Year: 1869

and which echoed and re-echoed acros:
the broad. still lake, they sprang upor
their victims and bore them to tht
earth. 81 s,is's. Isl


Leonora trembled With excitement
and apprehension. expecting nothing
| less than to witness the horrible butch
ery Of her father and lover at once.


But this did not seem to be the pur'
pose of the Indians; for. tying, tht
arms of the eaptives behind them, they
took them to the canoes, where, taking
the old man into one and the young
man into the other, they showed boldly
into the lake and padded rapidly down
toward where the house stood. Leo
noradiyined their intent instantly.


"Hai'' she said to herself, "they de-
sign capturing me, too. They deem
that an easy job, perhapsp. and her
eyes flashed and her face flushed with
anger. .'See! there is a fourth canoe,
which they no doubt suppose win ear
ry me. This villainous work has been
well calculated; bst ahl you bad saw
ages! you have mistaken your girl this
tinel Leonora Brown. has been taught
more things than to cook venison
steak. Oh, dear, dear father, your
Leonora win soon show you how brave
ly she can succor you, and how your
instructing her the use of the rifle has
saved you this day. And you, too,
darling Harry Weston, have won a
longer lease Of your precious life by
presenting me this splendid revolving
rifle. Six bullets for six ruff
Miss one of them! ali, if l should
there is my knife! No Leonora, you
must not-will not miss one of them. "


The girl now crept stealthily through
the underbrush up the bank to the
prairie above. She did not think they
would hesitate to do this, because hav-
ing taken the two men. they would
hardly expect any resistance from q
single girl. About thirty yards to the
right Of the path cattle yard had
been erected by her father, and in the
corner of the fence stood an immense
elm tree. Inside of this yard climbed
Leonora, and behind the big elm tree
she concealed herself


A few minutes more proved she was
right in her conjecture. The Indians.
after having tied stout rawhide thorug
around the feet of their prisoners, laid
them down in the bottom of the ca
noes, and taking their guns strobe gaily
and laughingly along toward the house,
without any attempt at concealment.


Leonora's heart grew as hard as a
stone, and her nerves-which futtered
a little before--now grew as firm as
steel. She had put fresh waterproof
caps upon each nipple of her rife, and
resting the barrel on the rail fence, she
drew sharp bead upon the foremost
one; but as her finger curved to press
the trigger she heard what actually
seemed to be voice whisper:


mot yet, Leonora!'


She paused, and then, ae if by in
spiration, flashed this through into her
mind.


"Wait until they get nearer to the
house, then shoot the hindmost one
first"


She obeyed the impression, and let
them come on few rods nearer. Sud
denly the thought came again:


"Now's your timei'


Clapping her face to the rifle-breech,
she trained the death dealing tube
steadily upon the chest of the nearest
Indian for an instant and fired.


The bullet sped true to its mark,
and the burly Indian merely threw up
his arms and fell dead, the rifle ball
having gone directly through his
heart


A clap of thunder from a clear sky
could not have so utterly astonished
those remaining Indians. Wildly they
looked in every direction to see whence
came the fatal Shot. In the next in
stant, bang! went Leonora's rife again,
and another of their number dropped
dead. r...-..


But they saw the smoke of the shoot
er. At once they comprehended their
peril. They could not hide and their
only show for life was in rushing to
the tree and tomahawking their pre-
sumptuous foe on the spot. Instantly
sounding the war whoop. they bound
ed forward, but with the notes half ut
tered, another of their number leaped
into the air and fell back to rise no
more. Leonora had fred again.


The remaining three rushed on, but
again the brave girls rifle rang like the
knell of doom, and fourth savage
pitched headlong to the ground.


The terror of the remaining two was
now pitiful to behold, they stopped
short in their onward course, and ut
tered the most fearful screams, dis
charging their rifles at the tree in the
BIfas5 BaItf again af f6e restless re 6azsaa1 9afF
another of the remaining two sunk to
the ground as the bullet went crashing
through his brain.


Immediately the one left threw down
his rifle and cried out,


"No shoot me! No shoot me! Me
give up!' i9s


Leonora had drawn bead on him,
but now that he seemed SO perfectly
in her power she lowered her rifle, and
stepping from behind the tree, climed
the fence briskly, and commenced ap-
preaching the savage.


The surprise and indignation Of the
Indian at the sight Of the girl was in
tense, and forgetting his supPlicating
cry, he put his hand behind him and
drew forth his tomahawk to throw at
her. - s


Leonora's eye was as sharp as an
eagles. She saw the treacherous move,
and just as the bright blade of the
hatchet, cleaned for the throw she
raised her rife and shot the taithless
scoundreI dead in his tracks.


With the speed of the deer she now
l.onrdod forw ard To the Lake.