José — page 241: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

234 JOSE. that live about the fort, who left this region in accordance with an agreement assumed by my father; he is one of the most dangerous and deter- mined characters of his race, whose absence ina certain sense my father purchased. Well, from cer- tain information, whose reliability is not to be doubted, it appears that the fellow returned two days ago and is making indefatigable efforts to col- lect the scattered tribes, threatening the fort and its defenders with death and destruction. Of course that means scarcely more than an attempt on the part of a number of children to tear down a strong tree; nevertheless, any excesses committed in this neighborhood could not fail to bring our valley into such disrepute that its settlement necessarily would be greatly retarded, and hence, in order to be pre- pared for any emergency, Mr. Brown will start upon his journey to-morrow at the remotest, will effect a hasty reinforcement of our men from the nearest military station, and only from that point follow up nis regular order of business. That we shall not be exempt from many little grievances, and dangers, perhaps, until the soldiers arrive, is plain; but you will also realize, Mary, that now it has become a doubly imperious duty quickly to secure for you such protection asa husband alone can give. I had reckoned that you should want to- day for recreation, and arranged with your father to have him accompany us to-morrow morning to a justice of the peace at the village, and from there to at once continue his journey. These are presumably the last few hours that are left at our disposal, and if | had been prepared for a change so suddenly for the better on your part, I should kindly have sought to induce you to undertake the ride with us Gomicbooks. co