Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-01-25
SHOT on THE HOME STRETCH.

For miles around, as far as the eve could
reach in one direction, lay undulatinp
prairie, green with rank, tall, swavine
grasses, or gray with the barren, bitter
sage. where the coyote yelped and gam
boiled and the shy prairie-nen crouched
and chuckled. Behind iioomed up the
blue-browl outlines of the rugged Coast
Mountains, the danger. r-t.raught barrier TO
the El Dorado Of the gold-seekers, while
far off was pack Of scurrying, barking
wolves, busily engaged in picking clean
the bones Of fall en- buffalo.
SETH walker rancho stood on the
banks OF Rattl' .r's Creek "a narrow but rap
Id stream OF limpid, icy water whose orr
gin lay hig,n up among the rocky hills.
its low oanks of glittering gravel were
densei.J fringed with underbrush and vari-
Gus sorts of heavy timber-cotton and red
wood trees-many species of prickly ber-
ry-bushes and tangling, creeping vines.
green logs, dovetailed together
at the ! corners, the interstices
being filled with the limey, gummy mud
scraped from the lips of the mineral
springs close at hand. Inside were two
compartments, termed respectively ''the
bunk" and the bar" +" Split cedar logs,
laid side by side, composed the floor, and
light entered through small, unglazed
window; In various parts of the room
were seven clumsy stools and two rickety
tables covered with packs of cards, empty
glasses and dice-boxes. The walls were
adorned with sundry rifles, revolvers,
gaudy pictures of questionable morality
and festoons of Brobdignagian shells
bought from the Indians, who had gather
ed them on the Pacific shores. ~
The bar proper was long, circular
shelf or desk, behind which stood tall bot
: ties labeled Bourbon, Old Rye, Sherry.
Gin and Bitters, ranging In orderly rows
above. on a cedar pedestal, reposed large
wildcat, killed and stuffed by Seth him.
self.
or the dozen or more scouts, gamblers,
trappers and suttlers gathered there, we
are particularly interested In two only
Colonel Ringeur and Antoine 'VeZan.
The colonel was a horse dealer and the
keeper of a notorious iaro-bank; he
was over six feet in height, burly
and muscular, perfectly and savagely
reckless when angered, and a terror to
his enemies. Antoine, also a gambling
jockey, was scarcely five feet seven inch
es in height, round shOuldered and weak
in the arms, but " adinitted, ''some
with the rifle" i!'
Ringcur was attired in his usual cos
tume-black velvet trowsers slit from the
knee downward, and, after the Mexican
fashion, studded with round silver but
tons stout moccasins and beaded buck
skin shirt, that fully exposed brawny,
hairy chest and neck; his long, black hair
was covered by a wide-brimmed sombre-
70, and In his gay belt were pair OF Colts
revolvers and Bowie.
Vezan's dress was similar, with the ex-
ception of the head covering, which con-
sisted OF fox's skin sewn into a skull
cap, the head protruding over Antoine's
dull, black eyes.
-" What you take, mon colonel?' and
Vezan slapped Ringeur on the back. ..
The usual, thai = Won, Tony. Bour-
bon-four fingers =.
so, mon colone! that you have
entered two hors.s fol e, ohY,
Antoine referred TO 4 and YEARLY
Valley Race that was l, AXE place in
three days, where thousa. dis of dollars
annually changed hands az rows innu-
merable happened.
wall, yes, I've tw on hand. There's
gack-you know hii yell enough-by
MPraps out OF Siren tn 4 Eve new bit
uon mind layin al w ags on-Bessie,
- OoiiCu. her st n ither Drimp
,o nor iancy, but I'm Ia lnt tbs t she'll give
your %hd Etoile two lengt Is d eat her p
:. inere In was taun.t 2, " in his voice
a. a. ~ tbs sa,u , TINS, and { ~ &c, knowingly
70 tne 1ystanders, ; as a matter Of
course, followed lh az. ornla of ~ G. VI
cetious soldier. pi0 vi 'iie IA
Done, mon colonel You give Etoile
two lengths and heat her W tn Bess;a
Done! How muchr' Dessie'
Wall, Tony; be patient; don't uet
riled. Now,gentlema are thel e any more Gre
mare" 6 ~ y" my
No answer being given is question
Ringeur resumed ""'
ny" u' TO-
NO, no. Five thousand 1t Is, mon col.
one'; You give Etoile two full lengths
and beat herr Tres bien ~ and he enter.
ed the wager In his book at once.
WHAT'S the reason Won don't hack the
oid iayorite, Jack, kerne ~ queried one
OF the trappers, and AZ drew closer ia
In ~