Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-08

|
tell you bout it" he said, "an' so cal'late to
do it That night-speil ago-when We went
over to the Davis to the dance, was quite
took with the looks of Mis- Davis an
Mirandy, an l says to myself-like as not
you need convertin', most every one does in
this country-an' for brass will give you
gold, l says, yea, much gold, says /. Well.
last night young Teller rode up an got offn
his horse an come in. The wilder didn't
seem to shine to him, but Mirandy called him
Bobby" Here the Don paused, and re-
peated, thoughtfully: "Yes, sir, she called
him Bobby, right before my eyes" Then
resuming his story; "Well, he talked good
deal, an acted's if he owned San Nigel |
county; indulgin' freely in ripartee an other
little things, till finally l says: My friend,
are Won lookin' to be savedf an then be says |
he wasn't thinkin' about himself, but he reck-
oned he'd hev to keep his eye on his horse, so |
long as was about, if he wanted to save |
him Then Mirandy laughed, so turned to |
her an | SAYS: 1t would seem as if that |
young mans been poorly brought up; he's
a Mexikin, amt her Well-that's bout all
distinctly remember now; there's a interval
in my life where all is naught." Here the
Don made an attempt to smile that was lost
in the swelling of his cheek. 9Th only way
You can be free with any one in this country
is to get tn drop on him. | reckon l won't
go there so often after this"
And from that day his visits ceased alto
gether.
Spring came at last, and with the warmer
weather came the usual work on the range.
More riders were needed, and the Don was
relieved from his duties as cook and sent out
to look up stray cattle. This change in his
labors he hailed with pleasure, although it
meant loss of $40 month and harder
work.
1--WE alters held that cookin' warnt no
proper business fur white man" he said;
shut done it--blessed are the meek-an' it's
conquered my pride in great shape"
| Preparations for the spring round up were
| rapidly made; the wagons were examined
and repaired, the horses were driven up from
the pasture and corralled in a convenient
place, new horses were broken in and old
ones shod. Men were sent out over the range
to examine the watering places, with orders
to pull out of the DOGGY ground about them
any BARGE cattle that had become mired and
unable to extricate themselves
These duties were both hard and disagree
able, not having either the excitement or the
social pleasures incident to round up, but
the Don performed his part willingly. One
morning he rode away from the ranch with
instructions to examine carefully certain
specified territory that lay in the west His
route led up Los Tanos, and as he started,
Rube, who was preparing to ride south,
called out to him, in unconscious quotation
of Tony Weller: Beware o tn wilder,
DOM" To which the Don replied. with a
wave of his hand: Thanks. Reuben-judge
We not Others" and disappeared around a
bend in the stream
1t was the afternoon of the second day of
his excursion that found him approaching
Horseshoe V 8 ranch. 1t had been a perfect
day in April, that best of all months in New
Mexico. The gramma grass had exchanged
its winter coat of silver for fresher one Of
green; the few trees that grew along the river
were bright in leaf and blossom. Even ths
somber sagebush had put off its mournfu
gray, and the cactus was gorgeous in its yel
, low flowers. The cattle, too, seemed to fee
the benign influence of spring, and as tn
Don drew near, hurried heller skelter acros
the vegas, followed in frisky content by the
wubbly, long cared calves.
, and having unsaddled Rozinante and turneC
him into the corral, strobe into the bunl
{ room.
> 'I'm from the BARGE, he said to one o
/ two occupants there, IAN TIL put up with ye-
: the birds Of the air hev uests--till to-morrer.
3 "WeH," said one Of the men, whats tn
$ news over to the BARGE wayF
; "Nothin much," said the Don, as he too
t a seat on bunk and commenced to white
a Bed time comes early at ranch, and Their
e were dozen men packed away in the bun
S room that night, when Texas, the foreman
d SHE'D his spurred boot at the candle. ie
b although the Don was tired, for he had no
e den far and hard he could not sleep. II
t was dissatisfied with his lot He bad sol
v above his work, and yet he had succeeded |
70 nothing else He had always had loft
e ideal in woman-an ideal that had bee
n rudely shaken several times but still stoo
Is upright-and vet he had not been fairi
,e treated bv the sex There was that little il
r, cideut at the Widder Davis-he still reco
d lected the details of that perfectly. index
n there were one or two black and blue spo
1t on his body yet. STILL for all that, his chlVa
Ne rous regard for woman-as woman-was I'll
abated, though when you come to parficula
+ Jewell, that was different matter. h
o, was partially reused from his reverie b
h hearing voice over in the darkest corner
10 the room say:
sc oval, Jim was sayin' you punched the lie
id ler's head till he didn't knew nothln'."
in ''Guess didn't hurt him very much the
rs fur he didn't know nothin' afore."
Id s.Hawl hawl best l ever heard; must tt
It, Jim that"
J. why, the Teller called me Mexikin
ID said the second voice I'D right pun
IA lead into him fur that, hedn't IT.
ID Surely, but Jim was sayin' you called q
ye Teller boss thief"
ne Don't recollec' bout that Might a do
nd | so: never could recollec' little things"
ee claw haw! When did you say you W
IS goin' to run the gal OFF,
a "To-morrer, l expec'. She'll be all alo
tn I'D to the place. Tn widders gone TO Negs
I'd and Tom Davis-well, you know himf
Eyes, know him. So you callate TO n
her off tomorrow, when her material qua
deem is away, eh, Bob"
Eyes, an make for Sanity Rosy" said Be
''And I'd like mighty well if you could
there then, Billy"
The Don saw it all. This was the you
man be had had the trouble with at the WI
der's that night last winter, and now he "
\ going to forcibly abduct Mirandy in the q
II sence of her mother and brother. All {
IN chvalry in the Don's nature was reused
II this He determined to thwart the scheI
and save the lovely damsel from the clutcf
4 of the villain, He would-his thoughts We
7 again interrupted.
~ ''How was you 'lowin' to do it, if it's a Il
question, Bob'n said the first voice
at surely is Why, l was just a-goin'
put her on a pony and then dust for San
Rosy. Ifiggered to foller the overland sta
trail till we come to the Montezumy marsh
and then-cross lots There is a path o'
that bog, near the spring, that only two
lers-I and Rube Priday-know, an, I'll sa
five mile over follerin the rud, that WI
the Shouldn't care to try it with female g.
ant rally, but ez we amt he'd rain in six mont
ng / reckon the bog amt very shaky.n
no "Yes, you can do it, l guess. Well, &C
i'm night Bob"
to ''Well, good night, Bill Say, BillI'
md "Huhm
eed you'd orter been there to the Wilde
that night and seen old Ten Commandment
me INSTRUMENTATION he went. One-t
of -three-down again. No guns drawed;
to STAN up an knock down. Hawi haw"
i've The humor of the situation evidently
nto pealed to Bill as well as Bob, and for so
his time nothing was heard but the sound of S
ant dued chuckling.
no 'sBiI Ransom ~ said voice No. 2 at leng
ex- II want you to be over to Sanity Rosy
morrow at 3 o'clock You're goin' to st.