The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-04-23

for work, but with throat cut; viii
directly in front of the cabin door ws
dog, an ugly, massive. brute, h
mouth open. prone on his back, wit
stiffened legs pointing to the sky.
dropped my rein, and strobe forward
wait where you are" | called bacl
There have been savages here; lie
me see first what has happened in
side"
The dog had been shot, stricken b
two bullets. and / was obliged to dra
his huge body to one side before
could press my way in through tn
door, The open doorway and windoy
afforded ample light. and singh
glance was sufficient to reveal mos
of the story. The table had beer
smashed as by the blow of an AK, ant
pewter dishes were everywhere. The
bed in one corner had been stripped OF
its coverlets, many of them slashet
been ripped open in a dozen places
Goals from the fireplace lay wide
spread, some of them having eaten
deeply into the hard wood before they
ceased smoldering.
| saw all this, yet my eyes rested
upon something else A man lay, bent
double across an overturned bench, in
a posture which hid his face from
view. His body was there alone, al
though a child's shoe lay on the
floor, and a woman's linsey dress
dangled from hook against the wall
crept forward, my heart pounding
madly, until | could gain sight of his
face. He was big fellow, not more
than thirty, with sandy hair and beard,
and a pugnacious jaw, his coarse
hickory shirt slashed into ribbons, a
bullet wound in the center of his fore
head, and one arm broken by vicious
blow. His calloused hands yet gripped
the haft of an ak, just as he had died
fighting.
Tins voice spoke from the door
way.
'Injuns, reckon?"
Eyes, they have been here the man
is dead. But there must have been
others, woman and child also-see
that shoe on the floor, and the dress
hanging over there. The poor devil
fought hard"
Kennedy stepped inside, staring
about him.
do you think it best to stop hereY
''Why not? 'Tain't likely them
devils will be back agin. Thar sure
must be somethin fer US ter eat in the |
place, an the Lord kno's we can't go |
on as we are. Them gurls be mighty |
nigh ready ter drop, an two o. the |
bosses has plum Civ out. I'm fer set
lin down fer a few hours enyhow-
say till it gifts middling dark"
Undoubtedly. this was the sensible
REV. We would be in far less danger
there under cover than in
my attempt to continue our journey
~ daylight. Together we carried the
,ody out, and deposited it in thickef
behind the cabin, awaiting burial ; and
hen dragged the dead dog also out of
light. The disorder within was easily
emedied, and, after this had been at
ended to, the girls were permitted to
inter-. Eloise sank back on the bench,
Ter head supported against the wall,
he lashes of her half-closed eyes
hOwing dark against the whiteness
f her cheeks. She looked so pitifully
ired, the very heart choked in my
hroat.
The rest of us found small stock
f provisions, and Elsie, with Tim to
id her, built fire and prepared
reakfast. A half-filled bottle of /,
Whisky discovered in the cupboard, =
elped to revive all of us slightly, and
ave Asa sufficient courage to seek
utside for spring. Tim, compara-
vely unwearied himself, and restless,
)cated a trapdoor in the floor, rather
lgeniously concealed, which disclosed
ne existence of small cellar below.
andle in hand he explored this, re- G
lrning with two guns, together with
quantity of powder and ball, and in :
that there remained a half
eg of the explosive hidden below. l.
Must a bin amin ter blow up
Jumps, j reckon" he commented, ex- n
hitting a sample. "Coarsest l ever $
lw; cudn't hardly use tibet in no gun, y
ut it's powder alright" t
To remove the debris out of our way, t
was gathering up the straw tick and 2
it blankets, and piled them all to- &
ether back on the bed. Clinging to
ne of the blankets, caught and held q
Y its pin, was peculiar emblem, and n
stood for a moment with it in my 0
and, curiously examining the odd deAl h
gn. Eloise Enclosed her eyes, and Q
arted to her feet. Il
What is that you have?" she asked a
"a pin of some kinda rather s.
range design; l just found it here, s.
ltangled in this blanket"
why" she exclaimed in surprise, 81 h
ave seen one exactly like it before o
irby wore it in his tie" a