HTER.

On the Illinois river, near two hundred miles from its junction with the
Mississippi, there lived in 1812, an old pioneer, known in those days as
"Old Parker the squatter." His family consisted of a wife and three
children, the oldest a boy of nineteen, a girl of seventeen, and the
youngest a boy of fourteen. At the time of which we write, Parker and his
oldest boy had gone in company with three Indians on a hunt, expecting to
be absent some five or six days.--The third day after the departure, one
of the Indians returned to Parker's house, came in and sat himself down by
the fire, lit his pipe and commenced smoking in silence. Mrs. Parker
thought nothing of this, as it was no uncommon thing for one or sometimes
more of a party of Indians to return abruptly from a hunt, at some sign
they might consider ominous of bad luck, and in such instances were not
very communicative. But at last the Indian broke silence with "ugh, old
Parker die." This exclamation immediately drew Mrs. Parker's attention,
who directly enquired of the Indian, what's the matter with Parker? The
Indian responded Parker sick, tree fell on him, you go, he die. Mrs.
Parker then asked the Indian if Parker had sent for her, and where he was?
The replies of the Indian somewhat aroused her suspicions. She, however,
came to the conclusion to send her son with the Indian to see what was the
matter. The boy and Indian started. That night passed, and the next day
too, and neither the boy or Indian returned. This confirmed Mrs. Parker in
her opinion that there was foul play on the part of the Indians. So she
and her daughter went to work and barricaded the door and windows in the
best way they could. The youngest boy's rifle was the only one left, he
not having taken it with him when he went to hunt after his father. The
old lady took the rifle, the daughter the axe, and thus armed they
determined to watch through the night; and defend themselves if necessary.
They had not long to wait after night fall, for shortly after that some
one commenced knocking at the door, crying out "Mother! mother!" but Mrs.
Parker thought the voice was not exactly like that of her son--in order to
ascertain the fact, she said "Jake, where are the Indians?" The reply
which was "um gone," satisfied her on that point. She then said, as if
speaking to her son, "Put your ear to the latch-hole of the door I want to
tell you something before I open the door." The head was placed at