A Prairie-Schooner Princess

started on again. Father and Mother were terribly sad. Sometimes I was afraid that Mother could not live through it. They seemed awfully nervous and afraid all the time, too.

came to a little town, or some houses, but we seldom stopped. Father seemed in a hurry to get where we were going, and Mother didn't seem to care about anything. Two or three times we had a scare about Indians, but they never came very near to us. Then one day when

thought it was just a whirlwind, and then we were afraid it was Indians. But after a while we made out that it was an emigrant wagon, being driven by a woman. That surpr

es with her hands while shudders shook her frame. "Don't," she cri

ly, "you know the rest. It was you

ere silent. Ruth crept up and put her

be a little sister to us in b

d put her arm

y sisters or brothers. I'd like

d honest Ruth,

d Lige; but Jo

three wagons were drawn into a cir

d in the wagon with his wife and the younger children, he stretched himself out beside the wagons, with Spotty nea

hrough the grass and the occasional howling of a coyote. For a long time he lay awake, some vague, haunting

lock Joe woke, and seeing his father patrolling up and down beside the wagons insisted that he should go

his knees, and looked up at the silent stars

ing to doze, when a low, ominous growl from Spotty caus

raised, his lips drawn back showing his teeth, growlin

but remained mot

rd a soft rustli

he stars he made out a dim silho

cried, "or

hua Peniman w

?" he whisp

over there b

arcely left his lips when

came, barked through the darkness. The shot was answered by a wild, shri

he ground another had taken his place, rushing toward the white man with uplifted tomahawk and blood-curdling yell. He was almost upon him when a sharp "cr

s freckled face was very pale, but the blue eyes were shining in a way t

Hannah Peniman, her revolver in her hand. Her face was white

carried terror to the hearts of so many early settlers on the plains the Indian

ce rose another cry. The heart of Jos

d hopeless before, but they had firearms while the savages seemed to be armed only with bows and a

" rang the cry t

d stood still. Some sudden instinct made Joe raise his musket and fir

or Indian, friend or foe; but some sure instinct told him that w

swift rush from the darkness outside the circle of wagons, and in the starlight they

ed himself from the rest, and slipping into the shadows made his way noiselessly as a serpe

rrolls. Hannah Peniman was guarding the rear of the wagon, her revolver cocked and ready in her hand, while Joe and Lige at the front and back of the o

burst through their guard the shrill "Ki-ki-ee-ee-ee!" again smote upon their ears, and an instant later the sound of wild yelps

hought their la

Lige, help thy mother guard the rear! To me, to me, Joe! We must try

that he threw it back upon its haunches. He cast a swift, searching look at the man and boys who stood so resolutely before their wagon

surprised them by askin

der. In the excitement of the moment he had no time to think of the strangeness, the incongruity of the question. All he could think of was that

, and a moment later there was the clamor of a battle cry, the wild thundering of hoofs, the crash of blows, the uproar of battle. Before the horrified pioneers kn

saved; that death-horrible death-and worse than deat

nd the boys reloaded their muskets. Mr. Peniman snatching the axe from th

The moment was too tense, the strug

ps and cries grew fainter and

. Then Joshua Peniman lowered his gu

ey have gone!

o!" replied Joe

ard. I'll l

sket ready he made a t

t far away, but there was no sign of any li

he wagons reliev

n? He could not

me I cannot understand what happened, but somehow,

like that?" Joe demanded. "Does th

know what to think of it. But I scarcely thi

he wagon seats covered with blankets, now

nd that the last ones that came-those that came on horseback-drove the others away. They didn't come together. There weren't many of those Indians that attacked us first, and they came on fo

truce. He asked me if I was a Quaker! I never thought about it until this moment. How strange-how passing strange! How did he guess-how could he know-it must have been he who saved us!" Then suddenly catching sight of his wife's deathly face he turned to her. "Go lie down, Hannah, thee is all u

the hand on his shoulder, sent Joe awa

d down and all about it, with his musket over his shoulder and Spotty

when looking across the pathless prairies towa

igure. When it came within musket range he

or I'll

earer, riding his pony as erect and motionless as a bronze statue, the pioneer

y to a halt before the white man

a Peniman, answering

ian cam

Quake

swered as he had answered t

uaker

You a

over the impassive,

bagoes. Live Omaha Reser

you are one of the tribe who were put in charge of the Fri

apahoes, sought protection at the Reservation in Omaha. There the remnants of the tribe were put under the pro

chief

thee' to you boy.

you saved me-me and my famil

rd and grasped t

l to his own the ch

. Good heart. Good f

Who were the others-those

nd spurned the dead body i

, eh? Are the Sioux

heart. Winnebago good Indi

w you relieve my anxious heart. But how did it happen

his arms across

h on war-path. Kill heap white men. Me hear gun, know trouble. My you

come. You saved our live

campment they fell upon a scrap of paper which lay under the Carroll wagon. He stro

e of the ravine, and back of them the

ntly. Joshua Peniman

ng a well-defined footmark in the muddy

tooped and exami

er sole and the imprint of a bo

ite

ce he stood stari

man should be among them-that a white man was one of those howling demons who

ced sharply

you m

wagon. It was unoccupied. And you see

u b

are all going

ho

sh I

f paper he had picked up under the

, pointing to t

scrap, and its edges showed that it had been torn recently and hastily. As

is pulses he turned and

curtain and looked in he

scattered about; and the dispatch-box, placed in the hands of Nina Carroll by her dying mother, which contained all her money, deeds, pap