Show A true story the sun was slowly sinking in ilia western sky as burton cimo out of hs cabin and glanced down tho gulch toward 1 he icart an elevated tableland the hills on both acro golden in the light while hero and tharo dark shadows between alio high points of rock gave a curiously to alio Liml care now I 1 wonder ively whether tho gil has home glanced nt ills boot and finding thai ho had in a moment of put ou his spurs to saddle upwind rido over to out it did not take many seconds before ho avs going slowly down alio gulch on his mustang reaching the mesa lie strook in a lope and was soon lost to sight around alic baso of alio hills helen MAii stood at alio door of her cabin glancing uneasily alio llio daiy diy before sho biad come home and aliat morning her biad started his wagon to miko a rip through alio milling towns leaving helen and her little brother tom alro was ten 3 oars old ilono on tho ranch helens was twofold sho had heard her father talking with somo nian alio were prophesying an outbreak of alic and sho was wondering whether would boino that day or not alic two biad boan engaged for tomo months and ono of tho chief ob of her visit to los angeles when her father went on to buy goods for liia had been to pui caaso alio llio necessary things which to set up housekeeping she wanted to sec io on general principals and sho wanted to shiow liim aliat she had bought of her two subjects ot thought I 1 im tg ino thai coming occupied her the boic but ns alie evening shadows lengthened she gave up expecting a visit from him that day and tinning went into tho house tom came in scoon afterward and closed up tho heavy windows and doors put alm bits into and b gan to think it was time to go to led about eight she heard cautious footsteps outside going to tho door and looking through ono ot the holes cut through it alio SAW to her horror an indian standing about forty feet away sho was a border women born and raised on alio outskirts of civilization and ablio needed DO man to tell her what the bright streaks of p aint which stood out so plainly in the moonlight across tho redskins red skins faco meant hastily calling tom alio pointed the indian out to him and told him to like down n rille and watch alio other side of the house then hiking one of the long clouded barrel aho tu her post and waited alic did not have to wait long A rap on the dour ind a cummons to open delivered in n of broken english and spanish told her eliat the fight must be helen a dead silence another rap enforced by a kick followed and she hoard willi caia acro straining for tho slightest gound barco quick sh irp orders given A silence of a fow minutes and then helen could sec seven or ciglio indian bringing up 1 pou to use as a bat toi ingram alic put alic ot llie niile through the holu in in alic door and waiting until she got the siragou in lino arcil tho fall of taruo of them and yells from the whole baity followed by a hasty dispersion and a for shelter ahomed the effects of the shot tho indians were genuinely surprised thoy hid that the cabin was empty and was no danger in attempting to force it open in a moment after the cliot tharo was not an indian to be but the flight ut some score of arrows and alie sound or four rilles blut they ocic still helen knew unit tho cabin would at it that a far larger force could do but alio alio knew that indians havo luany ways of lighting and that alio could scarcely hope to keep for any length of time instinctively too glicr thoughts turned r and mingled with tho wish that he was there was alie fear that he would come and fall a victim to the bcd akins tom biad become wildly attack bylica years he had beau wanting a chanco in light and hn felt it was a sliomo that they should attempt tho sido 0 the cabin on isaich helen was rather than that on which ho wai posted for lie knew that unlike himself helen did nol in tho want to take part in a diali culty tom watched through his peep holes with all liis eyes and in a fw minutes was ic warded by seeing a crouching boim crawling towards alio cabin tho boy leveled his weapon but shook so eliat he could not aim A whispered steady tom from hii hi i sister tu bring him to and as ho pulled alio trigger the rille was as airm as a rock A copper colored body leaping into the air with a yell showed that toms bullet had strick then there was a long silence more in about ten minutes haslen saw an arrow with somo grass wrapped around it and sut on fire lly into abo air aud fall short of the cabin where it burned fiercely another and another acro shot until buu etrick tho nicula thatch and nent out before euch a move as this helen was powerley pow erles she could bot the indians alio were shooting inc arrows aud so could not lire nt m sho knew that slie had no means of putting alie firo out if it caught another anil another arrow with its blazing band of grasi went flying through the aar and rt kit a triumphant from the indians told the girl that alio roof was on fire at list sturton loped slowly alone alio trail towards alio llio cabin choro helm lived divided in liia own mind whether his errand was not a foolish one tuc aday anil isolen had that wednesday tho ielli would bo the earliest dato at which slie could return yet with the wild idea that she might ho there biad started for a tan milo ride with if tho cabin was empty alie rapid chinga from daylight to dark had taken and wai about a mile from alio cabin when ho hoard arilla shot it banished any idea of a errand from his mind instantly st hiding cautiously within a quarter of A mite of alio cabin he als tied hi borso and scouted in ahn direction of tho shota a about a hundred yards from tho back of tho house ho saw alio cabin with alio llio roof on fire and alic indians gathar cd outside of rilla cliot waiting for alio I 1 llames to do their work did not hesitate a moment climbing down a in lio lie ran quickly across the little space being hidden from lie barnies by alio walla ou his way however it WAS only helens quick ayo that saved him from being shot for tom biad leveled iiii rilla and was just to pull the trigger when tho girl struck tho weapon and lie bullet mcw harmlessly over nies head to open alio llio heavy wooden shutter and fa into tho house was for tho pia ut 1 l mom cuts work when ho was inside alic for a second lost her coolness but hasta kiss brought her to tho roofs on fire broke in tom 1 I know SL 0 must wo do asked helen under the thatch said reed poles answered tom promptly bevo got to git out of this the reds is on that side an I 1 bockon it wo mako a dish to the rocks adoro they kin see us here tom go and firo your ride off on eliat side tom did as lie was bid but alic bullet fell short of the waiting group how helen got me somo slow match an boin you load up an put your rilla out hole sio saying hastily two spare rides in position inching them to a table which he dragged up to the side 0 the cabin on which the indians were taking the slow match from helen lie wound it in succession around each rill 0 over alio nipple and then lighting the end opened the window on the cliff side toni you go first allun to get in I 1 lie crevice wait there for me putting the boy out lie waited until he saw him reach tho did and then getting oufa ran across as rapidly is possible he biad scarcely reached lie rocks when lio saw helen climbing out of alio window and crossing the open space while she was doii igo aliu first 0 the rillas went olt only to bring a loud yell from alic indians who naturally supposed alie meatus of tho cabin were tiring at lliam iy ay tho greatest good luck the bullet struck ona of alio llio red skins wounding him sligh lh and the party at moved back somo twenty yards and his parly reached tho without being seen and struck down tho rock to chero alio livorse had been left here put helen and tom on tho animal anil taking hold of the saddle willi one annd ran alongside as alicy made their way along the road just as they started they heard another rilla and another yell from alio huallapa Hual lapa n showing eliat alic cm towi cli steenie had i was doing good work moving as rapidly as pos ablo for about a milo they met a band of men coming down with a train of wagons telling them alio news the wagons were parked at once forming a very good shelter behind which to fight leaving tom and helen in cb irac 0 the men who remained with alic wagons joined a party of twelve and struck out for alie burning cabin once more ho led tho men to i behind alio indians froin which they aired killing seven ami wounding two or tarco moru then tho white men dallied in and n lind to hand light took place which resulted before long in a victory fur alic whites cd a wound in alio shoulder from a hying knife but was otherwise unhurt eliat indian raid ended within twenty four hours after it acan for the signal vic doiy 01 cr the thirty warriors who biad ted it tho of the discontented redskins red skins and they stayed at home and helen cro married withie alio week and although another trip to los angeles hail to bo made before they could seo their cibin nicely up they acro none alio less happy the story ot helens defense of alio cabin became widely known and as it is an example of what american women have done upon aliu it is worth alio telling alfred balch in y Y ledger |