San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-03-20


had any information about the Lanes
The man only lifted the lids of hi
hollow eyes, looked moment at m,
father, let them fall, and again wen
on reading. But seeing that m,
father still stood respectfully by, ant
was disposed neither to ask again no
even to grow angry and pass on il
silence, he again lifted his eyes for
second, and looking at my father
said, in a deep, solemn, and never-to
be-forgotten tone: M IagJ
"Maybe they have been judged
and are not!" l is
And again he went on reading ant
said no word more, while my father
with pale lips, silently took my hand
and returned to camp. He knew
what that awful sentence meant very
we'll. e. aas it
But the beautiful, black-eyed girl
80 full Of youth, health, affection, de
votion--what monstrous creature in
all this world could be found miser
able enough to murder her Surely
her purity, her sweetness, should be
as ten thousand swords to defend
her. Her beauty should have been
as an army with banners. What had
happened? We shall see.
One morning before sunrise, two
long-haired men on horseback, bear.
ing long rifles before them, dashed
up to the grim black shape half hid
den in the rank rye grass, there by
the bank of the little trout stream,
and the giant was seen to sit sudden
ly bolt upright in his coffin.
The conference did not last long.
Only few words passed-orders
mainly-brief, short, sharp, and most
ly made up of monosyllables and
gestures; and then the long haired
men on horseback, with their long
rifles before them. wheeled suddenly
and disappeared in and behind a
grove of the cool, leaning willows
up the stream.
Then it was that q certain con-
viction settled down upon us as to
who this monster was. Men and
women too in the many camps scat
tered here and there, up and down
tim willow lined stream, began to
question themselves if they had aught
to answer for to these sudden, swift,
and merciless "judges" Of the tribe
Of Dan.
The terror that now possessed us,
md lay steadily and still over all,
was painful, pitiful. No one dared
to speak to his neighbor. No one
Knew who his neighbor was. There
was somewhat of that awful stiffness
Ind sad pity over the face Of nature
which is to be observed when an
earthquake is about to break the
heart of our mother earth.
On the next day four other men,
similarly mounted, equally abrupt,
sudden and swift, swept up the little
stream from the shores Of the white
ined sea, and looked up and down
Ind right and left rs if for some one
Who was lost or had escaped. They
lid not speak to any one, or even
,ome near to the silent man up the
stream, above our camp. But they
,eckoned him, and he answered back.
They then dashed on up the noun
,ain-side which sloped to the stream,
md, climbing at a steady gallop to
,he high gray summit, sat there in a
group long time, looking to the
,ast, to the west, everywhere, long
md eagerly. Then they rode on
lown the grassy hill toward the head
If the stream, and we saw them no
more. But a darker. shadow than
lyer was over us now; shadow lay
,ehind them like the shadow Of death.
We could not endure the strain
my longer. And then, in fact we
we're almost ready to set out once
more on the long, long journey still
,efore us. Father made excuse that
10 wanted to catch the cool Of the
.vening. And this gave him some
,retence Of reason TO haste. And 80
le set out, as the sun went down, 10
move his little train on, on, on,
inward over the white border of this
lack sea Of death-anywhere, indeed,
o get nd of this nightmare that how
red over, sufocated us.
Some Of our men had made boat
lere out Of an old wagon-bed By
he help Of a friendly Indian they
lad rowed far out 10 q little island
nth three green trees on it. There
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