The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-09-11

round here, and If Injins or Rangers
should come don't reckon they'd hurt
a little girl like me. Do you think they
would?'
"No, little one, said the corporal, and
his voice softened. He was silent mo-
ment and then spoke again.
'Dave won't come back any more, !"
he said. ''He's-gone-gone up into
the big territory, and-he sent lis here
to look after you"
'.Did he? Well, that's good of Dave
but then he always was good to me.
Where are you going to take me?"
ITO our camp"
"How far is it from herc?"
"a long ways"
'Can take my dolly?"
Certainly"
''Then I'll pare myself right away"
she said, and walked towards one of the
wagons hugging the doll to her heart.
The corporal sent two men up on the
mesa to bury the dead outlaw, and
others rounded up the cows and
wagon stock. Our horses and the
wounded Ranger were brought up, and
in two hours time we were ready to
start. We followed the creek down to
Borilla Spring and then took the Gov
| eminent road through Lympia and
MoOskie Canyons to our camp. BronchO
BERTHE rode in one of the wagons, and
when we reached camp and turned the
outlaws outfit over to the captain, the
child was formally adopted by the men,
and we pitched her tent alongside the
| captains.
Rangers, as usual thing, are rough
lot, but the heart of every man in the
company was warmed toward the little
wait, and when she was ready to retire
they all clustered around the tent to see
her safely in bed. Before climbing in
she knelt on the ground. and clasping
her little hands raised her brown eyes
heavenward. Instantly every hat was
dotted and every head bowed, and the
eyes of some of the men were swimming
when the Broncho's simple petition to
the Throne of Mercy was finished. She
kissed each man goodnight, and there
was hush unusual and solemn around
the campfire that night.
She remained with us nearly year,
and SO potent was her influence that
curse was never heard about the camp,
and Mad Milton hunted up an old Bible
which had been present when he left
''the States" but which had never been
opened since his arrival on the plains,
and began to study its sacred pages
during his odd moments of leisure. fla
man visited the post and did not bring
the Broncho a present when he returned
he was considered guilty of high treason.
Blackhawk Davis bought her n gentle
pony and taught her to throw the lasso.
We dressed her richly but fancifully.
and the captain gave her miniature
Winchester and a tiny six-shooter and
belt. She was always in line at
roll-call night and morning. and gen.
| orally answered ''present" when her
name was called. The lieuten-
ant taught her to read and write and
"Happy HalmOn" gave her lessons on
the violin. She was merry-hearted,
generous-souled little elf, and the sun
shine of her presence made our rude
camp always bright. Her quaint obser-
vations and practical suggestions were
a constant source IF merriment among
the men. Her favorite was Reckless
jeff" probably because he was merely
a boy in years with a smooth, fresh face
and great blue ewes as large rs her own
brown orbs. JEFF was good-hearted
fellow, rs generous as King, and as
chivalrous as an old knight-errant. but
he had an unfortunate habit of taking
aboard too much post whisky. The
fiery liquor always inflamed his passions
and brought out his worse traits of
| oh v.o ofo. Wbop ssuplor thu sv,0 ~
he could be moved neither by threats
nor entreaties, and his favorite amuse-
ment was shooting 'em up when his
reckless but usually accurate marks
manship inspired universal terror in the
hearts of his human targets, for he con-
sidered it nothing remarkable to cut the
roll on Mexican's sombrero with his
bullets or shoot the buttons off q cow
boys jacket. The bottles and decanters
on the bars of the casinos suffered
whenever he ''turned himself loose.
One of his favorite feats, of which he
was very proud, was to shoot a cork
from the head of man at distance of
twenty yards. In camp he was always
practicing with his six-shooter and the
Broncho frequently became his target
holder. She seemed to have no fear
only unbounded confidence in the accu-
racy of her friends aim, and she would
laugh gleefully and clap her hands when
particularly close and dangerous shot
was made.
1t was the first and only Christmas
the Broncho spent with US. and in her
honor, ostensibly, and for her amuse-
ment, the boys extemporized q great
variety of frontier sports and games.
We had big tub Of egg-nogg. and
several of the boys drank too much.
jeff was one of these, and before dinner
he had taken aboard SO much of the
seductively intoxicating compound that
his face was flushed. his gait unsteady
and his manner loud and boisterous.
We had been exhibiting our skill as
marksmea, and JEFF had been a silent
and scornful witness of our somewhat,
to him, tame and unlnterestins feats
with the six-shooter. Finally he drew
his own weapon.
you fellows shoot very fair" he
said, '.but I'll show you something that
is shooting
He pulled the cork out of flask which
he drew from his pocket. and handed II
to Broncho BERTHE.
..Stand mp, Bronchov" he said, and
the child took position about thirty
PAGES distant, against the gnarled trunk
Of . live oak tree. She faced Us with
flashing eyes, and her cheeks crimsoned
with excitement Placing the little corf
ON top of the mass of tangled curl
which covered her head she folded hea