The St. Charles herald. [volume], February 17, 1917, Image 3

About The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993

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.TIPPECANOE
v By SAMUEL McCOY 'r*
..... . (Copyright, 1916, by Bobbs-Merrill Co.)
Recounting the adventures and love
which came into the lives of David
Larrence and Antoinette O Bann on,
in the days when pioneers were fighting
red savages in the Indiana wilderness
And now David goes through the Valley of the Shadow worse than
death, for his pursuit of the Indians who have captured and carried
away the beloved 'Toinette is stopped in the forest depths by an event
of tragic importance. How he saves himself and his friend and why
hope of rescuing the girl comes to him, is told in this installment.
Tragedy has followed David relentlessly. His father was hanged
for rioting in England. He came to Corydon settlement to kill an ene
rny; instead, he made friends, learned to love 'Toinette O'Bannon, fell
in with Cranmer, the British spy, by accident, was accused of treason
himself and heartbroken, left the settlement because the girl asked
proof of his innocence. Soon after he settled at Vincennes, his old
friend, Ike Blackford, rode madly in with the news that 'Toinette had
b«en abducted by Indians. He and Blackford set forth to intercept
the kidnapers. Ike fell sick in the forest.
CHAPTER XI—-Continued.
When David reached his side his
eyes were closed. Frantically he
scooped up handful after handful of
water from the nearest pool, dashed
it in his face, then fell to rubbing his
wrists and temples. And at last Ike
moved feebly, lifted himself on his el
'bow and looked about with unseeing
eyes. He tried to rise farther, and
toppled over again, moaning.
David's heart sank at the situation.
He found a sheltered spot in which to
ibulld a fire, and labored with flint and
steel till he succeeded in coaxing a
blaze to live in the dry chips and tin
der he found in a hollow tree. He
lifted Ike in his arms, exerting all
his strength, and bore him to the spot.
, Blackford was now unconscious,
breathing with stertorous grunts that
aeemed to leave him weaker and weak
er. But there was nothing that David
could do, and having eaten his bit of
venison, he sat through the night with
his eyes fixed on the face of the sick
.man, lying in the faint and wavering
light of the little campfire, while the
black shadows of the forest closed
them in relentlessly.
At dawn Ike seemed to be Bleeping
more naturally. The Wabash must lie
within a few miles to the west; there
was the barest possibility that he
might come on some adventurous
trapper there, floating down the
stream with his load of pelts, who
would lend succor. David took off his
hunting shirt, hid It, together with his
rifle and powder horn, within the hol
low tree, tightened his belt and his
moccasins, and set off unhampered. A
hundred yards and be was lost to sight
in the forest.
An hour passed. The sick man
stirred in his feverish sleep, raised
himself up, and stared wildly about
him. He rose to his knees weakly,
caught sight of a leafy bough nodding
in the breeze and waved his hand at
It in answer.
"Hello, Jack," he called feebly.
"How's New York? Glad to see you—
come down on the coach?"
He staggered to his feet and tot
tered about the grass, shaking hands
with imaginary friends. Another train
of memory stirred in bis delirious
brain sod he began pleading a cause—
argued, blustered, entreated, stormed;
and only the multitudinous Jury of the
trees heard and mocked him with their
silence.
A naked, copper-colored figure glid
ed noiselessly through the under
growth and crawled like a serpent
toward the gesticulating madman.
From behind a fallen log its glittering,
evil eyes watched the drunken stag
ger! ngs of the tick man and glanced
murderously along the barrel of a Brit
ish musket The gun came to a rest
over Ike's heart; the red finger on
[the trigger was about to tighten, when
■suddenly Ike drew himself to bis full
[height and began singing in his clear
tenor:
Cheer, cheer, you shall not grieve,
A soldier true you'll find me!
Ah. non, non, non, pauvre Madelon
Would go with you ...,
The ambushed weapon sank again
uncertainly; into the glittering eyes
came a puzzled look; and then the
hidden savage rose with a grunt of
understanding and strode fearlessly
with lowered gun up to the singer's
side.
"Howl" came the guttural saluta
eyes of the white man looked
full at him without a ray of compre
hension in their wild stare. A mo
ntent only Blackford paused, and then,
turning his shoulder carelessly on the
warrior, resumed his song.
The Indian nodded understanding^.
"Ugh!" be grunted. "White man big
Manitou ! Make big medicine !"
He glided oft again into the forest
as noiselessly as he came; and for a
while only the chattering of the squir
rels and the notes of birds broke the
stillness overhead. Ike had sunk
to the ground. And then, one by one,
there stole into the glade six naked
savages, their cheeks hideously daubed
with red and yellow ocher, their war
bonnets nodding over their heads.
The one who had first discovered Ike
pointed to the figure on the grass.
"Big medicine," he grunted ; "no
hurt."
They passed on to the north, in
single file. Behind them came the
other two of the party, leading be
tween them a girl whose face was
stained with weeping, whôse dress
was torn and muddy with the march,
whose knees faltered beneath her. But
relentlessly the march kept on; and
tbit sink man, raising his head weak
ly from the ground, looked in the
face of Toinette and knew her not.
CHAPTER XII.
"Yankee Doodle Dandy."
As the end of the hurrying file of
savages vanished into the woods David
stole back toward the glade where Ike
lay. He had gone but three miles
on his quest for help when his anxiety
for Ike's safety had overcome him and
he turned back. He had nearly reached
the spot when he caught sight of the
last two warriors of the party, and
Toinette between them; and even as
his blood stopped in his veins at the
vision, the two warriors overtook the
advance guard and disappeared from
view among the trees.
The blood pounded wildly in Da
vid's temples, and like a madman he
rushed to the side of the delirious man.
"Ike !" he whispered hoarsely ; "Toi
nette !—didn't you see them pass?"
But Blackford only moaned pite
ously; and David sank to his knees,
and, as gently as a woman, bathed the
parched forehead of the unconscious
man. As he watched Blackford, a su
(L Altai)
VAUnr/Mf
A Naked, Copper-Colored Figure Glid
ed Noieeleesly Through the Under
growth and Crawled Like a Serpent
Toward the Madman.
perhuman force seemed dragging him
away to rush after the vanished war
party; but as often as he rose fren
ziedly to his feet, the utter folly of
attempting Toinette'a rescue alone
pulled him down ; and at last he forced
himself to turn his back on his last
hope and to bow his head to the duty
nearest at hand.
Through the long nights his lonely
vigils were spent in brooding over the
past By day he scoured the woods
for food, finding a wealth of purple
clusters of the wild fox-grape, vitis
labrusca, the muscadine; sometimes,
seeing the busy cloud of wild bees
swarming high overhead, he smeared
his face and hands with wet clay,
climbed laboriously to their strong
hold, and rifled their rich masses of
dripping honey; sometimes finding a
store of nuts, forgotten by the chat
tering squirrels; sometimes succeed
ing in bringing down a black grouse
as it drummed and strutted on a res
onant log. Thus eking out their scanty
store of dried venison, he kept life in
Blackford's body through twelve days
of agonized watching.
And at last the fever and the stab
bing pain in Ike's side vanished under
the b eefin g of the forest.
There came a day when David,
gaunt and weak from starvation, bent
over Ike and felt the hot tears welling
up unconsciously; and even as he
watched, Ike's eyes opened and looked
up at him with all delirium gone.
"Hello, David," he said weakly, "is
the rain over?"
"Yes," was the Joyous answer,
"thank God. the rain's over now !"
Ike lay for a while In silence before
he spoke again:
"Time we're going on, Isn't it?" He
tried to rise. "Why, what makes me
so weak David?"
"You've been sick a long while, son ;
easy now, easy!"
The tale of his long delirium was
<me which Ike heard In wonder. His
sickness had left him like a little ehtld,
and he cried in sheer gratitude as he
;
realized vvbat David had done for
him. David saw that Ike remembered
nothing of the passage of the war
party; and he said nothing of it to
Ike, fearing that Blackford would
blame himself for Toinette's loss.
They agreed, with hearts Inexpress
ibly heavy, that the delay had driven
the test gleam of hope from the pur
suit; and as soon as Ike was able to
stand they began again to seek the
river to the west. Onward they
pressed, with infinite toil, Ike's hand
clinging to David's shoulder.
Again and again they were forced to
rest ; and as the sun began its down
ward journey they had traversed five
miles only. They had reached a place
where the forest grew thinner and the
long rushes rose above their heads;
the pathless home of Innumerable wa
terfowl. Ike fell heavily upon the
marshy ground, crashing through the
dry reeds. David lifted Ike's head in
terror. He had not lost consciousness ;
an unendurable fatigue possessed him,
but his eyes burned with unconquer
able resolve.
"I'll be all right in a moment,
Davy," he gasped. "It's only—listen,
what's that sound?"
He staggered to his feet and David
held his breath. Then he shook his
head.
"I hear nothing but the blackbirds,
Ike."
"No ! listen, Davy, the fifes, the
fifes!"
David felt an awful fear sweep
through him. Had the strain been too
much for Ike's exhausted body? Was
the delirium to return once more? He
began to speak soothingly.
But Ike held up his hand for silence,
"Listen, Davy, the fifes ! They're
playing 'Yankee Doodle!' And, oh,
Davy, you can hear the drums now!"
David strained in an agony of listen
ing. A breeze rustled the tops of the
marsh grass, and suddenly upon the
wind he heard the unmistakable sound
of a marching quickstep, the shrill mu
sic of the fifes, the rumble ,of the
drums. They threw their arms around
each other's necks and shouted with
all their strength. Waited . . . shout
ed again ... an answering halloa
Came faintly to their ears, and with
a cry of Joy they forced themselves
on. With a last effort they burst
through the reeds and found the broad
flood of the Wabash at their feet ; and
flying swiftly toward them a canoe
driven by the brawny muscles of two
white men.
" 'Cre nom !" ejaculated the figure In
the bow as the canoe ran up the reedy
bank. "Les hommes fous qui pour
suivant la fille de Corydon !"
Toussaint Dubois, the captain of the
guides, had small respect for foolhar
diness. But the second occupant of
the canoe recognized the two adven
turers with a cry of thankfulness and
flung his arms around them.
"Get in the canoe quick," he said,
"no tellin' what pesky devils thar is
hereabouts.'
"Thank God you found us, Hogue!
cried David as they obeyed his com
mand and the light craft shot out
again over the water. The man had
served with Hargrove, captain of the
company in which David had enlisted,
"Are you carrying messages to the
Prophet? What were those fifes we
heard?"
"The musicians at the fort," said
Hogue.
'The fort?" repeated David blankly,
"Where are we?"
"Ye're on the Wabash, sixty miles
north of the Old Post."
"But there's no fort on the Wabash,'
«aid Blackford wonderingly.
"Th* buildln' on it's Jist begun," an
swered Hogue ; "th' army gut here yis
tiddy."
"The army !" Ike and David ex
claimed together,
"In course ye didn't know—lef Vin
cennes, horse and foot, nigh to a thou
sand on us, seven days ago. Will
Harrison's a-commandin' and Dubois
and I air a-scoutln' around the bresh."
"Then Tecumseh has chosen war?"
"Tecumsy'8 still south," said the
backwoodsman grimly. "Old Horse
head Gibson and Harrison figger thet
he's up t* devilment weth the Creeks
an' we'uns air a-goln' t' skeer the
Prophet into a shakin' ague before Te
cumsy hes a chance t' git back."
Dubois grunted in assent "By gar,
thees Harrison he strake queeck lak
panthere !"
"You came Just In time," said David
weakly. Silently he stumbled along
at the heels of Hogue and Dubois, as
they bore Ike's limp body between
them toward the clearing in the forest
on the east bank of the river; and
when the men of his company ran out
to meet them their cheers rang
strangely distant in his ears.
But food and rest soon brought back
his strength ; and Ike, too, gained rap
idly under the clear skies of October.
All the month was spent in completing
the log fortification, and then, leaving
it as a base with a handful of men,
the column took up its course once
more toward the Prophet's town at
Tippecanoe, The sick, Blackford among
the number, were left at Fort Harrison
to spare them the onward march.
David again entered Captain Har
grove's company. Among the cold
ashes of his hopes one gleam still per
sisted: he might yet find Toinette at
the Prophet's town. Indeed, that was
A
, i"
the one place where she had probably
been taken.
They advanced warily. The regular
troops, under Colonel Boyd, headed
the little column ; the militia followed ;
Spier Spencer's "Yellow Jackets" trot
ted at the left, the Vincennes horse
men at the right ; Jo Daviess' Ken
tucky dragoons brought up the rear.
The boats conveying the supplies
were left at a blockhouse hastily con
structed at a point 25 miles north of
Fort Harrison ; and at noon of Novem
ber 6 they came into view of the hun
dreds of tepees which made up the
Prophet's town. Less than one thou
sand strong, they had ventured to the
Indian stronghold, where 2,000 braves
were assembled ; all along their march
they had been exposed to attack ; and
now, as they marched resolutely for
ward, the red warriors began to pour
out like angry bees from a hive.
The column halted and a parley took
place. Angrily the Indians inquired
the meaning of the army's advance—
did they intend to attack? Harrison
shook his head ; he wished merely to
encamp that night and to confer with
the Prophet in the morning; there
should be no hostilities. The chiefs
grunted, pacified, and the army, wheel
ing a mile to the northwest, made
camp upon a wooded plateau, along
whose abrupt declivity on the west
there ran a little çreek, called Tippe
canoe. The regular troops pitched
their tents; the militia, shivering in
the raw November dusk, without tents,
were forced to build great fires, around
which they huddled upon their arms.
A rain began falling; and the night,
cheerless, bitterly cold, shrouding in
blackness whatever advance the sav
ages might make, closed in on them.
In
to
ty
"
CHAPTER XIII.
In the House of the Prophet.
The red warriors who had glided
past Blackford's delirious eyes
dragged with them a girl who called
piteously for help. "Ike, Ike, don't
you know me?" she screamed, and
was answered only by the mocking
silences of the woods.
Northward she struggled, driven by
her captors; and all around she saw
the unpitying children of the wood.
Down to the edge of the rivers came
the dark majesty of the forest. Be
low struggled the green galaxy of
bush and shrub; and above, towering
beeches, clean-boled, smooth, gray,
rearing their clouds of delicate leaf
ery ; sycamores, whose massive pil
lars gleamed white through the dusky
aisles; superb cottonwoods, bearing
with proud lightness their weight of
ever-trembling leaves ; colossal oaks,
like Atlas lifting up green worlds of
foliage; and, king of all, the Ameri
can liriodendron—the tulip tree—its
branches a stupendous dome of majes
tic beauty, over which, in May, it cast
the miraculous loveliness of its waxen
blossoms.
By day Toinette saw at times the
milder people of the woods, crouched
in the night encampments, she lis
tened with beating heart to the ter
rible scream of the cougar, the tawny
demon of the wood, or trembled in ap
prehension of those other human,
more dreadful demons, her captors.
*••***•
Noon of the sixth day of November.
A fire of twigs filled the tepee with
an acrid smoke and rendered the cold
but little less damp. On the pile of
skins upon the frozen ground were
three figures, two men and a woman.
Both men wore the leathern dress
and moccasins of the Indian, but in
spite of his dress and darkly tanned
face, It could be seen that one was
white. The woman wore what had
once been a dress such as swept the
garden walks of Versailles; but it
was now no more than a torn and
muddy rag, her naked shoulders
scratched and torn by branch and
brier and blue with cold. The white
man tossed a buffalo robe toward the
r
%
%
*
Di Alite)
rAUMWK'-i
"Listen, Davy, the Fites!"
girl and motioned her to cover her
shoulders with it, leering ingratiating
ly while the Indian scowled. His
high, swarthy cheekbones were
framed by braids of coarse black hair,
plentifully smeared with bear's grease
and adorned by the feathers of the
hawk and eagle; one of his eyes was
gone, the brows contracting over a
slit that showed a blood-red cavity;
I but the other burned with a hypnotic
I intensity. His heavy Ups muttered an
Incantation. He was Elfcskatawa, ths
Prophet.
"There'll be a brick house for yon
In Malden, my dear," said the white
man pleasantly. "With a black boy
to build a fire for you every morning,
while you're still snug in bed. Hap
pen you'll remember poor Simon Gir
ty then, freezin' out in the woods with
*he Injun devils, rot them !" Ue
glanced at Elkskatawa as if afrjdd
that the Indian might have understood
his last words. "You'll not forget the
man as was kind to you then, will
ye?"
Toinette shuddered at his tone and
was silent.
"Oh. I'll see thet ye git to Malden,
all safe, my beauty," he went on, re
assured by the Prophet's apathy.
" 'Tis a tine, handsome man thet's
y
%
3>*AiTorJ
of
a
"He'll Pay Many a Goldpiece for Ye,
My Dear."
waiting fur ye thar—a purty red coat,
he w'ars, and a tossel o' gold on each
shoulder—purty ez a king. He'll pay
many a goldpiece fur ye, my dear .
An' ye'll be wuth 'em all," he giggled
evilly.
Toinette looked at him as a fright
ened bird looks at a snake, unable to
move; a tear stole from beneath her
lashes and rolled down her wasted
cheek.
"Suppose ye talk a bit to me—
thar's a good gal. Come, what's yer
name? Tight-mouthed still, are ye?
Ye'll beg to speak 'fore I'm done with
ye !"
The flaps of the deerskin tent were
drawn aside and the painted face of a
warrior was thrust in. He was drip
ping with sweat though the day was
chilly, and his words were hurried.
Toinette strove in vain to catch an
English word among the torrent of
Delaware, but none came ; she guessed
from the startled grunts from Elkska
tawa and the oath that fell from Glr*
ty's lips that the message was of seri
ous portent. Girty, casting a glance
over his shoulder, saw the girl's in
tense gaze fixed upon them, and
laughed sneeringly.
'Here's some news fur ye—thet fine
young man of yours hes hed his scalp
lifted, he, he, he ! Some o' the young
Pottawattamies met up wl' him wan
derin' 'long lost into the woods as ef
he thought he was in Phlladelphy."
Toinette whitened. The braves who
had brought her into the village of the
Prophet had told Girty, doubtless,
that she had recognized the sick
man in the woods. Had another scout
ing party found Ike and killed him?
She could not know ; Girty, seeing her
blanch at his random thrust, giggled
in triumph. The news which the run
ner had brought was that the army of
whites was within a few miles.
The consultation between the
Prophet and the renegade went on in
guttural whispers. Toinette began to
wonder why the news of the capture
of a single white man- should cause
so prolonged a discussion. Sounds
of unusual activity in the village be
gan to reach her—a constant patter
of moccasined feet, hurrying by the
tent, the occasional wailing of
squaw, quickly hushed by an angry
command, the barking of the mangy
Indian dogs—an unmistakable restless
ness in the whole camp.
There fell on her ear the faint
sound of drums—distant, measured
unlike the irregular beating of the
drums of the savage. Nearer and
nearer it came, steady, unmistakable
and then, her heart at first refusing
to believe her ears, the shrill and
reckless music of the fifes! She be
gan to thrill with hope In every
nerve; and with an inarticulate sob of
joy she rose to her knees. The In
dian and the renegade looked up
sharply as she started up; and with
a cruelty that stunned her, Girty
laughed in her face.
"He, he, he !" Thet hain't any
friends o' yourn, my dear! 'Tis
company o' Proctor's Redcoats from
Malden—they'll make ye a fine body
guard to take ye 'crost to Ganady,
He, he, he ! Ye thought 'twas some o
the boys from Corydon! It's a shame
t' disappoint ye so. But if ye don'
wish fur t' go weth the king's sogers,
ye're not obleeged to. Why don't ye
go weth Simon Girty, instead?"
What is your guess about
'Toinette'8 rescue? Will David
be able to slip into the Indian
camp and get her7 Will she kill
Girty and escape? Will some
pitying Indian squaw turn her
loose at night?
(TO BE CONTINUED^
AU RUN-DOW
AND NERVOU
Says This Lady Who Had to Sup
port Family of Four. Read
Below Her Statement
About Cardui.
Tallapoosa, Ga.—Mrs. Sallie Eidson,
of this place, writes: "I was In very
poor health, all run-down, nervous,
had fainting spells, dizziness and heart
fluttering. I had these symptoms us
ually at my . . . times. I had a
very hard time, working for seven
years in a hotel after my father died.
had to support our family of four. I
read the Birthday Almanac and
thought I would begin taking Cardui.
received good benefit from it. I am
sure it will do all that it claims to do.
took three or four bottles before it
began to show effects. After that I
improved rapidly and gained in health
and strength. I took nine bottles In
all. This Is the only time I have
taken it. I was down to 108 pounds
and I gained to 122. I felt like a new
woman. I couldn't sleep before and
had to be rubbed, I would get so nerv
ous and numb. And all this was
stopped by Cardui."
The true value of a medicine can b®
determined only by the results ob
tained from its actual use. The thou
sands of letters we have received
every year for many years from
grateful users of Cardui, are powerful
tributes to its worth and effectiveness.
If you suffer from womanly ailments,
try Cardui, the woman's tonic.—Adv.
An Awakening.
Wife—I dreamed last night that I
was in heaven!
Husband—Did you see me there?
Wife—I did—then I knew I was
dreaming!—Town Topics.
ACTRESS TELLS SECRET.
A well known actress gives the follow
ing: recipe for gray hair: To half pint ef
water add 1 o*. Bay Rum, a small box of
Barbo Compound, and Ü ox. of glycerine.
Any druggist can put this up or you can
mix It at home at very little cost Fall
directions for making and use com* In
each box of Barbo Compound. It will
gradually darken streaked, faded gray
hair, and make It soft and glossy. It will
not color the scalp, Is not sticky ot
greasy, and does net rub off. Adv.
Force of Business Habit
"That man has such a pushing man
r."
"It is not surprising when you stop
to think he manufactured electric but
tons."
FORM GHIli)
"California Syrup of Figs" can't
harm tender stomach,
liver and bowels.
Every mother realizes, after giving
her children "California Syrup of
Figs" that this is their ideal laxative,
because they love its pleasant taste
and it thoroughly cleanses the tender
little stomach, liver and bowels with
out griping.
When cross, Irritable, feverish, or
breath is bad, stomach sour, look at
the tongue, mother! If coated, give »
teaspoonful of this harmless "fruit
laxative," and in a few hours all the
foul, constipated waste, sour bile and
undigested food passes out of the bow
els, and you have a well, playful child
again. When Its little system is full
of cold, throat sore, has stomach-ache,
diarrhoea, Indigestion, colic—remem
ber, a good "Inside cleaning" should
always be the first treatment given. •
Millions of mothers keep "California
Syrup of Figs" handy; they know a
teaspoonful today saves a sick child
tomorrow. Ask at the store for a 60
cent bottle of "California Syrup of
Figs," which has directions for babies,
children of all ages and grown-ups
printed on the bottle. Adv. •»
Beginning Right.
In choosing associates, and In mak
ing friends, begin at home. Acquire
the friendship of your wife.
WOMAN'S CROWNING GLORY '
Is her hair. If yours Is streaked with
ugly, grizzly, gray hair*, use "La Cre
ole" Hair Dressing and change It la
the natural way. Price $1.00.—Adv.
Well to Remember.
Brain used in getting ready for a
task saves brawn afterward.
Some folks think that castor oil should
follow a dose of Vermifuge. Not so with
Dr. Peery's "Dead Shot." A single dose
not only eradicates Worms or Tapeworm,
but tones up the digestion as well. Adv.
Real Unhappiness.
The most unhappy man in the world
is he who is not patient in adversity.
Tbe Quinine Th«tJ>oe» Not Affect Th* Head
Because of lta tonic an* laxative effect. Laxative
Bromo Qnlnlne can be taken by anyone wit 1 " -
causing Derrousaess or ringing in f*— — ' ~
Is only one "Bromo Quin. no." 1
Signatare U on oaeb box. We.
The farmers of North Dakota paid
$14,111,040 for farm labor during IMS.
Indlg-stlon produces disagreeable__
sometlm-s alarming aymptoma Wright'»
Indian Vegetable Pills stimulate the dlsec
ure processes to function naturally, adv.
The
strongest
principle
growth
lies In human choice.—George Eliot.