Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“ TEXAS turning to Thetis, told how she had found Steve’s body at the edge of the pool and how she and Polly had dragged it back to the cabin, at the door of which they had been fired upon by an unseen Indian. She quickly rehearsed the details of the terrible night which she had passed. Polly, who had again barred the door after the entrance of the visitors, stood listening with wide eyes, as though hearing the story for the first time. Once she interrupted to telt about the Indian boy that she had seen prowling in the neighborhood of the Rogers house. “Tt wuz de same one what fotched de soap fur his po’ pa to eat.” “Do you suppose,’ Melissa inquired, “that boy had anything to do with Steve’s death?” “Who knows?” Mary Ann cried, and added: ‘“ But what difference does that make? Are we all going to stay here?” “ Good Heavens, no!” cried the Misses Lord, as usual speaking in chorus. “ Why not?” Mary Ann wanted to know. “We are as well protected here as any- where, and if the Indians are out, to take the five-mile ride across country to your house seems to me a foolish and needless tempting of Providence.”’ But Thetis would not hear of remaining. She had promised the colonel that she would abide in her own home and defend it against all comers, and so she intended to do. “T only came to see what was the matter with you, child. We were frightened and looked for you all last night,” she explained. Mary Ann saw no reason for arguing, and collecting arms and ammunition, she and Polly went out to saddle their horses, in- tending to accompany the Carringtons. They discovered their animals were gone, whether stolen or taken by Fred’s party, they did not know. They were therefore obliged to return and beg to be permitted to ride double with Melissa and the lighter of the Misses Lord. Their request was granted and the cavalcade was soon under way. Their progress had certain elements of humor, but no one was in the mood to ap- preciate the fact. They were nervous and always on the lookout for skulking Indians. FEVER. 463 Twice they were alarmed by noises in the high grass, but either these noises came ‘from frightened animals or, if made by sav- ages, the savages did not attack them. As they emerged from the house they did not see two men crouching in the bushes. One man was, white and the other mulatto. They were De Cardac and Jude. They did not deem it expedient to attack the party of six armed women; for, as De Cardac after- ward remarked, he was not so afraid of the ones that knew how to use their guns as he was of those two old women who kept waving their pistols around. “They’d never hit anything they aimed at, but they’d be sure to kill one or the other of us by accident,” he averred. Jude had wanted to fire upon the women and it had only been with considerable diffi- culty that De Cardac held him back. “We must wait,’’ he whispered. is not the time.” As the women passed near the Rogers house, they wanted to go in, but the Misses Lord were too terrified to do so; and, rather than divide their forces, they hurried on to the Carrington place. Here, Mary Ann was surprised to find one negro man. ‘I thought all the men had gone with Fred?” she exclaimed. ‘ All but this one,” Melissa explained. “Who did you suppose I’d leave the twins with?” Thetis flared indignantly. “Did you think I would have left them here entirely alone with only a few nigger women?” Mary Ann did not reply to this anti- feminist remark, but began assisting her friends in the many duties that were re- quired to fit the house for what they be- lieved might be an immediate Indian at- tack. But the Indians did not come. Four days passed and there was no sign of an attack, but also no sign of the return of Fred and his posse. The only difficulty that the little garrison encountered was that of procuring water. This was always fetched from a branch which formed a pool off at one side of the house. They took turns going out after it, two at a time. One of the negresses would bear the pails and one of the white women would accompany her as a guard. “ This commiclooolks.conn