, 1883-07-21
HOW SHE FOUND HIM.

1t was on the last stage Of the long
and tedious ride from Fort Craig to
Santa Fe. We had taken up the last
relay Of frisky mustangs, said good
night to the last sleepy hostler, and
were dashing away into the dark
ness with the noses OF the leaders
pointed square toward the City Of
Holy Faith. We had been under
way an hour before my attention was
attracted toward the driver. He
might have been fifteen and he may
have been seventy-five. He was
cooked and primed with all the slang
Of the frontier, which he interlarded
with bits Of lingo from the mines,
quaint quotations from the familiar
poets and humorits, and when at a
loss for a word or 80 to point a sem
tence slung in Latin or Spanish
phrase with an inimitable prOnuncia-
tiOn and a graceful wave Of the hand
that signified his utter disgust with
a mother tongue that was so paltry
Of fitting words in an emergency.
"Now let me tell you," he would
remark, close on the heels Of some
long and astonishing yarn ; "nOw let
me tell you what occurred to me one
night on the Yellowstone" or the
Brazos, or the South Fork OF the Can
adian, or the Sea Of Galilee, or other
equally distant locality, and off he
would gallOp at a breakneck pace,
keeping time with the scampering
team In front Of us. 1t was in the
midst Of this medley Of astounding
adventures by field and food that he
spun the quaint little yarn that is the
excuse for these paragraphs.
zone night out from Los Animas, ("
he began after carefully lighting a
profered cigar, and shying the burn
ing match at the Off-wheeler, "a
beautiful moonlight night, l remem-
Der, one Of those nights, you know,
Cap, when the prairies seem all aglOw
with mellowness, 1 found when / had
mounted the box and unfastened the
lines from the handle OF the brake,
the strangest outside passenger in
my experience. 1t was a woman
that is, thought hera woman when
she drew herself up with dignity as
l babe her a hearty 'gOOd evening""
and turned up her little nose at the
idea Of being accOsted so familiarly
by a driver, but when l said some
thing about the night being filled
with music, and the cares that infest
the day, electra, etcetra, etctra-you
savez-she turned clear-cut,
thoroughbred profile toward me and
opened a pair Of the biggest, black
est eyes i ever looked into with a
most wondering expression. 1t was
only a moment, however, for then
she opened her lips to show two rows
Of the smallest, whitest teeth as she
sent out peal Of childish laughter
that rippled and rang all over the
prairie"
"She had come from Boston, she
told me, and was bound for Tucson,
where she expected to meet friend,
"the dearest friend in the world, I"
she intimated, with a proud little
gesture, "and he loves me to dis
traction. I am not alone, you know.
Max Is with me, and with him
wouldn't be afraid Of anything.
Would l Max? Now who the dick
ems is Max wondered, and looked
up and down and all around, expect
ing to see some fellow, you know,
that ] hadn't noticed before. And
just then / felt cold, wet something
come against my cheek that felt for
all the world like the barrel Of der
ringer, and turned around suddenly
to see the biggest, blackest New
fOundland stretched out on the roof
behind me-"
"'And now let me tell you about
Jack. You see Jack and 1 always
loved each other. He was awfully
mischievous, and when he grew up
and we were married he was Just as
wild as ever. He Ooffnto soma fool.