The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-02-15
A WOMAN OF ELL TOWN.
A Story Of New Mexico.

An evening in June, year of our Lord
1881, in Derning. a little New Mexican
station at the junction oftwo southern
railroads. The sun had gone down in a
crimson splendor, and as it sank from
sight there. appeared the opaiine tints
peculiar toa sunset sky in the rarefed
atmosphere of high elevations in that
southern latitude. A roseate belt en-
circied the h. ayens abouttwenty degrees
ebove the horizon, melting into a fiery
gold in the west and shading off else
where, through prismatic hues, into
dull, leaden tones which lay against the
earth and dist mt mountains, and the
cold blue of the zenith, where the stars
began to march out one by one,
The little settlement, Boosting as yet
but three months growth, was still in a
state of chaos, and consisted, of a motley
array of tents, with here and there an
implanted wooden shanty, which served
as a shop and dwelling place. The
'aree Union Hotel. in process Of cree
ton by the railroad companies, was
but a shameless pile of masonry and
timber. A row of feieht-cars, standing
upon a disused side track, with rudely
constructed flights of steps atfording in
sress and egress, served as abodes for
the more a%ristocratic element of the
town. consisting at that time of the local
railroad officials and their families, and
thrifty housewives made these UNIQUE
habitaiions tidy and comfortable, sigh
ing meanwhile for the civilized homes
they had left.
The occasional travellers who found it
necessary or desirable to sojourn for a
brief season in this embryonic town
resorted to various expedients to OBJ
tain shelter. A party of this sort, con-
sisting of a gentlem IN, his wife and little
daughter, with a nurse-girl, on their
way to the sunny orange groves ofSoutb-
ern California, had arrived the previous
night, and found themselves the sole oc-
cupants Of a palace.sleeper, switched off
by the railroad officials to do service as
a temporary hotel.
The halt in their journey had been
imperative, for the lady was an invalid,
and the long ride ver the plains had
exhausted her fai ing strength. Forced
to rest and recruit for a brief period,
they had wisely concluded to make the
best OF their stay, had ,curiously studied
the odd minsling of humanity that
made up the population of tho small
hamlet, and strolled about on the plain,
cleaning odd bits of translucent chalce.
dony and bright crystals from the sandy
SOIL, and making their portable abode
charming with the boughs of mistletoe,
dainty grasses. and hoary tuftei plumes
nnkpnu.n fn thn IS, 49,, -A.-.-.
They had brought in great branches of
mesquite, with its fern-like foliage, and
royal pyramids of the snowy bells of
the Spanish bavonet.
As the day drew to a close they were
startled by the discovery that the baby
girl was missing. Heated and tired with
play, she had fallen asleep in the mid
de OF thea afternoon and been laid care
fully in her berth, with the curtains
drawn to give free play to the soft breeze
which stole down from the north, tenn
pering the scorching air. But when
they went to lcok in upon her at night
tall, matveling that the wee crsature
slept so long and heavily, their very
hearts stood still as they saw an empty
bed, and realized that the little sleeper
was gone.
The cry that a child was lost spread
like wild-fre through the place. Had
there been a philosopher there it would
have eiaddened his heart to see how
tender impulses and forgotten instincts
wakened IN the hearts OF the rough and
lawiess set who formed a goodlv pro-
portion otthe population, and one and
all eagerly prepared to join the search.
A week before q train had been
ditched AID robbed. and the engineer
killed, not twenty miles from ] emins.
A band OF mounted men had organized
from the surrounding country, and
struck out f, the mountains in pursuit
OF the robbers, a famous gang, who had
been Il terror throughout the whole re-
gion for years. That night the '.Rustlers''
Deming, to DEFY the authorities and s.set
up the LIQUOR for the crowd, They
We're in the leading saloon of the place,
"braclng up" with a final drink all
around, preparatory to taking a hurried
departure when a man came in with
news of the calamity which had over
taken the travellers.
Every man among them knew that to
remain long in one spot menaced them
with a terrible vengeance at the hands
of an insuriated people. Yet not one of
them Dut looked assent as their leader
said. %gravely:
Reckon we've got to stay, boys, and
look up tie kid, now we're here"
From q rough bench at one side a
woman had risen mp a moment before,
and pushing back from her face her un-
kept hair, struggled to rouse herself to
a comprehension of what was being said.
It her face had ever been beautiful in
the freshness of cir hood, every vcstise
OF its charms had been effaced. Upon
her haggar1 features was written with
-indelib e imprint the story of her life.
Vile and sinful, soul and body, she had
fallen SO far below the level of her class
that I'm, haste women passed her with a
shudder, recognizing in her a prophecy
OF what the future night hold in store
Tor them, whine among men and women
she wa known by the unenyiable sobri-
ouet of HBad Moii."
Or that June night she had been on a
spree for q week-a ''tear" the BOYS
called it, and mentioned i, from day to
day with pardo nsble prize, as an event
full occurrence in their unorganized
society, destitute of church
%wrangles, the charms Of litigation, poIit-
ical controversies, defa.catlons in office,
or auGht that is legitimate in the way of
excitement. That afternoon she had
undertaken to clean out Chinese wash
house, and q mob had follow, d her,
hooting and yelling, as she pursued TIE
frishtened Mongoiians, and cheering
her roughly as che reeled. cursing,
through the streets. After the outburs,
she had sunk into a drunken stupcr,
from which something she heard seemed
to have aroused her. She had listened,
with q puzzled look. twisting and I'M
twisting the ends Of a soiled rose-colored
shawl lhst hung about her shoulders
At length she staggered heavily up to
the bar.
Gimme some water!'
The crowd of men laughed and jeered.