldiers
Welt W. licked them anyhow laid
to my ~-l' rNuitIntly We oheNsd tn.
instant orders t" %e' into the saddle
Tn. first crimson line % morning MAS
srrcakinR the east and ! lifted my face
triumphant!Y to- the new day. SHARP
GroVer stool Iv-; before me his hand as
on FORSYTH shoulder suddenly he ut
tered a low exclamation
on. heavens General. look at the In
dians'"
This wa : no vision 81 brown rock and
SIN bli niei eyes. From every direction.
over the bluN out from the tail grass. across
the siop. on the south. came Indians. hum
dreis on hunirct. They SEEMED To spring
from tn. sod like Roierick Dhu's Highland
scots. and people every curve and hollow.
Swift - the wind. savage a. hate. cruel -
hell. they bore down upon H. from every
way the v inst blows
In all the valley there refuge
where might hide nor height Oh which
We might defend ourselves The Indians
had counted on our masking dash Ia the
eastward and had lett that way open for
US Ihey IA not T"tNon" ! ON bl. OF~Ntfl.
He knew intui'iv"ly that IN" gorge at the
lower end Of the valley was even then filled
with "A hidden foe. ami not man oI u-
would ever nave passed through II alive
To advance meant death. and there va- no
retreat possible. out IN the middle o! The
Arickare.. hardly three feet above the
river bed. lay a h'tle island In the years
to be when the history Of the West shall no
full told. ~ may become one Of the nations
rhTin"- lIut now in this dim morning
hight u show. l only an insignificant eleNa-
ton It. -lniy surface was grown over
with tail sage Rras~~- and weeds few
Wild plum AMI elI-r bushes. a dump 81
low willow shrubs anil small cottonwood
tree completed lie vegetation
IL taxes long 70 tell II. this dash for tho
island The execution III the order was
like the passing Of 4 hurricane Horses.
mule. men all ds-h.l toward the place.
but In IN. rush the hospital supple, and
Tltion- were lost Tn" Indians hal not
cOintei Oh the island. and they RACED IN
fury at their ovrr-rx.t They were a
thousand savage warriors attacking half
hunire soldiers and they hai sloatai over
the ffty Soalp- To- be taken IN III" littl. gorz.
10 ~. east.
On nv. island We tied our horses IN the
hushe- and quickly formed a circle The
soil Wa all soft sand We "ut the thin
rod with our butcher knives and b"Gan
throwing ~ n low defence. working Ike
h~nd~ with our hands and elbows and toes.
=c~".i.g ont the sand Nl'h our Tin plates.
making the com rnencemsnr 81 our shallow
t,ii- - from the unduiating -ou'h and
down over the north blum sws;r IN" furious
horde TN they came WIth terrific speed.
their bloodourdling wells Of hate mIng.Ing
Sith the Wild zOng- and cries and 'aun'-
of hundr"'is Of -qua ws ana children thai
crowded IN" heights. "u' of rang. ana
danger watching the charge and urging
sheir brave. 10 battle over the Slope
t. the very banks nf the creek. INTO m"
SANDY ned ~ m" stream. aud up Ia the
island they hurled their ponies while bull
Ist- crashed mTrdero'i~iN and arrows
whizZed with deadly -wiftns-- into our
h''le -and built defence
n wa- dim daylight now Rim" smoke
and clouds Of dus' and gray mist shot
N rough with flashes ~ powd-r. aad the
awful rage. u all tn" demons Of hell
wsr- crying vengeance. are al IN that