018 THE WES
of Indian fighting in exaggerated nod
exciting stories, and "Old Bye" was
M wild fur scalr,." Ho and Billy were
the find to call on the president of the
the meeting to put their names down.
Charley Wright was elected captain, and
an Billy had an old cornet, he was cho
sen bugler. Hie instrument waa false,
having leen cracked, but it was good
enough.
Early next morning, over fifty moun
tain era -brave men, and all mounted
wi re on their way toward the headwa
ters of the South Boise, to which point
the Bannocks ncro rejwrted heading.
On leaving town, Billy kept blowing the
reveille on tho instrument, to " gctalip,"
as ho ci prosed himself, and those who
remained iu town listened to the notes,
as they were carried on tho gentle
bree.e, till they died away in the dis
tance. As the little, but determined, compa
ny were pressing forward, about noon,
two of the scouts, who had been sent
ahead, rc turned and reported pony and
moccasin trucks. Tho men pressed for
ward, esgerly watching tho bluffs for
signal smokes, and exacting to be fired
up n at any moment But nono could
l seen. Almut il:00 o'clock they found
two oLies with the hoofs of tho feet
cut off. They hml given out, and tho
brutal act hnd leen committed by the
fi( i.da to prevent their being of any uso
to these who should find them. Tho old
mountaineers pressed forward morovig
orously thaa ever, anxious to hear the
arhonp; bat the day passed, and not
r n Indian or signal was seen. Captain
Wright, realizing tho liability of an at
tack at any moment,, gave orders for tho
hones to Ik kept in readiness to bo used
the tciiucut the bugle sounded; guards
re placed on all sides of the little
Kind, and tlo who were not on duty
lay d u to rot. using the wild hay of
the creek bottom to shield their bodies
r shore.
from tho dampness of tho ground. Billy
was stationed at tho head of tho canyon,
about fifty yards from camp, and ordered
to blow the call to arms in case of an
attack. The rippling of the little stream
below filled his heart with sad recollec
tions of the past, and the deep peals of
thunder, from an approaching storm,
spoke words of terror to his mind. As
the brilliant lightning displayed the
clouds, unfurling like banners in the
sky, he thought of "Old Bye's" quota
tion, " There is a silver lining to every
dark cloud."
It was on one of those pleasant even
ings in August, that Ella was sitting in
her room, gazing at the beautiful sun
set The shadows of the high granite
cliffs were growing longer and longer,
as if to cover her lifo with gloom and
darkness. The sweet incense of the
beautiful tlowers came with every breeze,
as if to bring back sorrowful memories
of the past; and the rippling of the wa
ters seemed to repeat tho reveille of poor
Billy's cornet She loved her father, as
a true, faithful daughter should, yet
sho dreaded the interview when the sub
ject of her engagement to Billy would
come up. Why it was that ho had not
ventured to spproach the subject, she
could not understand. She dreaded it,
becauso sho loved Billy as herself, and
could not believe that he was guilty of
the crime for which tho majority of the
people of Atlanta were f everely censur
ing him. While thus meditating on the
past, with dark clouds of tho future roll
ing before her mind's vision, her aged
father, with signs of a troubled mind
marking his face, and exhibiting some
nervousness, entered, lie was moved
with pity as a tear passed over Ella's
flushed cheek. She invited him to sit
besido her, and for a few momenta not
another won! was spoken. Ella knew it
remained with her to approach the 6ab-