Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-05-01

oil the Chircahua Apaches. Bess, his
daughcr, ran the ranch, MIXED the
cows, cooked the food, did the washing,
attended to the modest little garden
that she had managed to coax from the
arid Arizona soil, and even gave the two
cayuse ponies that belonged to her
father all the grooming they ever got.
Besides that, she had to attend to the
selling of water from the artesian we'll
that was the only excuse for Freshwa-
ter Ranch's existence.
There was not so very much travel on
the road that ran by Mt. Graham down
to tie dusty Glla Valley. but there were
forty miles at stretch Of it, and Fresh
water Ranch had the only water that
was to be found upon it. And so, when
the freight teams aud the army ambu.
lances made the trip from Fort Grant to
Fort Thomas the teamsters were verv
glad to pay twenty-five cents bucket.
full for water and double rates for forage.
And this is how Bess made & living. n
wretched, lonely, almost outcast living,
for her father and herself.
But there was plenty TO do this CAV
and plenty of excitement. For the first
time in all her memory, whole troop of
handsome cavalrymen, with a bright
checked and still handsomer lieutenant
at its head, had come to Fresh water
Ranch to actually camp over night and
perhaps stay even longer A bunch of
White River Apaches, getting over the
effects Of t'syiD drunk, had jumped
the reservation, and started on murder
ing and thieving raid after their usual
manner. Quite after their usual man
ner, also, two troops of cavalry had
started in pursuit, following their trail
with the faint hope of CATCHING up with
the heet-footed Apaches; while the re-
mainder of two regiments of cavalry and
twice as many of infantry had been put
at patrol duty at the guarding of water.
holes, springs and mountain passes.
1t is the young lieutenant that is sent
on this patrol duty, as rule. The more
experienced officers are sent in pursuit.
And it is hard grind, indeed, on the
nerves OF the impatient Youn lieutenant
to sit for days in his camp Watching the
surrounding country through his field
glass and receiving the reports of his
scouts, always the same monotonous:
Didn't see no signs of 'em, SIR" 1t is
bis ambition to get under fire. 1t is
the height of young lieutenant's
widest dream to capture or kill raj iiug
Apache. His heart burns with envy
when he hears big Bailey, of his rcgi-
ment, who, but few years before, was
himself but green lieutenant, talk in an
of.hand way about that time 1--WE had
the fight with old Geronimo down in the
San Samoane Valley" Bailey looks in.
to the campfire as he speaks, and does
net appear to care whether any one is
listening. There is tantalizing tilt to
Bailey's forage-cap, and the youngster
swears that if he ever does, by any good
luck, happen to conc across hostile
Apache, he will cut off his head forth.
with and send it to Bailey, and do
little talking himself. He would hate
Bailey if he wasn't such jolly good fell
low and so Internally kind when one
discovers that one is little short of
ready cash on ones STRIPPING pay, and SO
deucedly clever about getting ones
mount In good trim when one has lamed
the poor beast with unskillful riding;
all of which Bailey unfortunately is.
Such was the precise situation of
young Mr.. Bristow, second lieutenant of
the -th Regiment of United States Cav
airy, on this day when Bess was at her
wits end with work and excitement
Chilcauno and his band had jumped the
reservation at San Carlos after murder
ing freighter and stealing his horses,
and all Southern Ariz ona was in a state
OF excitement. To be ordered out to
guard watering station is bad enough;
but when you are quite persuaded that
the miscreants have gone in another
direction and that you have no chance
whatever OF being in or near at the
death, the situation is almost unbeara-
BILE.