Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-11-09

| Kahtoo the Shawnee-becaus he had
given bis word. Eahtoo thought he
was dying and wanted him to be chief
when the Great Ssirit called. Kahtoo
had once saved his life, had been Sind,
and made him son. That he could
not forget. An evil prophet had come
TO the tribe and through his enemies,
Crooked Lightning and Black Wolf
had gained much influence. They were
70 burn captive white woman as
sacrifice. He had stayed to save her
TO argue with old Kahtoo, and carry
the wampum and talk to a big eoun-
Gil with the British. He had made his
talk and-eseaped. He had gone back
to his tribe. had been tried and was
TO be burned at the stake. Again he
had escaped with the help of the white
woman and her daughter. The tribes
had joined the British. and even then
were planning an early attack on this
very fort and all others.
The interest was tense and every
face was startled at this calm state.
ment Of their immediate danger. Old
Jerome burst out.
'Way did you have TO escape from
the council-and from the ShawneesT'
AT the council / told the Indians
that they should be friends, not enc,
mics, of the Americans. aud Crooked
Lightning called me traitor He had
overheard my talk with Kahtoo"
"What was that2" asked Dave
quickly.
Il told Kahtoo / would fight with
the Americans against the British and
Indians; and with you against himr
And he turned away and went back to
the cabin.
"What'd / tell YER cried Dave IN
dignantly, and he followed the boy
who had gone to his bunk, and put one
big hand on his shoulder.
"They thought you'd turned Inlun
agin," he said, shut it's all right now"
81 know" said the lad. and with
muffled sound that was half the grunt
of an Indian and half the sob of a
white man turned his face away.
Again Dave reached for the h,d's
shoulder.
Don't blame 'em too much. I'll
tell you now. Some fur traders came
by here, and one of 'em said you was
! goin to marry an Injun girl named
I Early Morn; that you was goin' to stay
with 'em and fight with 'em alongside
the British. OF course knowed bet.
ter. but"
"Why," interrupted Erskine. "they
must have been the same traders who
came to the Shawnee town and brought
whisky"
"That's what the Teller said end
why folks here believed him"
s'Who was her" demanded Erskine.
s.You know him-Dane Grey"
All tried to make amenes straight
way for the injustice they had done
him, but the boys h,art remained sore
that their trust was so little Then,
when they gathered all settlers within
the fort and made all preparations and
no Indians came, many seemed again
to get distrustful and the lad was not
happy. The winter was long and hard.
A blizzard had driven the game west
and south and the garrison was hard
put to It for food Every day that the
hunters went forth the boy was among
them and he did far more than his
share III the killing of game. But when
winter was breaking more news came
IN of the war. The flag that had been
fashioned of a soldiers white shirt. an
old blue army coat, and red petticoat
was now the Stars and Stripes of the
American cause. Burgoyne had not cut
off New England. that "head Of the re-
belliop, from the other colonies On
the contrary. the Americans had beat.
en- him at Saratoga and marched his
army off under those same Stars and
Stripes, and for the first time Erskine
heard of gallant Lafayette-how he
had run to Washington with the por-
tentous news from his Fixing that
| beautiful. passionate France would
stretch forth her helping hand. And
Erskine learned what that news
meant TO Washington's naked and
starving" soldiers dying on the frozen
hiIlsides Of Valley Forge. Then George
Rogers Clark had passed the fort on
his way to williamsburg to get money
and men for his great venture 10 the
Northwest, and Erskine got ready
permission 20 accompany him as sol
der andsguide After CLARK was gone
the lad got restless; ana one morning.
when the first breath o. spring came
he mounted his horse in spite Of argu
meDts and protestations, md set forth
for Virginia on the wilderness trail
He was going to join Clark. he said,
but more than Clark and the war were
drawing him TO the outer world. What
1t was he hardly knew, for he was not
yet much given 70 searching his heart
or mind He did know. however, that
some strange force had long been
working within him that was steadily
growing stronger. was surging now
like q fame and swinging him between
strange moods Of depression and exul-
tatlon. Perhaps It was but the spirit
of spring In bis heart. bur with his
minds eye he was ever seeing at the
and ~ bgu fa,trt,a.. tha fooa - "a. utfIa