Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-05-22

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/ 'why did you not go on when
/ drew rein?' he asked. 81 am doing
this for you, not for myself. You
know that death is my only refuge"
"I shall draw rein every time you
/ do" was the reply.
you are demented. Those men who
] are following US are savages. When
! I halt again go on. If you fall into
their hands you will add a thousand
/ fold to my anguish"
do you suppose 1 caa ride to safety
leaving you behind to be tortured and
| then murdered?'
"You are a woman. think of the
agony you will occasion me. the sad
ness Tor your loss that viii be for
| others"
! There was no reply to this.
| On the two galloped. maintaining
the distance between themselves and
| those behind, who were delayed on
coming to the body of the buck who
| had been shot. Here they divided. a
part remaining with the dying Indian,
the others continuing the pursuit.
Half the distance between the ranch
house and the fort had been passed
when suddenly red glare was added
| to the pale light of the moon. kim
ball said nothing. he knew that the
| glare came from the burning OF the
ranch house. On, on they sped, the
glare adding to their terror Of the
whooping savages behind them.
Again the footballs OF the pursuing
horses, by their varying distinctness,
indicated that the Indians were sepa-
rating in accordance with the speed of
their ponies Then Kimbal saw that
he might save the girl by sacrificing
himself.
There's a rise in the ground ahead"
he said. I'm going to stop there and
take them as they come on. Hurry to
the fort. With what delay to the saw
ages 1 cause you can certainly reach
it."
mo. MOI" cried winifred, who
knew very well what this meant.
Keep on. We shall soon meet force
| from the garrison"
Either we or that red light will be
the first news they will get that the
Indians are on the warpath."
II will remain with you"
Coz he cried. They had reached
the crest, and, refining in his horse, he
dismounted. Seeing that she, too, had
stopped, he said, MY only chance is to
hold them at bay till you can send as
sistance."
She hesitated a moment; then. think
ing that he might be right, she gave
her horse a cut and dashed onward.
Kimball. who had trained his horse
| IN 10
down on the crest, and, placing himself
on his stomach behind him. waited
for the first Indian TO come within
range But few moments passed be-
fore, on a rise in the ground, hun
dred yards away against the glare OF
the burning ranch house, appeared the
| silhouette of an Indian. The man was
coming swiftly. advancing straight
toward Kimbal. For the few seconds
the savage was on the crest he seemed
TO be standing still The officer used
these few seconds to draw bead Oh
the mans breast and fired. The In
dian rode down on to the lower ground,
his arms thrown up above his head
then fell backward. not fifty feet from
his enemy.
.Kimbal saw that in the burning
building he had a great advantage.
But there was no time to consider
Before the Indian he had shot had
fallen another appeared on the crest
At the moment one of those bursts OF
fame that shoot up now and again
from burning buildings added intensity
to the light. and the body of the savage
was pictured with inky blackness
,,EvV &c hnn
and pierced his brain.
At that moment many silhouettes of
Indians appeared on the crest Kim
ball felt that his time had come, but
he welcomed it. Life to him had lost
all charm; indeed, it was his wish to
leave a world'for which he had proved
himself untitled. Nor did he wish to
remain to know that the girl he wor-
SHIPPED was in possession Of another.
He began a rapid fire at the advancing
Indians.
This is all that is known of that re-
markable battle in which a single man
killed FIVE redskins and wounded four
more His own account and the In
dams he put out of the fight are all
there was to tell the story, and he re-
given here. A troop Of cavalry from
the fort met a party of Indians and
put them TO flight In the road where
the meeting took place, unconscious
and badly wounded, the soldiers found
I Lieutenant Kimball. When he came 20
himself he was being carried on a
stretcbeF in the moonlight, and beside
him walked Winifred Armour. Bend
ing down. she whispered to him:
my life is yours. to help you"
A wild Joy triumphed over all else.
but he could reply only by a pressure
| of the hand.
In the army bravery overtops almost
any offense. Kimball remained In IT,
respected and admired His wife's
| love was all that was needed 10 en-
able him to keep himself in subsection,
and. supplying, as she did. support for
his weaknesses, he conquered.