The Spectator., 1915-01-19
LOVE AND INDIANS By MIRA E. TERHUNE.

For all that, Roger Blaine was pre- pairing to go forth and brave the chilly blasts, sixty miles on horseback and through barren and uninhabited district. Love impelled him, however, deep and sincere, and that impetus kept his spirits far above freezing point.
 Bound to go, are you?" demanded Farmer Alden, and Roger glanced with soft admiring eye at Gladys, his daughter, and answered careless ly:
 Just little exercise for my horse. [ expect to make 1t and return in three days"
 q wish I could dissuade you." here spoke Gladys. concerned and tremu- lous. Please do not risk it, MT. Blaine!"
 But what about those saddle bags, Miss Alden?" proposed Roger.
 "Oh. they will be safe, if they were ever safe, a week from now. Then the weather will let up and it will not be so dangerous"
 You don't know the average h. dian," declared Roger, shaking his head sapiently This fellow, Vaka, who brought back your horse. said he had left the saddle in his home dugout. Perhaps, and perhaps not. Even if so, his wife, his children, his neighbors may take occasion to rife it. Vaka has promised every day for a week that he would go after them"
 Which he won't do until the last cent of that hundred dollars is squan- dered," predicted MT. Alden. It was Gladys who accompanied Roger to the door and stood there while he mounted his horse. She. too, stood at the window looking after him till he was out of sight. Was he mistaken, or did she really lift her hands to her lips, as if send ing after him a good luck kiss? Roger loved Gladys Alden. She had many suitors and he was not entirely sure of his ground Since he had an- nounced his present journey, however. Roger had fancied new depth of ex- pression to her sweet eyes.
 
 while out for gallop. Gladys had left her favorite horse beside the trail to gather some wild flowers. When she returned he was gone. Wandered off or stolen, nothing was heard of the missing steed until about three weeks later. A reward of one hun dred dollars had been offered for the 70 hDr Voly ho5 peared. but bareback. He had for gotten" the saddle. he said. In one of its pockets Gladys had placed small hand bag. It contained some valued trinkets, once belonging to her dead mother She had mourned their loss. Hence the chivalric foray of Roger, looking to their restitution.
 Roger found his calculation as to speedy journey at fault. The trail was forty inches under snow, the ra- vines clogged, the horse worn out before half the journey was accom-. plished On the evening of the sec. ond day, however, he arrived weary and half frozen at the wretched dug out that Vaka called home. His squaw with her five children greeted him. Roger made out that he was at the right place. but the Indian woman could not speak English. She made a motion as if intent on going for neighbor to act as interpreter. About to depart, her eyes glittered. her breath came rapidly, she stared hard at the leggings which Roger wore. Then, lowering expression on her dusky face, she left the hut.
 Roger was so exhausted that he threw himself on a pile of skins to recuperate while the woman was away. Before he realized 1t drows. ness overcame him. He was aroused by finding himself bounced upon viz. orously. The squaw had lurked out side the hut. had stealthily returned. had bound him hand and foot.
 You kill Vaka," she shrieked frenzied, and she pointed at the leg gings and poised knife ready tj plunge it into his vitals,
 "No! mol" asserted Roger strenu. ously. experiencing her dark sus. picions-"alive! Pocket-pocket,"
 The squaw half understood him. She groped past his helpless hands and drew from his breast pocket a wallet. She scanned its contents. Then, snatching from among the pa. pers 1t contained the photograph of Vaka. she stood regarding it with distended eyes.
 q kill her." she screamed in a wild frenzy. drawing the knife in her hand through the smiling face of the wom. an in the picture.
 The determined squaw was the companion of Roger. mounted on her Indian pony, back to the town She had located the missing saddle among some trappings and the little hand bag had its original contents intact.
 The gratitude expressed in the eyes of Gladys was sufficient reward for all Roger had done. When he told of his narrow graze of death how