orm had broken over the town
just after midnight. When it had spent itself and roared off down the
valley, the rain still fell in torrents, and O'mie's clothes were
dripping when he rushed into Le Claire's room.

"For the love av Heaven," he cried, "they's a plot so pizen I must git
out of me constitution quick. They're tellin' it up to Conlow's shop.
Them two strangers, Yeager and his pal, that's s'posed to be sleepin'
now to get an airly start, put out 'fore midnight for a prowl an' found
theirsilves right up to Conlow's. An' I wint along behind
'em--respectful," O'mie grinned; "an' there was Mapleson an' Conlow an'
the holy Dodd, mind ye. M. E. South's his rock o' defence. An' Jean was
there too. They're promisin' him somethin', the strangers air. Tell an'
Conlow seemed to kind o' dissent, but give in finally."

"Is it whiskey?" asked the priest.

"No, no. Tell says he can't have nothin' from the 'Last Chance.' Says
the old Roman Catholic'll fix his agency job at Washington if he lets
Jean get drunk. It's somethin' else; an' Tell wants to git aven with
you, so he gives in."

The priest's face grew pale.

"Well, go on."

"There's a lot of carrion birds up there I never see in this town. Just
lit in there somehow. But here's the schame. The Confederates has it
all planned, an' they're doin' it now to league together all the Injun
tribes av the Southwest. They's more 'n twinty commissioned officers,
Rebels, ivery son av 'em, now on their way to meet the chiefs av these
tribes. An' all the Kansas settlements down the river is to be fell upon
by the Ridskins, an' nobody to be spared. Wid them Missouri raiders on
the east and the Injuns in the southwest where'll anybody down there be,
begorra, betwixt two sich grindin' millstones? I couldn't gather it all
in, ye see. I was up on a ladder peeking in through a long hole laid
down sideways. But that's the main f'ature av the rumpus. They're
countin' big on the Osages becase the Gov'mint trusts 'em to do scout
duty down beyont Humboldt, and Jean says the Osages is sure to join 'em.
Said it is whispered round at the Mission now. And phwat's to be nixt?"

Father Le Claire listened intently to O'mie's hurried recital. Then he
rose up before the little Irishman, and taking both of the boy's hands
in his, he said: "O'mie, you must do your part now."

"Phwat can I do? Show me, an' bedad, I'll do it."

"You will keep this to yourself, because it would only make trouble if