Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23

"wait, boys" cried Babe as We sprang up
with guns in hand ready for action. IF 1t is
birds they will call back to me-" and three
times at intervals she sent out the shrill, clear
cry, but got no answer back.
ut amt birds," she said sadly, "they always
call TO me. Maybe il is Indians, and oh, Shorty,
dad amt come YETI And sobbing pitifully
she threw herself In Shorty's arms.
It was plain that the Indians were skulking
round and contemplating some deviltry which
We were powerless to avert. We compelled the
villful child to 60 down to the Gulch with us,
promising TO hunt Jim up and corral him in
Bonita, and then took up our line Of march
down the rough trail to the camp, nearly quar-
ter Of mile below. Az we reached the Azul
stumbled over . dark heap lying partly in the
little strvsn,, and turned up to the moonlight
the dead face Of whisky-soaked Jim Barnes.
Poor Babe wept and chung to him In perfect
abandon Of grief, wiping the water from his
Golden face with her hair and talking to him in
. pathetic pathos that broke Us al up. The
boys picked the body up and carried II to the
Gulch- 1t was 9 hard night for MS all. Jim
wasn't worth powder to blow him up, but he
was all that Babe had, and her grief hurt us
worse than if It had been our own. She finally
sobbed herself to sleep in Shorty's arms and he
laid her on the cot in his cabin. Then we DIS
posed ourselves as best We could about the
camp to guard against an attack. ALI through
the long hours we watched and listened, but not
even a bird sang to break the dead quiet Of the
tropic night. Toward morning every mothers
son OF Us went to sleep at our posts Just be-
fore daylight there rose on the morning air q
scream of awful terror. which brought every
body in Bonita pell nell from tents and cabins.
Up the dangerous narrow trail we could hear
the patter Of receding hoofs.
In the uncertain light we counted noses.
Everybody, women and all, we're accounted
for-all bat Babe.
shorty rushed into hi. cabin and came ont
raving like a maniac. Babe was gone! While
we slept the redskins had stolen the pride Of
Bonita Gulch.
In the confusion which inevitably followed
much time Nss lost and the miscreant was well
out of our reach before we got on the trail.
We bad hunted Indians before, however, and
felt no hope Of getting them. We knew we
were simply placing ourselves in the power of
the redskins by following them into their
mountain Businesses, where they could turn on
US and slaughter US like sheep. Still we could
not give up our treasure without ut least
attempt to secure it, no matter how futile. A
few remained at Bonita to bury Jim and pro-
tect the women and cabins and two set out for
the fort to have the troops put in the field.
A week later, wornout, footsore and disheart-
ened, we returned to Bonita from our frui.less
errand, and the troops. just as unsuccessful;
were again In quarters ut the fort.
At Bonita We found fresh fuel to feed our
consuming wrath in the persons of a Mr.. NAL
lory and his wife. Mr.. Mallory, who was a rich
contractor, had brought his wife and little
daughter, eighteen months old, and a nurse girl
to Socorro with him. After completing his
business there he had to go to the Hard Luck,
about twenty miles away, and his wife impor-
tuned him to let her visit "Teal'' gold mine,
and, like fool, he consented. Most of the trail
to the Hard Luck" was on the government road
20 Fort Craig Ten miles out from Socorro thew
were attacked by Apaches, himself and wife
stunned and left for dead, the drivers killed
outright. the carriage and wagon destroyed.
teams run off and no trace Of the nurse and
child left. When Mr.. and Mrs. Mallory recov-
cred their senses they found that they had been
dragged into a dense pine forest. Both were
suffering intensely from flesh wounds and from
the terrible nervous shock. For three DAYS
they wandered in the unknown region before
they struck the trail which led them at last to
Bonita Mrs. Mallory, from hunger and grief.
was On the verge Of insanity.
One afternoon eight days after the Apache
episode we were lounging under the trees
anathemizing the Indians and government and
everything else instrumental in bringing SO
much grief upon Bonita, when Shorty lifted
his head and with upraised hand checked the
flow Of invectives, but he dropped back with
an apologize sigh.
81 kalkerlates I'm hoodooed along Of this kid
nappin. Every time the wind stirs leaf on
the trees think its a child cryin' some This
we're last deal of Providence breaks the bank,
an pulls stakes termorrer fer new diggin's
Onie3s THIS we're pay
low, wailing CRY cut Shorty's speech off
mighty quick and with an expletive he jumped
to his feet, knocking the breath out of Broncho
Bill. who was calmly sleeping of drunk.
Yer gets mighty peevish al fer nothin',"
said Bill fretfully, as he slowly got up. "a fe-
male don't stand no chance alongside of you
for narves these we're days. Thet's only
painter yowiin'. Babe has located ali the pay
streaks in the New Jerusalem bs now. All l
ssks is t git my sights ON the pizen cusses-"
A second cry cut Bill short. .
"'Pachs er painters investigates" said
Almost on the spot where Babe looked out
at us the day the Apache panther cries startled
US we found her lying wan little heap, and
beside her, crying pitifully, little child, al
most naked. and SO dirty and tanned that we
couldn't sell whether it was Indian or Anglo
Saxon, and near by, browsing on the grass, was
an old she goat.
Babes clothes were in tatters and her arms
and feet bare and bleeding. As stopped over
her she put up her poor lacerated hands and
said piteously:
"Oh, captain, take me home; I'm so tired"
and tainted.
took her in my arms, Shorty gathered the
baby, and with the goat following We went
whooping and yelling down the trail like
hostiles on the warpath.
The whole camp was in arms and ambush
when We appeared on the scene and came near
BIcCouS ub Win NOhcN Dut WHICH, Tie Ied6Ou
for our hilarity became known they went us
about ten better. The women cried and the
boys shouted and sung and walked every echo
in the Magdslenes with their six shooters and
Winchester in their exuberaut JOY.
The Mallory cabin being the closest and as all
the comforts in the GulcA had been placed there
for the benefit Of the poor heart-broken. couple
/ took Babe In there and piled her on q cot
while everybody in the Bonita crowded about
the door and windows.
The baby was quietly taking in all the sights
in Shorty's arms and as we had about forgotten
the lids existence in the joy over Babe we were
totally unprepared for the frantic screams Of
delight uttered by the half-starved young one
a. shorty stumbled into the cabin at my heels
1t held out its dirty paws t, Mallory and in a
voice that would have made an enraged parrot
sick it shrieked: "Pspa, papal'
The painter does not live the poet never
existed who could have done justice to that
scene, and won't try, but you can Just set
your imagination 10 work on picturing the joy
Of those parents on the recovery Of their child.
As for the camp, it had another frenzy Of powder
burning and shouted itself black in the face
While the women were rubbing Babe and
trying to get some life in her little skeleton o
fierce bs-atng was heard, and with q clatter the
old goat sprans into the room and heading
through the crowd jumped wiAh her fore feet
on Babes cot That seemed to bring Babe back
to life, and struggling to a sitting posture she
stroked the goats shaggy sides.
''Oh, but I'm so happy" she murmured with
IL ~. l. Ill