San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-02-28


"This is your true life, my boy,
said he, slapping Dolph on the shoulder
"a man is never a man till he can def,
wind and weather, range woods ant
wilds, sleep under tree, and live on bas
wood leaves'
And then would he sing stave or tw,
of Dutch drinking swaying shor
squab Dutch bottle in his hand, Will
bis myrmidons would join in chorus, un
til the woods echoed again--as the goo(
old song has it;
They an with n shout made tho elements ring,
| So soon as tho office was DER;
| To feasting they went with truc merrlment,
And uppled strong liquor giore.
In the midst Of his jovialty, however
Heer Antony did not lose sight of dis
cretion. Though he pushed the bottle
without reserve to Dolph, yet he always
took care to help his followers himself
knowing the beings he had to deal with
and he was particular In granting but a
moderate allowance to the Indians. The
repast being ended, the Indians having
drunk their liquor and smoked theiI
pipes, now wrapped themselves In their
blankets, stretched themselves on the
ground with their feet to tho fire, and
soon fell asleep, like so many tired
hounds. The rest of the party remained
chatting before the fro, which the gloom
Of the forest and the dampness Of the air
from the late storm rendered extremely
grateful and comforting. The conversa-
ton gradually moderated from tho hilar-
ity Of supper time, and turned upon
hunting adventures and exploits and
perils in the wilderness, many of which
were so strange and improbable that l
will not venture to repeat them, lest the
veracity of Antony Wander Heyden and
his comrades should be brought into
question. There were many legendary
tales told also about the river and the
settlements on its borders; in which val
uable kind of loro tho Heer Antony
seemed deeply versed. As the sturdy
bush beater sat in the twisted root of a
tree that served him for kind of arm
chair, dealing forth these wild stories,
with the fire cleaning on his strongly
marked visage, Dolph was again repeat
edly perplexed by something that re-
minded him Of the phantom of the
haunted house; some vague resemblance
that could not be fixed upon any precise
feature or linGament, but which pervaded
the general air of his countenanoe and
figure.
The moon had Just raised her silver
horns above the round back of old Bull
hill, and LIT up the gray rocks and shagged
forests, and glittered on the waving
bosom of the river. The night dew was
falling, and the late gloomy mountains
began to soften and put OH O gray aerial
tint in the dewy light The hunters
stirred the fire, and threw on fresh fuel
TO qualify the damp Of the night air.
They then prepared bod of branches
and dry leaves under ledge Of rocks
for Dolph; while Antony Wander Hey
den, wrapping himself up in huge coat
made Of skins, stretched himself before
tho FIRE. Il was some time, however,
before Dolph could close his eyes. lie
ay contemplating the strange scene be
lore him: the Wild woods and rocks
FIRE, throwing fltful CLEANS
ln the faces Of tic sleeping savages-
md the Hser Antony, too. who 50
yet vaguely, reminded him
Il the nightly visitant 10 the haunted
lOtae. Now and then ho heard the CRY
e some animal from the forest, or the [
looiinZ Of tie owl. OF tho notes of the /
yhip-poOr-vill, which seemed TO abound I
lu1oIg these Folitudcs. or the splash q q /
furgeon, Iosping out q the river, and 1
alling hack full length On its placid sur /
BCa. He cOutr1sted all this with bis /
oc-ftornsd nest in tho g1rret room of 1
be DOCTORS nganEon. whore tho only /
ouuds be heard % night wore the church /
lock telErg the hour. tie drowsy voice 4
{ The v-afch-1aa. drawing out all vrals /
rel; tie dep slo..Iig q Ito doctors .
lubbc,i n1so fr1G8 bslOyv stairs. or The .
srr1ous labors q sogae carpeuter rat
rlauin- in tho --ail=oot His thoughts
acn uandercd b. hi5 pocr Cd nothers
-hst g-11ld she think n Lis rnvslerious
i-zT1aaruuoes WHIT a-.1iety and Gistrtss
-oul3 she uof s1.fe-f his Uzs tie
lc1ghf th-t v-01ld oo--ln-lllly iurr15c
zslif. o. mar his Trrsslt Clioyu yuert ID
r1ls.ff u-iih Is : fe-ell-g II PAIN ard
ard De- lei aslseP usith ti,e
ar5 20 1taDdirlg i1 kis eyos-
Were tlIis . r1f7e tale a fsDcy- h0rE