Afire Water Spring

A Star uiau happeued to meet a man who had soivecl a term or two or three in varions penitentiaries, hadu't served several he shonld havo served and is likely to serve more before heisthrough with himself. Of course that kind of a man was interesting, and after a time, when he got to talking under tho mellowing iuflnence of tilinga made for tbe purposo, he was more iuteresting. "Wheu I was 15 years younger than I am uow, " he said, "I was out in the m onn taina of the west ou a government reservation, where I conld make monoy by selling whisky uuder post prices. I was always on the make, and sol surngglcd in a dct&n or more gallons and had them hid in a cave ten miles or so out of reach. The cave was a kind of a two Story affair, the upper story beiug my secret, and there I had my jugs of liqnor hid away, and from thero I carried ifc out in smaller quantities for distribution. The lower part of tbe cavo was 20 feet below the upper chamber, and in this part was a, basin of water, which bad dripped from tho upper part. It did not contain more than a gallon of water. I knew it was easily exhauated, for I speut many a night there, and fouud there wasn't water enough to boil a kettle with. "Well, about tho timo I got in my secorjd installmeut of fire juico the Indiana got bad and begim creeping in toward the settlements. I thougbt my cave was unknown to the Indians as well as the whites, but it appeara that it wasn't, and one morning I barely luid time to slip out of my down staira room aud get up in the loft tiefore 10 or 12 of the bloodiest looking braves you ever saw squatted in front of my resiclence and began holding a council of vai In half an honr or more all of them exoept one went away, and he remained to keep watch. "At noon three retnrned with five V7hite prisouers, and at 0 o'clock tlierost of them came in with a girl about 4 years old. Just what they were going to do was not apparent, and it wasn't easy for me to find out, becauso when I carne down to a point where I could see I was in danger of getting caught myself. I did seo enough, thongh, to show me that tho fivu white prisoners, who were all old men, hadu't much chance for their lives, but that thechild would be carried away. To save myself had been my fïrst thought, and now to save these poor wretches was first. " While I was debating what to do or give it up as a bad job one of the Indians went to tïie spring and got sorne water. That was my cue. In a minute more I was baekup in my chamber, just over the head waters of the spring, and, having turned the drip into another channel, I etarted a stream of that kill at 40 rod whisky down tho shoot and then slipped back to watch the proceedings. They were discussing when to kill the prisouers - I knew enough Indian to know that. And when it was about determined to hold them over a day and see if they couldu't piek up a few more and have a real big time, anotber of them went o er to the spring for water. This time it wasu't so much water as it had been. Whatever it was made the nglyredskin'give a big 'Ughl' of delight, and tho others went over to hini. Wel!, it isn't necessary for me to go into particuiars "Anybody, even a reporter, knows what beeomee of au Iudian or a dozen of them when there are unlimited quantities of firewater at their disposal, and as soon as I saw how tho thing was going I hurried back and set another jug to work. I was a little af raid they might get ugly drunk and kill their prisoners, but evidently they hadn't had much lo eat that day, and the liquor was getting in its work on empty stomachs. Whatever was the cause, before I had any idea that it was time for it tho whole of them was f uil, and in a few minutes more they were lying around the litcle basin of the spring so drunk they could not move hand or foofc. "Then it was my time to play, and I corked up the liquor upstairs for another day and went dowu stairs. There wasn't much time for tbanks, becausewe didn't know when the eneruy might make it unpleasaut for os. So I told the prisoners to take care of the Indiaus whilo I tookcareof the little girl, wbich I did by taking her outside of the cave, where she could breathe the free air of heaven once more. You see, I kind of thought they might like to attend to things themselves, " he added apologetically aud stopped. "And did they?" inquired the reporter as the narrator seemed to t hink he had reacbed the end of his story. "I suppose they did," hereplied. "At least, when I went back to the cave, about a month later, when the war had simmered down sotno, I f ound the bodies of them Indians ahuost as well preserved aa if they had been put up in alcohol, that deru whisky of mine was so powerful, you know. I was always kind of sorry I hadn't sent the prisoners to take care of the little girl while I took care of them Indians. By cripes, I never got a cent for tbe liqnor they drank!" -