Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 41, Number 205, 15 July 1916 — Page 14

TUB RICHMOND PALLADIUM. SATURDAY, JULY 15. 1916

. PAGE THREE

The Sandman Story for Tonight

MR. FOX AND OLD REDDY MEET AGAIN. One night Mr. Fox went over the hill to the farm, thinking all the time about how Old Reddy Fox had tricked him and hoping he would meet him. Mr. Fox walked cautiously around the barn until he came to the henhouse, and then he began to smile. "Now that is nice," said Mr. Fox. "A board leading right up to the window of the henhouse. I wonder how the farmer could have been po careless and so accommodating, too." There were all the hens and chickens asleep, and Mr. Fox could see a goose that just suited him, and a turkey also. "I never had anything so easy as this," he said. "All I have to do is jump through the open window and help myself." With all Mr. Fox's cleverness he did not think about getting out, so he jumped through the window and landed very softly on the floor, but when he tried to go to the roost where the sleeping hens and chickens were he was surprised to find he was on the other side of a wire partition which there was no way to get over or through. Then Mr. Fox began to think, and when he did he looked up at the window through which he had jumped, and found it was altogether too high for him to reach, and there nothing on which he could climb, lie was trapped and there was no mistake about it this time. Mr. Fox began to think of heme and Mrs. Fox waiting, and he would never come, and he grew very sad, so sad and unhappy that he even forgave Old Reddy Fox for the trick he played on him a few nights before. Something moved above his head and Mr. Fox jumped and looked up at the window, and there looking JL JL JLXJy With these crude weapons he succeeded in killing several rabbits. He had left his firesticks at the camp site, however, and he was forced to eat his game uncooked. At twilight of the second day the lad reached the spot where he had last seen Sun Bird. To his delight he found that the Crows had failed to discover his fire sticks. Realizing that it would be folly to attempt to follow Sun Bird's trail before daylight, and fearing bat the Crows might have guessed his plan and followed him, he made a wide detour and spent the night in the bottom of a ravine, some distance to the west. Failing to see anything of his enemies at dawn, he left his hiding place and returned to the camp site. He soon discovered pony tracks leading toward the north. The trail was difficult to follow, as the plain was hard and sunbaked and the tracks were indistinct and far apart. However, White Otter worked it out step by step until he got an idea of the general direction taken by the riders, and then he hurried along at a brisk canter. Whenever he. missed the tracks he circled until he found j them arid then hastened on. At the end of the day he came upon ashes of a camp fire, and he knew that the Crows had passed the night there. Well pleased with his progress, the weary lad had stopped to rest. White Otter's mind was filled with all sorts of alarming possibilities, and sleep was impossible. When he did doze he was disturbed by dreams of Sun Bird, and he preferred to remain awake. His greatest fearwas that he Crowst from whom he had escaped might have sent scouts to warn their distant tribesmen. In that eveat his mission would be in vain. He took hope, however, in the thought that his late captors might be unwilling to acknowledge that they had been outwitted and would withhold news of his escape until they had exhausted every effort to find him. Toward dawn White Otter was alarmed by the cry of a coyote far away to the cast of him. ' lie lis

down at him was Old-Reddy Fox with wide open eyes and mouth. Mr. Fox felt a bit of joy at this sight, so he said to Old Reddy with a smile, "Come on in; this is a line place, if you don't wn't to get out in a hurry!" "Yes, I always look before I leap," said Old Reddy with a wise shake of his head, "but you young fellows leap before you look, and when you do look it is usually too late to do any good." "You are right, Reddy Fox," said Mr. Fox; "you are very wise. 1 wish I were half as wise as you are." Old Reddy Fox was quite pleased that Mr. Fox should say this to him, so he looked very condescendingly at Mr. Fox and said: "I would help you out if I could. Let me think a minute." Old Reddy stood still for a minute, and then he looked around out side. "Oh! Mr. Fox," he said, putting his head in the window, "here comes the farmer with a gun and

the dog, too," and then Old Reddy stepped back on the board. Mr. Fox looked at the window and he gave one bound and leaped tened anxiously, wondering if it were another signal. Perhaps the Crows had followed him. His heart sank at the thought. As the call was repeated', however, he recognized it as genuine, and his fears subsided. - As soon as it grew light enough to see the impatient lad mounted the piebald and hurried away. For a long distance the trail was easy to follow, and then it faded out in a barren stretch of sage. He lost valuable time looking for it, but he finally picked it up some distance further on and followed it until the end of the day. Then the Sioux saw six horsemen riding toward the west. He hurried his pony into a shallow ravine and hid behind a boulder to watch them. Their appearance filled him with alarm. His first thought was that they : were the scouts from the east. As he watched them, however, he began to have doubts. He asked himself why they had made the long detour to the north. As he pondered the question he became convinced that they were not the men he had supposed them to be. Then who were they, and what was their mission? White Otter believed that they were hunters returning to the very village he wished to find. When the horsemen finally disappeared over a distant rise of the plain the lad led his pony from the ravine and followed them. Realizing his peril, he advanced with great caution, and when he agin caught sight of them it was almost dark. He watched from the summit of a low ridge until they passed from view, and then he rode after them. When darkness fell, and he saw no sign of a campfire, he frit sure the Crow camp was close by. Believing that the horsemen were riding straight for the village, White Otter chose one of the bright stars for a guide ami continued toward the west. At short iutervals he stopped his pony and strained is ears to catch and stray sounds vjhich would warn him of the proximity of the camp. The night-hush wis unbroken, however, and the yong Sioux kept 'on. He knew

for it. His head and paws came in sight, and Old Reddy grabbed Mr. Fox by one paw and one ear,- and how he pulled and tugged, but he got Mr. Fox's head up, and somehow then Mr. Fox managed to get a hold on the window sill, and out he came. Old Reddy had tumbled to the ground in the tussle and Mr. Fox jumped down he didn't stop to walk down the board. - -, Old Reddy picked himself up and Mr. Fox, who wanted terribly to run, could not find it in his heart to desert Old Reddy after he had saved him, so he tried to get him to hurry. "We'll be caught if you don't," he eaid. ' The hens and the geese and turkeys, too, were making a terrible racket, for the tussle Mr. Fox had to get out awakened them. ". "Oh, there is time enough," said Old Reddy. "The dog is tied and the farmer can't dress in a minute; but of course, we don't want to linger." "I . thought you said they were coming," said Mr. Fox, looking around and at the same time looking angrily at Old Reddy, thinking he was tricked again by him. . Old Reddy did not answer until they were safe out of the barnyard and . down the road a way. Then he said, "I did say the dog was coming and the farmer with his gun, Mr. Fox, and I didn't Bee either of them, but if I hadn't said that you would never have leaped to that high window and I knew it would take a good fright to make you, so I took a chance on giving you a good fright, and I am glad I did." Mr. Fox said he Was, too, and never could thank Old Reddy for saving his life, and to show how much he appreciated ft he would forgive Old Reddy for taking his supper a few nights before.

ARROW

that he was exposing himself ' to great danger, but the thought of Sun Bird gave him courage. At dawn White Otter concealed his pony in a clump of cottonwoods and crawled cautiously to a rise of ground to reconnoiter. Halfway between him and a ridge of foothills to the west was a line of willows marking a watercourse. His heart bounded at sight of them, for he felt sure that the Crow village was somewhere along that stream. Then he discovered a thin column of smoke rising above the tree tops, and a moment later he saw the lodges. The lad spent the day watching the Crow camp. He saw several companies of horsemen ride away toward the foot-hills, and he believed that they were hunters. At sunset they returned, and White Otter was much relieved when they drove the ponies out upon the plain. It filled him with hope, for he believed that these people were unaware of his escape. Had they been warned, he felt sure they would have kept the" horses under strong guard near the camp. The Sioux's eyes flashed as he realized the ease with which he could lead away one or more Crow ponies under cover of night. White Otter's first task, however, was - to learn whether Sun Bird was in the camp. As soon as it was dark, therefore, he left the piebald in the timber and set out for the village. When he reached tho willows he followed the stream until he saw the glow from the camp fires. Then he stopped jto listen. All was still. The lad turned his face toward the heavens and asked aid from the Great Mystery. Then he continued toward the camp. He had not gone far before he saw thp dim outline's of a lodge looming up a short distance ahrad of bim. His heart beat wildly, for he realized that he was almost at the edge of the village. He heard voices and the crackle of fires, and for a momnt he hesitated. Then the desire to know Sun Bird's fate drove him on. Sinking to his hands and knees, he crawled to a patch of

Hollyhocks Make Good Playthings Hollyhocks are always useful playthings, as your grandmother can tell you, especially for making dolls. Take a flower that has Just opened, and pinch it off- close to the stalk so that the flower has its little green stem still on; and then take a bud and pinch its stem clear off so that you can make a little hole in it, and stick the little stem of the flower into the hole of the bud, and there is the eweetest little doll in a soft, silky dress, trimmed with green scallops that you ever had. And the nice part of it is that you don't have to sew for her a bit, and every doll can have a different colored dress. And another thing you can make out hollyhocks is a little candle. Take a flower that is almost ready to wither and break off its petals down at the while part, leaving that little yellow stalk with a round, nobby top, and several of these look as cute as anything on a doll's tea table.

George Caldwell Seeks Refuge in Ice Chest Are you suffering with the heat this summer? You might try the method of keeping cool that George Caldwell discovered. One day his mother missed him, and after hunting all over the neighborhood, returned home in despair and . in passing the ice chest noticed that the door was slightly open. But she didn't shut it, at least not until she had pulled out her little son, who was sitting in there as blissful and comfortable as a little toad un der a big green leaf.

Both Boys and Girls Will Enjoy This Story

low bushes which afforded him a view of the camp. The Sioux saw a group of warriors sitting about a large fire in the center of the village, and his eyes were quick to distinguish Spotted Dog, the Crow chief. The latter was talking quietly with an old man at his left. A short distance away two old women were broiling meat over the glowing embers of a cooking fire. Between the fires a company of boys were practhe art of making moccasins. It was a peaceful scene, and the lad saw nothing to suggest that the camp contained a captive. If he were there, the Crows seemed to have entirely dismissed him from their minds. White Otter had expected to see them gatherd in council. He had even feared that he might find them dancing the war dance around his friend. The lad was perplexed, and his perplexity made him suspicious. Had they already decided the captive's fate? White Otter weakened at the thought. Then he grasped at a shred of hope. Pehaps Sun Bird had escaped! The possibility electrified him. He prayed that it might be true. A few minutes later, however. Sun Bird appeared. He walked slowly forward in the company of two stalwart guards and seated himself among the warriors about the fire. Except for his dress, one might have taken him for a member of the tribe, for there was nothing to suggest that he was a captive. White Otter stared at him in amazement. He could scarcely believe his eyes. For one brief moment a sickening doubt entered his heart. Had Sun Bird pledged allegiance to the Crows? White Otter recalled the offer which the chief had made to them at the pass, an he wondered whether Sun Bird had accepted it to save his life. He weakened at the thought. The next instant he banished it from hi. mind. His confidence in Sun Bird a loyalty was too strong to be bhaken by such an unjust suspicion, and he was ashamed cf himself. White Otter tias convinced that, whatever was the reason for Sun Bird's ap

Library Corner

One of the favorite amusements in the upstairs library is the stereoscope and rictures which Mrs. Yarian gave t the department some time ago and the children have almost worn out with such constant use. Jokes About Fire One day a man went In a hotel to stay over night. He had not been asleep very long, when he heard some one cry, "Fire, fire!" He ran to the closet to get his overshoes, but found ten pair. He put them all one and jumped out the window. He bounced for ten days and ten nights. Then they had to fchoot him on tho wing to keep him from staring. From Whitewater School. Letter from New Jersey . The editor, is always glad to have letters from all parts of the country so that we all may know what other boys and girls are doing. .The following letter is from a little girl who lives in a beautiful city real close to New York: , Montclair, N. J., July 7, 1916. " Dear "Aunt Molly" My cousin is visiting me and we are taking' her to see some eights of New York. We took a ride on one of the Fifth avenue busses, which was great fun, up to the Natural Hisl ory Museum. We saw a skeleton of a whale. We saw some of the most beautiful butterflies I evr saw; one butterfly was blue with a gold border on the wings. There was a redwood tree one thousand years old; the tree was so large that two corriages could drive through it. Father had expected to take us to Coney, but an epidemic of infantile paralysis is there. It was a great disappointment to us at first. .' Your friend, Elizabeth. E L ME R RUSSELL M'GREGOR

parent freedom from restraint, it had not been earned by sacrificing his honor. It was- not long,, however, before White Otter learned the answer to the riddle. Spotted" Dog turned and spoke to the young Sioux, and Sun Bird immediately rose to his feet. For several moments he stood with his head thrown back, gazing at the sky. Then as the Crows began to beat their war drums he crouched and began to dance. He went through all sorts of ridiculous contortions, and appeared to be rousing himself to a frenzy. . As his excitement increased he danced to the fire and picked up glowing embers, which he appeared to hold against his flesh. It was awtird and unusual exhibition, and White Otter watched him in wide-eyed astonishment. His eyes twinkled merrily as he realized. .that the Crows were again being duped. White Otter believed that Sun Bird had succeeded in impressing the Crows with his importance as a medicineman. Having learned some of the ceremonies from his father, he was using them to gain favor with his captors. As all the tribes considered it unlucky to kill a person possessing mysterious powers, White Otter now understood why the Crows had spaced Sun Bird. He knew however, that the scheme was a dangerous one. The Crows were likely to put his powers to an impossible test, and if he failed his fate would be beyond imagining. It was evident, however, that the wily young Sioux w as only using the- ruse to gain tjme until he could find an opportunity to escape. He terminated the clever hoax with a lengthy speech to Spotted Dog, and White Otter feared that the Crow chief had "actually consulted him upon some matter of importance. When the talk was ended his guards escorted him to a lodge at the edge of the camp. Then, having learned what he wished to know, Whit Otter withdrew to the plain. (To be Continued.)