Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/97

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rour heart bounding with delight at hav- >H done us a service, and found we had repaid you by leaving in your absence, without even so much as thanks for your kindness !"

"1 should have felt hurt and grieved, I must own," she answered, quietly.

"It is my fault, Prairie Flower," said Huntly, riding up to her side. " Blame me for all, and not my friend! To speak j plainly,! fancied my presence was hateful to you, and that you had gone away, merely Lo put a Slight upon me, by avoiding even to I the last, as you had Avoided me all along." i

"You you think this?" cried Prairie | Flower, turning upon him a look of an guish I shall never forget, and becoming so agitated she could scarcely sit her horse. " You think this? 0, no, no, no! you did not, could not, think I intended to insult you !" and she buried her face in her hands and shook violently.

"Great Heaven! what have I done!" erred Huntly in alarm. " Look up, sweet Prairie Flower look up and forgive me! If I thought so then, I do not think so now, and God pardon me for harboring such a thought at all! But I could not un derstand why you avoided me, unless it was through dislike in which case niy absence would be little likely to cause a regret. 1 see my mistake now, and am satisfied that, whatever your motive might have been, it was one which you at least fell to be rii'ht and pure."

"Indeed it was!" returned Prairie Flower, raising her sweet, sad face, and her soft, dark eyes to his, and then modest ly (iropping her gaze to the ground.

Huntly seemed about to reply, but paused and gazed silently upon Prairie Flower, who, again raising her eyes, and meeting a peculiar glance fromhirn, blushed and turned her head quickly away. It was evident that both were getting embar-

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rassed, and I hastened to relieve them by saying :

"And what news from Fort Laramie, Prairie Flower? What of our friends?"

"I could learn nothing definite, save that eight only, of the sixteen with whom you went into battle, returned, and that the rest, including yourselves, were supposed to have been killed or taken prisoners. One of the fc -mer, I think they called him

an Irishman, made great lamentations over you, declaring that the Indians or wild beasts had destroyed you."

"Poor Teddy!" I sighed; " he did in deed love us. But what became of him.? "

"He left a few days after, with a party of trappers."

"Then it may be a long time before we meet again, if ever. But do you think we can procure a regular outfit at the fort?"

"What do you require?"

"Two good horses, a brace of rifles, plenty of ammunition, and three or four buffalo skins. By the way, this reminds me that we left our possibles at the fort, stuffed with clothes, which will now be of valuable service."

"Come with me to the village," rejoin ed Prairie Flower, " and we will talk the matter over."

"Why, as we are so far on the way, it will only cause us unnecessary delay; be sides, we have spoken our farewells to all, and turning back, when once started on a journey, is said to give bad luck."

"Yet I have but one observation to make to all your objections," returned Prairie Flower, peremptorily; " and that is, you must come*with me."

"If you insist on it, certainly."

"I do."

On this we turned, without more ado, and took our way back, wondering what new mystery .or surprise would greet us next. The Indians appeared more rejoiced than astonished at seeing us again, and crowded around us, and shook our hands, with as much apparent delight as if we had been absent a month.

"What is the utmost limit of your stay with us, my friends?" inquired Prairie Flower.

"An hour is the extreme," I replied*

Upon this she turned and addressed a few words to the young Indian who had volunteered to act as our guide, and then bidding us dismount and follow her, she led the way into the lodge of Great Med icine. Making some excuse, she went out, and shortly returned, bringing with her our rifles and plenty of powder and balL

"Now that you are going," she said, "I will restore you your arms, with a sincere prayer that, with the aid of Hea ven, they may prove sufficient to