, 1890-01-31
CORPORAL NICK BROWN.

1t was strange that Capt. John Wood
the title being n of courtesy-should
have sent for his daughter Ethel to join
him in camp on the Rio Grande, where
he was hard at work as a contractor on
the Sunset extension of the Southern Pa
cific railroad; but he did. and when the
fact became known, the captain of the
Ranger company at Vaudeville detailed
three of his best men to escort the young
lady from the lend of the track at Del
Rio to her fathers camp.
Renegade Indians from Mexico-Ton-
kawas, Lipans, Comanches, Kiowas,
Kickapoos and some few Mescalero
Apaches, the remnant of Victories band
had been making occasional predatory
raids upon the camps of the contractors
from the time that they crossed the Pecos
river and entered upon the heavy work
that makes this portion of the Southern
Pacific road so grandly picturesque.
These thieving Indians would dash
across the river in the dark of the moon,
steal all the horses and mules they could
conveniently drive, and be back again
across the river before the Rangers could
be notified and a scout ordered out to
pursue the rascals.
The Mexican Rangers, or s%urales, were
never on hand when these raids took
place, and the Indians, emboldened by
success in escaping capture or battle
even, attacked travellers going to and
from the construction camp.
This fact more than any other induced
the Ranger captain to tender an escort to
his friend, Capt. Wood, and when Miss
Ethel, barely II and fresh from an east.
ern boarding school, alighted from the
train at Del Rio, she was considerably
surprised, and not a little alarmed, at be,
ing greeted by a tall, handsomely pro,
p%ortioned man, with a dropping mus.
tache and dark eyes,, who was clad in the
picturesque garb of the Ranger service,
booted, spurred and girdled with n cart
ridge belt, from which depended a scab-
bard containing ar ivory handled six
shooter.
you are Miss Ethel Wood?' inquired
the stranger.
"Y-e-sI'' faltered the maiden, shrink
ing back at sight of his pistol and Win
chester rifle.
81 am Corporal Nick Brown, of the
Texas Rangers continued the barbar-
ously a~ccoutered young man, lifting his
sombrero politely, and with a new light
in his eyes at sight of Ethel's wondrous
beauty. 1.-THE captain sent me and my
men down to escort you to you fathers
camp, which, if we travel by ambulance,
is n good two days march from here.
If you could ride horseback, though" he
continued, IAN we made an early start
tomorrow, we might make it by night. y
81 just dote on horseback riding" an
swercd Ethel, and her cheeks grew roster
with anticipation. AT school l was
considered an excellent horsewoman. /
am dying to gallop over one of your
prairies"-
1--WE have no prairies out here" cor
rected the corporal. "Our course lies
across an arid alkali plain"
At this Ethel laughed, and confessed
that she was only an ignorant girl from
"the states"
She had caught the latter expression
from her fathers letters.
The corporal laughed also at her mai
vete, and they instantly became good
friends.
1t was early in the afternoon, and Sc
curing accommodations for Ethel at the
Sunset hotel, an edifice part adobe, part
wood and part stone, with a capvas roof,
he went into camp" with his own little
squad, purchased fodder and corn for
the horses, and took such an interest in
securing comfort for Ethel that the lat.
ter dreamed of him all night, and when
the Mexican girl who was the general
factotum of the Sunset called her, while
the night shadows still chung to the
earth, she arose without a murmur, al
though ordinarily she loved to lie in bed
late.
AT early dawn the party was in the
saddle, and trotted off up the govern
ment road" to the Pecos and beyond.
As commander of the scout Corporal
Brown rode beside Ethel, while the es-
cort and the single pack mule followed
behind.
They were five all told, and as there
had been no Indian depreciation lately
committed, Corporal Brown felt remark
ably sure of turning Miss Ethel over to
her father without accident.
In his secret heart, however, he wished
that the Indians might attack them; not
that he wanted to jeopardize his fair
charges safety, but simply TO show her
how Rangers could fight.
They camped for dinner at Moxon's
Springs, and Corporal Brown began to
regret that the journey would be so o o
over.
1t was o o'clock in the afternoon when
the crossed the Pecos at Dead Steer ford
and there were still twelve miles OF
rough riding before them.
The horses were jaded, and when thu
corporal ordered a gallop, and set the ex
ample by squirting ahead on his blacl
charger, with Ethel at his side, the othe,
horses responded reluctantly, and it re
quired a liberal use of the spur to keeI
them at that gait.
well get to your fathers camp b,
dark" said the corporal, leaning over il
his saddle.