St. Landry democrat., 1893-02-25

stake an -ridered shirt' answered {
voice from the rear of the mob, followed
by a roar of laughter, which was suddenly
changed to one of fury when it was dis
covered who Scott was.
That's Bill Scott, the bell-wethe1
Nv the Rangers = howled one, les cap
ture him
Yes, he's strayed off too fur from
the fold this time i yelled another; les
shear him
* Him, an the fine -har'll look purity
ridcn' Nv the same rail, won't they 2
joked another, and so the fun might
have gone on until they forgot their
blood thirst, had not Gringo himself
pushed to the front swinging his pistol
around his head and yelling, stop yer
foolin', boys I'm here fur business
I've been insulted an my rights as er
/ citizen NV this State an' county inter
fered with All that is in favor Nv pus-
sonal rights, an homes deals, come on
an help me whoop the stut1in out'n
these smart Ellecks
"His harangue was welcomed by a
murderous yell, and click of what
sounded like hundred pistols and Win.
| chesters.
Stand your groundr said Scott to
me and Tobe.
{" All right, Capt. answered Tobe, as
he rammed wad of tobacco into his
mouth and hitched his powder and shot
horns around handy The old man
fairly danced from side to side of the half
open door, as eager as a boy who has
| lighted the fuse of his first Fourth of
July rocket.
" Gimme lief, Cap; gimme lief" he
chuckled, bracing his shoulder against
the gun.
Wait a minute; wait q minute'
Scott said, putting one hand on the old
mans shoulder and cooping the other
around his ear, leaning toward the north
and listening intcntly.
" That's the boys" he said. Il hear
their horses feet Then finging the
door wide open he called out on"e more:
Throw down your arms! | command
you in the name of the State of TeXas.n
Their answer was volley Of bullets
which Scott returned by thrusting out his
pistol arm and emptying the six cham
bers into their faces. This gave the sig
nal to me and the old man, who kept the
stream hot from the other side for the
next eight minutes, till the Rangers
came. But, | tell you, they were the
longest eight minutes | ever counted.
The old man was in his glory. The way
he poured powder, wads, bullets and
caps into Miss Betsey and fired them out,
was equaled only by the way he elected
one quid of tobacco, and bit off another
He took it as a matter of official inter
ference that the Rangers should come
up and take the fight out of our
hands. He sent his last load at random
through the air, and, going to the buck
ct, stood leaning on Miss Betsy while he
gulped down two successive dippcrs OF
water.
"'Some fools is alters mcddlin', he
said. Them Rangers better be tendin'
to their business an let us ten to Ourn
1t I'D been tie maxim Nv P to
hev Gringo Perez an his gang laid out
by three men an a gal"
"This called our attention to the
child, whom we had utterly forgotten.
Looking around found her sitting on
one of the barrels against the back door,
swinging her feet and calmly awaiting
results
- Do you want to go home, sissiel'
asked, standing beside her perch. She
set her little teeth and shook her head.
"'No, | daSn't! Dad ul kill me for
shore. He seen me in here an knows |
civ him crWav,'
"'That's all right, Chcc" the old man
said. You kin come an go out West
with me, an be my gall
"'No, | can't" answered she Thar |
amt no schools out thar, an | ought ter
be cdicatcd.'
''Our further family discussion was in
tcrruptel by the return Of Scott, who
informed us that Grinyo and his ring
leaders were lodged in the cnlaboosc end |
the rag-tag and bob-tail of the gang had
taken to the brush.
''Scott. and the group Of ctizens who
accompanied him, cGncUrTed in support
If Ch"c's proposition, that she ought to
)c cdicatcd, and a purse was made up
hen and there, providing for the child
md her mother out or reach OF Grtngc, |
when he should again be at large -
Now Norh Recorder.