Smyrna times., 1892-04-20
1.-THE CACTUS"
A NAUGHTY BEAUTY IN A WESTERN
MINING CAMP, AND HER VIVA
CIOUS WAYS.
BY o. h. LEWIS.

towed upon her in Cinnabar. IT,
signature, If she had written it, woul
probably have been Mollie Prescott
at least such was the declaration ,
Rosewood Jim.
Il sees this yere female a wear aOo
tombstone" asserted that veraciou
chronicler, "where she cooks at Nh
stage station, an she gives it out cold
she's called PrescOtt-MOllie Prescott
an most likely she knows her nam,
an knowed it a year ago."
AS Rosewood was a historian ,
known petulance, no one cared +
challenge either his facts or conclr
slons; so the real name of the Cactus
was accepted by the Cannibar publ
as Prescott.
"The Cactus" was a personable lad,
cOmely and round and her adven
into Zanzibar Society had cause,
something of futter. Her missio
was 70 COOK, and in the ful6lment G
her destiny she presided over tn
range at the o. K. Hotel. Being pub
hcly hailed as the Cactus" seemed il
no wise to depress her, and it is possi
Ole she even felt secret glow over Al
eplthet which was meant by the criti
cal taste that awarded it to illustrat
those thorns in her nature which re
PEELED and held in check the amoron
males of Cinnabar.
Women were jewelry in CiDnabar
and on her first coming "The Cactus
had many admirers. Every man il
camp loved her the moment she stem
ped from the Tucson stage six month,
OeIore. From the term every man
however, careful writer would excep
Rosewood jim. That Obdurate scien
tist, given as he was to the investiea
tlon OF the inner workings of faro a,
philosophy, had no time for such ,
soft aud dulcet affair as love. An
o'her thing, Rosewood had scruDles n
honor born in his business.
Life behind a deal box is a mi0btv
sight too fantastic" quoth the thought
lul k0seV ood, for family. 1t does
well enough for single fOOters. which !,
don't make much difference with wher
a player puts his six shooter and SENDS
'em saOnten home to heaven somewhat
abrupt. But there amt no room for a
woman with man who turns cards
as pursoOt. Priests an gamblers
amt got no business with squaws."
AS time went on, the score of lovers
who sighted on the daily trail of the
Cactus dwindled down to two. The
rest gave out dispirited.
IN clean strain enough" said Bill
Iutt, In apolegetic description of his
failure to pelseVere, but l knows
wheu l got through I'll plav game
TO finish, but when it's down to the
turn an my last chips gone over to
the dealer, why | shoves my chair
back an quits. An it's about that
away of an cOncernin' my love for
this yere Cactus girl. | Jest can't get
her none, an that settles it. | now
draws out an gives my seat to some
one else"
That's whatever" said a parsonage
known as Texas Joe, who was an inter-
ested listener to the defeated Mr. Tint
an you can gamble Pm with YOU on
them views. | loves the Cactus nv
sef to frightful degree, an theirs times
when l jest goes about " whinin' for her.
but yere awhile back come projecting
around her kitchen, an 'bingr comes
skillet at my head. an that let's me
out. You bet l don't pursoo them
explorations round her no more.
don't want to get my rope onto no
woman who is that callous as to heave
kitchen bric-a-bra at a heart that's
pantin' for her"
Two lovers still knelt at the shrine
of THE Cactus" These were hailed
by men of Cinnabar respectively as
Rice Brown and Riley Brooks. A
description of one would have been a
portrait of the other. They were
young. good looking, of the breezy
type, tanned as to face.
and 1.-the and timber as blacksnakes as
to person. These still held the affeo.
tions Of the Cactus" in siege and de.
manded capitulation. That estimable
virgin paid no heed to their court. nor
The comment of OnlOOking Cinnabar.
She pursued her path in life even and
lnmoved. She compounded her daily
bread, compiled her daily hapiacks.
md broiled her daily beefsteak bv that
simple and ingenious process, popular
u the southwest, of burning il on the
yriddles OF her range, and as compos-
'dly as though Leander never swan
he Hellespont nor Antony sighed or
ung in the ear of Egypt's queen. Still
I was possible that the Cactus" was a
hade less thOrny in her treatment of
Rice Brown and Riley Brooks than of
my of the others, Perhaps she was
'ecOming tired out. Be the reason |
What it may, these two persisted when
he others failed, and at last were rec
gnized as rivals.
"All Pm afraid Of" said old man
armstrong, the head of the local vigil
ance committee, THAT these we're
onng bucks'll take to pawnin' round
Or trouble with each other. As the
pshOt of. sech doin's would most
kelly be the stringin' of the survivor
y the Cinnabar committee on lariats.
hese yere nuptials, which now looks
ONE feasible, would be clean busted,
u the camp get q set-back Just that
luch. I wish this yere maiden would
P her hand in this to some discreet
ent, so play could be made ip ad-
ahce TO get the wrong man outpp the
ray. whatever do you think yOu'se'f
?"
Its a delicate deal" said that sap
mt cardist, to go tamperin' round a
oung female for the secrets of her
oul, but l shOrely deems it a crisis.
nd public interest demands sometbin;
done. These yere boys is CROWN
lightly hostile Of each other, which I
otes last night over in the gold mine
lloon, where they was paintin' up for
ar. an onIess we all interferes yere
Is my Judgment some of this we're
we. maxim II come off in the smoke.n
THAR pHghteT be q nact of Congress"
'id Tutt, the pessimist, iagip love
akin in the far West, am The East
lould be kept for sech purposes
'eshul, same as reservations for In. ,,
ms. The Western climates too
zyOOberant for love-makin'."
''s'pose me an you an Tut we're :
'es t1. over to this young female an all !
llite an eongenial like, we ups AM !
ks her Intentions ?" continued Arm
-ong, in an interrogative way. to :
Excuse me, pards," said Tut with :
d earnestness, "but don't think /.
ants any cards in this at all. 'ibe :
lctns' is mighty spirited lady. ami !
~ all recalls as how i've been nes.
rim round her In the past myself, for
anich reason, with others, she might
ke my comm on sech Grants deris- !
and bang me over the fore'erd with :
dipper, or some sech Objectionable :
ay. 80 ] reckon better keen out of :
IS yere embassy q whole lot ainit