San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-04-10

IyeJ aS typicai, uS true horiuoh oiooi
was ho, as photograph could print.
He made q last appeal to tho weak
and now PROSTATE girl. Some one
of the party, wiser than tho rest per-
haps, beckoned her silently to comply.
She put out her hands helplessly,
and he led her to the water, the men
with the horses rising in their places
and uncovering their heads. Others
did the same.
| Whether the Mormon missionary
improvised his brief ceremony and
action, or followed the prescribed
forms, it is not important to say.
But he led her back soon to where
all stood waiting, respectful, silent as
before.
The girl seemed bit refreshed,
hopeful. What had he said to her ?
What would he do nowi Hand her
over to one of the bloody men there
as bride7 Keep her for himself?
No, not this last. There was not q
shadow of interest in her in any one
of the hard and very deep lines of
that massive and monk-like face. He
stopped still a moment and prayed.
How new, strange, awful, weird all
this was in the dim twilight by the
darkening lake Of death! Some
birds flew into camp from the hills.
1t was strange thing, and the first
time in q thousand years, that man
had come to pitch tent in their rest
ing-place.
The moon, round-faced and full,
leaned out of heaven and looked
straight down, close down, calm and
pitying, like the sorrowful face OF q
nun at prayer.
Surely in a scene like this, now at
last, after all this suffering, this
suspense-surely, surely after prayer
and baptism in the.name Of the Most
High God-she would be saved !;
saved in body and in mind; saved in
all her purity, and peace of mind, and
love, andsympathy, and sad memories
of her dear dead who lay buried out
yonder in the lake in chains.
The horsemen stood waiting orders.
They had not tasted food or water
all that time they waited there in the
grass. These poor, deluded men
believed they were listening to the
voice of God. They were men who
could not read their names. Never
had Mahomet such blind, faithful,
devoted following as these bloody
men here waiting to do the work OF
death.
It is notable that oil false religions,
all religions save the one religion of
Christ, have had their corner-stones
laid and cemented down in blood.
They have been built up byignorance
and maintained in impurity.
The giant missionary came forward
up the bank, leading the girl by the
hand. He was evidently worn and
weak, but he was as full of mad zeal
for his work as ever before. He
again appealed for pro selytes. No
one come forward. Then his fur
rowed brow grew dark and revenge
full.
Hebeckoned for his followers to get
ready. In moment more they were
ready to spring into the saddle. In
the mean time he had motioned to
our party to lay in keg of water,
rouse up the resting cattle, yoke
them and climb the hill on our journey
to the west. Our party obeyed this
last injunction with alacrity. They
could hardly conceal their pleasure.
Yet nights persistent travel and a
days dreadful anxiety following on
its heels are hardly calculated to
charge any one with q superabund.
ance of spirits.
In little time the cattle were once
more in line under the yoke and
standing with nose lifted to the hill
before them. The horsemen held
tightly to their horses, one foot in
the stirrup. The poor horses paved
the ground in impatience TO reach the
water that gurgled and talked on as
it glided TO the sea in the fulLfaced
moon.
Suddenly some wolves howled from
the hill a little way up the stream,
and in spite Of all their tranquility
the men were startled a little, and
fell to jerking and fretting their
impatient horses They knew what
those wolves meant 1t was the
smell Of blood from the scene Of
murder on this same little stream
only few rods away. The memory
Of It was not q pleasant one TO these
men. The wolves were too eloquent