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Show 1MIMS JOK'S (HltbTMAS. U IIOMMrVN. i j) Whirr, whirr, whirr shrilled a hug ' H whip of rawhl le cm wm unrasut I Ins subsuncfl U 'Hello, you thcrtT aUJ is voice In I brolt.n Indian. 1 j Whirr, whirr, wMikI Ihe tiip .s It Ij tore thrujgh the air on Us wlcVeJ ml (I stnn unheedfuloftlicinttrniptloii j "Mere, you, lielto there, wrul are you doln8f U At If lniucyanertot'io Intrrrup- B lion, whin went the muffled tqueal of a ill deadly arrow Tl The whltominwat now wlililn ljlu j) of the Indian encampment, and lie I It looked fearlessly at the feathered arrow il po nted .this own defenseless bressl jj "llugsbs nunilc?' came the white 'B man'a broken Indian uetlon U The lliae hug. Indian braves, who . Bi stood now doie beside the interlocutor, El ouchsafcd no reply aavon low grunt 1 Tlie white man, a powerful, broad jt shouldered six rooter, with the eye of a I hawk and the sym,uilntlc chin oft strong fl woman, looked with a sickening sigh jl at the itlll qjivcrlng form of a six car- I II old child ho defcnnlco head hid 1 U lust received the arrow of thu Illicit fl Irdljn. I! Two other children itooj, or rather U CTOuchcd.bchlnd auno bruhwooil ie Ing up just now to lee and hear the II ulnto mail, III "What la the matter with these child- l ren?" asked the mm U Captives," laconically ansered Ihe 11 tall Indian in die 1'iule tnnicue )l rhelndun turned ami v. ere about lo K resume tlie chastisement of the two (j remaining children, when acaln the ij white man lnttrHed. U Let that whipping no " I I or answer, the whip held by the two I Indians (wished down upon Ihe lacks IT of the (creaming, sniveling children H ullh cruel lgor V ilh a groan of anguish at the tight, u the white man touched the arm ol the it tallest brm c, and suiltl i H Let me buy jour capthes" I Alter a piuse of tcllcctlon, the tall 111 Indian ordered the other two lo desist, OM and with u grin turned the bleeding backa of the children to the pained gare M or tlie while man to enforce his wolds, 8 and thru said hrlilly i H 'One boy for one pony. No buy, M whip toil till they die" (l 1 new hue mm understood enough of 'III the language lo thoroughly uudirstand IS tlie luuiiilii, of the wuids, and, too, he 'fly understood the Indian nature well in enough to know that tlie threat would tic IS, carried to the bitter end if lie was un lm able to buy the two captives elf Wn With n InrUlump in bis throat, the fl while man looked at tho thrie cruel 111 Lamaniics, then down Into tho near 111 valley where the smoke of tents showed I IJ tho encampment of these people to be III stationed at present Wllh quick calcu ill Utlon, his thoughts reverted to his lour- a ncy home to the distant Great ball Lake ijll Valley, nearly a hundred miles from I IN where lie now stood, and howurin what IIU way he could ever gel back. If lie sold Bin his only horse, he could not tell T.vcn nVk if he p irled with his only horse, there ill w ould still be one child lelt to sullcr and IB bleed under the lash of lhcso cruel )n swages, H At be stood wavering for one brief llj instant, whirr whistled the lash as it (ell J I once more on its death dealing mission Jjjj through ihe air, Ln Wun a cry of veritable rage and 111 misery, the white man drew his saddle, JPjl nnd roll of blankuti and food off the I tired horsca, which stood choiping the slioit bunch grass at his side, am! then 4JU taking up the child nearest him, he Hid 1 fium the scene, too much overcome by SBW tlio horror and his own helplessness to V endure another moment of such agony rfl. ho can tell the strange, protecting I love that grew up in lint strong mans ( heart for tlie bruised and broken body of I the child he had to carry fur many and r many a weary mile between him and his , J home in the newly settled Great bait f I 1-ike Valleyf It was tlie love of Ihe n strong for tho weak and he1plcss,and his allection was returned witu the lavuh I devotion of ufalthtul dog by the dark 8: I skintud child Mliu felt liimscll taken away 4h I Irom death, prison and despair to end- B less happiness and peace. I ' What on tarth did) on bring such n i t I UgciroAndburdvnformotocair)oiiiii) 1 broken shoulders for, Is more thin lean IJ J lell,"sald his hardvoiking wife whentho u j white man at last set Ins tool inside his Jib X own door. And lo think j oil tradtd citr jJM jour only ho., and about tlie only w ty jf iou have of nuking your next winter a If breudlsby caii)iug the null, and such H upun my life it luntb beats me," in la 'lanuy, have )oii ever seen the l rlg1iti.oiisforiaken?" (IB ' vll, I e seen 'em go through some (a pretty light places And I guess the fl ffi Lord expects us to liclp ourselves uuw I as muOi as lie did in David slime" I Hut thu pleading, haunted look In thouc If W big datk eves of poor little Joe wis 4Jfl mure than site coulJ w ell resist, lor tier ' heart was very wurni, if a little crusted AM over with daily cares. nm bo then, Joe, three apace. To run, lo 1 II Jump niul lo ft ir tho lund of no nun, I plflH ah, this was heiven for Indian Joe. Hut, j Itwjs not heiven (oi his white step-nlM step-nlM muilier. 1 or Joe, Indian Joe. would nut nn wurk unless really ciinipclled to, and as UflM Mistress 1 inny lud snail gilt oi govern JflH meut, and as ),ood Uncle U(.mc wus flH away from liuino lnot of the time, Joe H had things prctt) much his own way JBBB Tl c lie! Is, uhl the SAeet fields of niB growinh grain, where blue guilUini and HflRI wld daises grew with coy molcl UUII What ripiure for II u wild son of the iMr'lil lore st and meadow to plange among it jnltihl ' hecdlims of the damage ihus uJfillUt wiougtic, nnd pluck with cat,er hands Bill IK Hi I Worn planted by the dalntv hand KoVflH of siinmcr and suashine tipped with fliK yeltow dusty stems ilUfflfi '-'l' ,l0 coutse uf Ihe wandering City liOHl Creek, what Joy was his to wade uud M !IH pluno aloag tlie cool, spalUli g stre im. ( llVr '" daik leet splashed and spangled in tlil overwlthtliojewcllcdcleirwatrr lain aj i the minnows, to catch with quiet eater I i band the darling, llny.shlntnL lnlnno' I; fclil Ills rare lauh would someilnics cchu 2s v, amoig tho willous and cottonvoods & J 111 1 t-at skirled cuo banks, as the expert Wht"' IssB little Itshennan added stl'l another to Ids stock of minnows hid In tlie home made cotton shirt. Aunt I annv was vexed with him for his per .l-nt shKllcsaiieS- In tli bllv new town, where every hand ami every foot hail work for each w 'iking hout was it (mall wonder that she felt Hint even Indian Joe should be willing lo d.i tho few and small chores which she had set for him? It was no use however, how-ever, when Ihe morning found her out of bed, It likewise found Joe up and away, no kindling cut, no water carried, and no fire started. She could but scold him sharply, yet the mother hm within her repented, and when Joe would look up Into her fice and repeat Ihe formula that good old Uncle Oerrlc had taught him lo use on lust such occasions, "I letse foiglve mc,l ilobetla next lime, Aunl 1 anny " flutl ahe w ould sigh dlsconsohiel) and murmur Well, I SMippoM" is b'ed In Ihe bone And then oi"-e mine (he would live him his rhons lo do, and would feel encouraged to s e how willingly he look hold, while she was ihcrr, to watch. If Joe did not like lo work, thTf was one thing lie dearly loved a ' chore", which l often disliked by whliechll Iren, and one which was more fashionable formerly than It Is nt present. He would sit for hours In the house of the neighbors nnd rock or otherwise amuse Ihe baby It was a pity that Aunt I'anni was a childless woman, for If she had been a mother It would hsvo consoled her much lo witness Ihelntcnse devotion of Joe toward tlie tiny, IicIiiIcm bits of humanity which crow and gurgle and rule Ihe house I low beloved to watch the little, restless rest-less motions and lo see the swift stnllo which alwais greeted his anproicli at any shrine lu-ld sacred lo baby Ills tongue was an Indhn one, and II allowed lilm few words nnd small des re lo express ihe deep thoughts which tossed, tos-sed, and boiled, and I illuaed nnd plly ed away down,oceanalccp,l his nature, loo far down for even .a bubble of cmo lion to nppear upon tlie surf ice. His wli le time would gladly lute bcin passed at the crib or some baby, Ifliehadbeenalaived lo so spend 11 Next to babies came thu featlicre I songsters song-sters ol the ulr W'uU glorlniii fun to tllnib some high Cottonwood tree, and there sit on I wan with Indian quiet until the birds knew him, an I passed him by as II he were a limb of ihe tree I think he must have had so-iic lltfinlle understanding with theso liny creatures for his volco was so nearly like Iheir own when he chose to repeat their soli woodland calls, that even the sharpest human ear cuuld itot,tell which was boy and which was I Ird Away uplnsom cottonwood tree he would sit for hours, calling sometimes in soil, sw eet chirps ind anon sitting perfectly per-fectly still and I stilling to the noisy twiner, twitter of the many birds congregated con-gregated about lilm 1 cor little Joel W ilh the winter came snow, ami awiy llew the birds lo warm cr climes, out troin sight hid Ihe daisies nml bluebells. And, worst of nil, the (lacking cough with which he was troubled moved Aunt I anny lo reluse bin the privilege ol going out of do rs even to split kindling wood No, In Iced hue ictuilly brought Iho small chunks within t e warm kitchen, and. true lo her iankes Instincts, Insistid ii.oii his chopping lliem, although she w ent to far mure trouble to clean up the muss than if she hid done fie work In the shed Aunt fanny was nothing If she was not indiislilous and In spile of niture in spite of birth, site was determined to do her best by lnll in Joe to mike lilm grow Into a useful industrious man. It wuuldnolbe her bull II he nasn dls grace to her bringing up, for she toiled lar more to teach him j,o J habits Ihan she would h no done In doing twice ilia amount of wotU herself. Joe chopped wood, and made litters all about the lloor, nnd moped between whiles, dawdling at Ihe window, with bis big black eves fastencdon the wittier witt-ier scene without Away up on the mountains, that Is whetc, in bis chlldMi, wordless Imagination, he hid plinted is high city out of the reach of cold and (rust and snow, and there grew flou ers, and there sang birds, and there romped babies! One cold, cold diy, very near the Clirismas tide, Aunt 1 inny carried hint from Ihe bed, w hero lie had laid most of Ihe lime of latr, and liking lilm to the wlndow.shotold him to watdi nnd soon be would see Uncle Derric coming home through Ihe sunshine and the snow Tliit was delight, and It w as a grievous disappointment lo Joe that n he ivy fit of couching shook lilnl Just as the huge shoulders of h s beloved master nnd Iriend pushed through Ihe small gate and ho lost ihe look lnihe kindly keen ejes through Ihe mist ol tears In his own eyes that folio cd his long cou thing spell. When he recovered fiom thu spasm, It wis to hnd himself In tho arms of his kind protector, and be dropped off to steep soon alter quite content with life ami his portion ol It A week after, It was the short, brief duvn of Christ mas Diy Itself, Joe lay In his own little Irundlo hed, his eys burning bright with the fever of death w ilhln, nnd his breath short with Ihe swiftly oncoming Strug gle. Near htm sat Aunt 1 annle, her ryes running over with sorrowful tears, ami ber big cotton handkerchief all soaked and doubled up In w reckless disregard of neatness and cleanliness, a sure sign that Aunt I anny was too absorbed with emotion to remember her own tidy nature. na-ture. At Ihe held cf Ihe bed knelt Uncle Derrlc, his big hands softening and smoothing his straight lusterless hair of his beloved orphan Laiuanlte. He was talking In n low lone of voice to the child, irjlng in his blunt and )ct tender way to prepire the little one for the eternity about to open upon bis vision He had explained to Die boy the Christ nuts da), and wh) it was so celebrated. 1 o thu dying ears ho was nlso relating mucb of Ihe history ol hit own Lann nite (oiefathers who had peopled this this continent. Joe heard him tell nil his story wllh Ihe quiet patience of bis race never olferlng one word of Interruption, In-terruption, as another child might do,but arct ptlng each w ord as If It fell from the be used lips as the law and Gospel to him Lnclc," said the weak voice, after the nun had ceased bis talk for some minute. "1 want to ask you Is Hum liny wiiKcsi nmiaut iiieruin lint iiiMvcu )ou have been lelllng me about!" Oh, how thankfully the big mm gave the strong assurance uf ireedom in Htavui liom ull kinds of oppres ion iml woe ls there any flowers up there? went on thu d)ing voice, in scarcely audiblt tOUdH 'ies, oe, lots ol flowers " "Is there anj blidstlicie?" Mes, Joe, plenty of pretty birds there I ' One more question was framed by the stllluilng lips 'Is there any babies Ilicre ? ' 'cs,Joe llnres t i l licK.bellltl Iful little babies," hnl ubbed tl c strun. nut ,as be answered llio caer quellon ng tyu and lips. Willi one satisfied algli of petfeel r. sanation lo the late upon Inns lot folded Ins tl in arms aero s ins panting ehrst nn I whtierd sofil ' I hen I am ready logo ' And up In Heaven there was borne s a Christmas gilt the soul of Indian Joe. . |