Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-13

Dale
Pioneer
by
John Fox, Jr.
Copyright ~ CHARLES seesnsrs sons
IiiliIiii1i
'opyz.gnt D. CHARLES sortsnsr'E sons

of a white man. Then at the edge
of the wilderness appeared-the fool.
Behind him followed the other two
who had gone out hat morning, one
with a deer swung about his snoul-
of both as they cursed the fool in
front who had given shot and war
whoop to brighten ONE and make
them run. The sickly smile passed
from the face of the fellow, shame
took its place, and when he fronted
the terrible eyes of old Jerome San
ders at the gate, that face grew white
with fear.
Thar amt an 1njun in a hundred
miles," he stammered. and then he
shrank down as though he were al
most going to his keens, when sud
denly old Jerome slipped his rifle
from his shoulder and fred past the
fellows head with a simultaneous
road of command:
cit in-ever' body-git in-quick!"
From a watch-tower, too, a rifle
had cracked. A naked savage had
bounded into a spot of sunlight that
dred yards deep in the forest and
leaped lithely aside into the bushes
both rifles had missed. Deeper from
the woods came two war-whoops-
real ones-and in the silence that
followed the gates were swiftly closed
and barred, and a keen-eyed rifleman
was at every port-hole in the fort.
From the tower old Jerome saw reeds
begin to shake in a cane-brake to
the left of the spring. :
Look thar" he called, and three
rifes, with his own, covered the spot.
A small brown arm was thrust above
the shaking reeds, with the palm OF
the hand toward the fort-the peace
sign OF h Indian-and a moment
later a naked boy sprang from the
cane-brake and raj toward the block
house with a bow and arrow in his
left hand and his right Stretched above
his head, its pleading palm still out
ward.
Don't shoot!-don't nobody shoot"'
shouted the old man. No shot came
came yells of rage, and as the boy
streaked through the clearing an ar
row whistled past his head.
Let him NJ" shouted Jerome, and
as Dave opened the gates another ar
row hurtled between the boys up
raised arm and his body and stuck
quivering in n of it's upright bars
The boy slid through and stood pant
ing, shrinking. wild-eyed. The ar.
Wv" AAou SLdACu Ills on1h, dIu "ilCI
Dave lifted his arm and looked al
the oozing drops of blood he gave
a startled oath, for he saw a fash
of white under the loosened breech.
clout below. The boy understood
Quickly he pushed the clout aside or
his thigh that all might see. nodded
gravely, and proudly tapped his
breast.
"Paleface!" he half grunted. white
man."
The wilds were quiet. The boy
pointed to them and held up three
fingers to indicate that there were
only three red men there. and shook
his head to say there would be nc
attack from them. Old jerome stud
led the little stranger closely. won.
dering what new trick those red dew.
ills were trying now to play. Dav'
made an impatient gesture for silence
What's your name?" The DO,
shook his head and looked eagerl,
around. =
"Francais-French? ?" he asked, ant
in turn the big woodsman shook hi.
head-nobody here spoke French
However, Dave knew a little Shaw
nee, a good deal of the sign-language
and the boy seemed to understand {
good many words in English: SO tina
the big woodsman pieced out, his stor,
with considerable accuracy and turn
ed to tell it to Jerome. The Indian.
had crossed the Big river, were a!
many as the leaves. and meant to at
tack the whites. For the first tim,
they had allowed the boy to go on
war party Some one had treated
him badly-he pointed out the bruis
es of cuffs and kicks on his body
The Indians called him White Ar
row, and he knew he was white from
the girdle of Unframed skin unde,
his b~reech-clOut and because the In
dian boys tainted him. Asked VIII.
he had come to the fort, he pointed
again to his bruises, put both hand
against his breast, and stretched
them wide as though he would seel
and take them to his heart; and 70
h first time a smile came to hi
face that showed him plainly as
curious product of his race and tn
savage forces that for years ha,
been moulding him. That smile coul.
have never come to the ACE Of al
Indian. No Indian would ever hav
80 lost himself in his own emotions
No white man would have used hi
gestures and the symbols of natur,
to which he appealed. Only an In
dian could have shown such a cruel
vindictive. merciless fire in his eye
when he told of his wrongs. and whel
he saw tears in Lydia's eyes, tn,
first burning in his life came to hi
own, and brushing across them will
fierce shame he turned Indian stoi
again and stood with his arms folde,
over his bow and arrows at his breast
looking neither to right O left, a
though. he were waiting for iudgmen
at their hands and cared little wha
his a might be, as perfect fron
head to foot as a statue Of the an
cient little god, who, in him. ha,
forsaken the couches of love for tn
tents of war.
(Conttnued Tcneorrow Eventnx.)