i6o 



RECREATION. 



he could, he could not get that yel- 

 low nose one inch to the rear. A 

 wave of wonder seemed to roll over 

 the hitherto silent Indians, who gave 

 vent to a scries of grunts. 



" By gum," said a soldier standing 

 near the judges, " you're done, Beck. 

 Bull can win any way he pleases." 



Beckett's only reply was an oath. 



Nearer they came to the post. At 

 about the last quarter Howling Bull 

 gave Tegante his head a little. He 

 shot forward like a locomotive at the 

 opening of the throttle, and Ossian 

 was a length or thereabouts in the 

 rear and there remained until the 

 race was won, and Lipbrown and 

 Beckett ruined financially. 



Two days later Troop O returned 

 to the fort. The morning it started, 

 while the Captain was breakfasting, 

 Howling Bull appeared at his tent 

 leading the horse the Crows had sto- 

 len. Only those who have seen a 

 lost horse returned under similar cir- 

 cumstances can form an idea 'of 

 what then occurred. I, therefore, 

 will not attempt to describe it. 



"At last there is one honest In- 

 dian," said the Captain. " Howling 

 Bull said if I'd let Ossian run he 

 would try to find Thunder and Boots, 

 and he's done it." 



Said the Captain's New York 

 friend, a racing man : " See here, 

 Captain, your flag looks awfully like 

 that Indian's horse." 



" Of course he does. Everyone 

 knows they're both sorrels, of about 

 the same weight." 



Howling Bull grunted a "Thank 

 you " as he pocketed a neat reward 

 for the return of Thurder and Boots, 

 and the episode was ended — that is 

 to say, not quite ended, for at "sta- 

 bles" that evening, 30 miles away 

 from the Agency, Lipbrown, tremen- 

 dously excited, came up to the Cap- 

 tain, and, without even saluting, 

 gasped out : 



" See 'ere, sir ! I've dropped on 

 somethink ! Hull is a scoundrel, sir ! 

 I've found yellow paint on Thunder's 

 blaze, and ye can see where his legs 

 'as ben painted black, and his tail 

 looks like it's been chawed ! That 

 Injun's did us up. He's changed 

 'orses on us ! " 



This supposed duplicity of Howl- 

 ing Bull caused a great to-do in 

 camp, for nearly every man there had 

 lost more or less on the race. Lip- 

 brown attempted to return to the 

 Agency and was put under guard. 

 The captain showed the First Ser- 

 geant how improbable the farrier's 

 suspicions were and refused to take 

 any action. 



The episode had an echo, however. 

 Many years later, when the Captain 

 had become a major, he met Beck- 

 ett, then a big Indian-cattle contract- 

 or, and in the course of conversation 

 Beckett said : " You remember, the 

 race at the — — Agency, one of your 

 men and I got up with an Indian 

 named Howling Something or oth- 

 er r 



"Your brother-in-law." 



"Ye-es— then. Well, sir, that fel- 

 low let us in beautifully. He knew 

 your horse and run him off himself 

 and got that Crow outfit to leave 

 early in the morning, so you'd think 

 they had taken him ; and when you 

 thought so he made the race. He 

 kept the horse over in Sour Apples 

 village until the race day, when he 

 painted out all his marks, clipped 

 his tail, so he would look like Te- 

 gante, and won. He nearly ruined 

 that soldier and me. I was a year 

 and over, getting straightened out. 

 An Indian is a low-down, mean beg- 

 gar. No trusting him. And by the 

 way, Colonel, nothing about that 

 brother-in-law business, you know. 

 My wife is kind of uppish. Her 

 father was a governor, and she 

 mightn't like it." 



THE CHASE. 



" Over the hills and far away, 



Beyoi.d their utmost purple rim, 



And deep into the dying clay, 



The happy princess followed him." 



The reason is not far to seek — 



The girl was on a first-class wheel, 



And so, of course, just like a streak, 

 She pedaled closely at his heel. 



Emma Carleton. 



Jl 



