San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-28
The Belle Of San MIGUEL.
By FORBES HEERMANs.

II was down on the Pecos that Capt Dick
Mosier first met and adopted him. Capt.
Dick was riding over from the X Bar y
ranch to the BARGE, of which he was the
general manager, one pleasant morning in
October, and had just reached the ford by
the Laberde grant, intending to cross the
river, when upon the opposite bank he spied
a stranger A citizen of New Mexico ap-
proaches his fellow man with caution AL
most the first thing an acquaintance with the
best society in that country teaches him is
narrowly to inspect chance comade, and
to loosen his pistol in its holster when coming
within range. And so, before starting his
horse into the water, Capt Dick had look
at the man across the stream.
The two were not very far apart-fifty
yards or so, for the Pecos was not wide there
and at that distance Dick saw that the
other was a tall, gaunt man of about so. His
face was partly hidden behind thin, scraggy
beard that grew randomly out of dark, sun
burnt skin; a tangled forest of hair hung
from his chin, while his cheeks were like the
open prairie, with only an occasional sage
brush spear to break the monotony. The
narrowness of his face was accentuated by
two small eyes, set in close to either side Of a
thin, pointed nose; and his head covering still
further exaggerated this effect, for in place
Of the customary sombrero he wore a small
knit skull cap that fitted tight to his head.
This cap had once been black, but the sun
and the rain had faded it until It had become
a rusty brown, and so near the color of his
clayey hair that at a glance he appeared to
be bareheaded. Altogether the first impress
sion he created was his resemblance to a
straight line-length without breadth or
thickness. But he seemed harmless enough,
and Capt. Dick started to cross the river,
giving his bronco needless touch with the
steel to hasten him. When he reached the
bank, and halted there a moment, the
stranger gravely saluted him, and said slowly:
"Mornin' cap-its bout 1even o'clock,
amt it?'
A nearer view disclosed several things that
Dick had not noticed before-his dress for
one thing. A ragged, faded velveteen jacket
Intellectually covered the upper part of his per
son, while his lower limbs were cased in a
pair Of heavy leather "shapps." They had
evidently been made for a much shorter man
than their present owner, for there was
yawning gap between the lower ends and the
deer skin moccasins that covered his feet.
He was armed cap-a-pie, with Winchester
carbine over his shoulder, heavy Colts
forty-five revolver and knife at his waist,
and enormous rusty spurs, with jingling
chains on his feet. His saddle had once been
a gorgeous affair of stamped leather, with
silver trimmings one grandee might have
used; but now it was tattered and torn hope
lessly beyond responsibility. The leather
was worn away in huge patches and the naked
wood of the tree appeared unblushingly in
sight. The horse matched the saddle and the
rider. Altogether the stranger looked like
bandit who had been unfortunate in business,
yet his smile was cherubic in its sweetness.
"If you're goin' to Sanity Rosy, we might
ride long together" he said in a mild voice,
and, although Dick much preferred to go
alone, he assented and they rode ON.
~ heard tell down to the Cross Circle Dia-
mond ranch that they was wantin' a cook up
to the BARGE" the stranger said, slowly, 80
just pulled my freight to strike the job
Know if it's SOP
Eyes, it is So" Dick answered; "I'm from
the BARGE myself. Can you cookr'
Eyes" he said, slowly; ~ kin cook, if you
amt too perticler. / amt fond of cookin',
but kin do it. / kin fry beef, make a
tol'able sallyratus biscuit an a middlin' fair
pie outen most anythin'. But amt enjoyed
cookin' much since reformed. used to be
as bad as any of EN-" he continued, leaving
Dick in some doubt as to whether he re-
ferred to his cooking or his morals, "but
seen tn error of my way an stopped on tn
brink. got rehgion"-he spoke of it as if it
were an article he had purchased-"I got re-
hgion with a Teller was herdin' sheep with
down on the Gallinas four year ago. He ct
me into the ways of the righteous an I'm
walkin' in the straight path now an forever
more. Lesstwsys, I'm walkin' when amt
ridin'," he aided, solemuly and accurately.
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