Conservative *
oven converse with them , ( having uo
interpreters , ) we are compelled to sub
mit to our loss in silence. Perhaps we
should even be thankful that wo have
not lost more.
While these people were smoking the
pipe of peace with us , after breakfast ,
I observed that Richardson , our chief
hunter , ( an experienced man in this
country , of a tall and iron frame , and
almost child-like simplicity of cliarac-
tor , in fact an exact counterpart of
Hawk-eye in Jiis younger days , ) stood
aloof , and refused to sit in the circle , in
which it was always the custom of the
' - * * | old hands to join.
Peeling some curiosity to ascertain
the cause of this \iuusual diffidence , I
occasionally allowed my eyes to wander
to the spot where our sturdy hunter
stood looking moodily upon us , as the
calamot passed from hand to hand
around the circle , and I thought I per
ceived him now and then cast a furtive
glance at one of the Indians who sat
opposite to me , and sometimes his coun
tenance would assume an expression al-
Jjf most demoniacal , as though the most
fierce and deadly passions were raging
t in his bosom. I felt certain that thereby
hung a tale , and I watched for a corresponding -
pending expression , or at least a look of
consciousness , in the face of my opposite -
site neighbor , but expression there was
none. His large features were settled
in a tranquillity which nothing could
disturb , and as he puffed the smoke in
huge volumes from his mouth , and the
fragrant vapor wreathed and curled
around his head , he seemed the em
bodied spirit of meekness and taciturn
ity.
ity.The
The camp moved soon after , and I
lost no time in overhauling Richardson ,
and asking an explanation of his singu
lar conduct.
" " said he "that that
"Why , , Injen sat
opposite to you , is my bitterest enemy.
I was once going down alone from the
rendezvous with letters for St Louis ,
and when I arrived on the lower part of
the Platte river , ( just a short distance
beyond us here , ) I fell in with about a
dozen Ottos. They were known to be
a friendly tribe , and I therefore felt no
fear of them. I dismounted from my
horse and sat with them upon the
ground. It was in the depth of winter ;
the ground was covered with snow , and
the river was frozen solid. While I was
thinking of nothing but my dinner ,
which I was then about preparing , four
or five of the cowards jumped on me ,
mastered my rifle , and held niy arms
fast , while they took from me my knife
and tomahawk , my flint and steel , and
all my ammunition. They then loosed
me and told me to be off. I begged
them , for the love of God , to give me
my rifle and a few loads of .ammunition ,
or I should starve before I could reach
the settlement. No I should
have nothing , and if I did not
start off immediately , they would
throw me under the ice of the river.
And , " continued the excited hunter ,
while he ground his teeth with bitter
and uncontrollable rage , "that man
that sat opposite to you was the chief of
them. Ho recognized me , and knew
very well why I would not smoke with
him. I toll you , sir , if ever I meet that
man in any other situation than that
in which I saw him this morning , I'll
shoot him with as little hesitation as I
would shoot a deer. Several years have
passed since the perpetration of this
outrage , but it is still as fresh in my
memory as ever , and I again declare
that if ever an opportunity offers , I will
kill that man. " "But , Richardson , did
they take your horse also ? " "To bo
sure they did , and my blankets , and
every thing I had , except my clothes. "
"But how did you subsist until you
reached the settlement ? You had a
long journey before you. " "Why , set
to trappW prairie squirrels with little
nooses made out of the hairs of my
head. " I should remark that his hair
was long , so that it fell in heavy masses
on his shoulders. "But squirrels in
winter , Richardson , I never heard of
squirrels in winter. " "Well , but
there was plenty of them , though ; lit
tle white ones , that lived among the
snow. " "Well , really , this was an un
pleasant sort of adventure enough , but
let me suggest that you do very wrong
to remember it with such blood-thirsty
feelings. " Ho shook his head with a
dogged and determined air , and rode off
as if anxious to escape a lecture.
It is a pity that Mr. Towusend did not
learn the name of the offending Otoe
chief. Probably the continuation of
the story would account for the disap
pearance of one or more members of
that tribe or else for that of a member
of the Richardson family. The ag
grieved hunter would seem to have been
the Paul Richardson , spoken of by
Farnham , Parkmanand some others ; lie
was of a Connecticut family , and I
never learned what became of him. He
told Mr. Townsend that he meant to go
back to New England and settle down
on a farm. A. T. R.
TREE - PLANTING AND THE CON
SUMPTION OF WOOD.
J. Sterling Morton , who has long been
an authority on tree-planting , says , in a
recent number of THE CONSERVATIVE
that every twenty-four hours the con
sumption of wood in one form or an
other in this couutiy equals all that can
be produced on 25,000 acres , and that
the new acreage planted eveiy day does
not exceed twenty-five acres. On that
showing it will not bo long before we
begin to feel a shortage. San Francisco
Daily Call.
THE 'SILLY SEASON" IN POLITICS.
The "silly season" in politics has come
with the advent of summer weather , and
Ohauncey M. Depew and William J.
Bryan are its advance agents. The
former said at Chicago , .Tune 5 , 1901 ,
that there is no reason why William
McKinley should not bo elected presi
dent for a third term , in November ,
1904 ; the latter , at Kansas City , that if
the supreme court decision had been
rendered before the election of Novem
ber 6-1900 , the result would have been
different. It is hard to decide which
theory is the more ridiculous. Sen
sible people realized last fall that it was
an even thing which way the majority
of the judges would go , and it would bo
hard to find anybody who refused to
support Bryan seven mouths ago who
would think of voting for him now. In
deed , ho seems a much cheaper figure
to-day than ever before , and national
weariness of his tiresome chatter be
comes steadily moro pronounced. As
for the third-term suggestion , it is
based xipon the twin ideas that fine
crops , business prosperity and good luck
generally will continue to help the ad
ministration straight along , and that
the millions of voters in the opposition
party will always be ready to see its
chances sacrificed in order to gratify the
egotism of a political mountebank.
"The man who will believe that will be
lieve anything. " New York Evening
Post.
A WINDMILL BOOK.
The man who knows most about
windmills has written a book. It is a
40-page book , with moro than 100
pictures. Every page of the book is in
teresting to a man who wants a wind
mill. Not a word will he skip. And
when he is done , ho will know all that
anybody knows about windmills and
what they should do. He cannot befooled
fooled ; but the man who buys a wind
mill without reading this book will regret -
gret it. Simply send your address , and
the book will be mailed to you free.
The writer of this book is president
of the Aermotor Company.
But the book is not biased , nor unfair.
It is a book of information , written by
the man who knows moro than any
other man about windmills.
The writer of this book started in
twelve years ago to make Aermotors.
The field was overcrowded. Makers
with millions of capital , and tens of
thousands of agents , controlled all the
trade there was.
The Aermotor Co. had little capital ,
no trade , no agents , no reputation.
'Twas a pigmy among giants.
That was twelve years ago. Today
the whole earth is dotted with Aermo
tors , and more Aermotors are sold than
of all other windmills together.
That is a record with scarcely a
parallel in the history of invention.
The book will tell you how it was done.
Write Aormotor Co. , 1268 Twelfth St. ,
Chicago. Adv.
